Donald Bernard Safran (January 17, 1930 – February 17, 2014) was an American film and television

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, producer and marketing executive. He was also a reporter, film critic and arts and entertainment editor for the ''

Dallas Times Herald The ''Dallas Times Herald'', founded in 1888 by a merger of the ''Dallas Times'' and the ''Dallas Herald'', was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas (USA) area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and t ...

'', as well as a reporter for '' The Hollywood Reporter''.

Early years and journalism

Born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, he graduated from Lafayette High School. He served two years in the United States Marine Corps before studying journalism at Mexico City College and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. He joined the ''Times Herald'' in 1956 as a movie critic, as well as covering nightclubs in Dallas. The latter ultimately led to him speaking with

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...

via telephone. Their conversations were cited in the Warren Report, following John F. Kennedy's

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

in 1963 and Ruby's shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. Safran also hosted a radio program, ''Night Scene'' on KRLD, during which he interviewed celebrities, and was one of the founders of the USA Film Festival. In the 1970s, his passion for films and writing led him to Los Angeles, where he reported for ''The Hollywood Reporter'' and the '' Los Angeles'' magazine.

Film and television executive

Safran served as vice president of publicity for Columbia Pictures and then as executive vice president of marketing for Rastar Productions, promoting such films as ''

Biloxi Blues ''Biloxi Blues'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It portrays the conflict of Sergeant Merwin J. Toomey and Arnold Epstein, one of many privates enlisted in the military stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, seen through the eyes of E ...

'', '' Blue Thunder'', '' Peggy Sue Got Married'', '' Smokey and the Bandit'' and ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Academy Award winner Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The picture is a film adaptation ...

''. His television credits include executive producing of '' The Goodbye Girl'', writing for ''Blue Thunder'' and writing a 1978 episode of '' Happy Days''. He later became a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Personal life

In 2005, he retired and moved to Tumwater, Washington, with his wife Jill Elledge, whom he married in 1990. They had three daughters. In retirement, Safran wrote novels and short stories. After his wife died in 2013, he moved back to Dallas to be closer to two of his daughters. He died, aged 84, of congestive

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

in February 2014.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Safran, Don 1930 births 2014 deaths People from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn The Hollywood Reporter people Writers from Brooklyn Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni American talk radio hosts United States Marines Lafayette High School (New York City) alumni People from Tumwater, Washington Mexico City College alumni