Lee Mortimer (1904–1963) was an American newspaper columnist,
radio commentator
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, crime lecturer, night club show producer, and author.
He was born Mortimer Lieberman in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, but was best known by the pen name he adopted as a young newspaper editor. With
Jack Lait
Jack Lait (March 13, 1883 – April 1, 1954) was an American journalist, author and playwright. During a 50-year career he wrote prolifically and became renowned as one of the leading newspapermen of the first half of the 20th century. He is ...
, he co-authored a popular series of books detailing crime in the United States, including ''New York Confidential'', ''Chicago Confidential'', ''Washington Confidential'', and ''
U.S.A. Confidential''.
Early life
Mortimer Lieberman (Lee Mortimer) was the eldest son of Nathan and Rose Lieberman, first generation immigrants to the United States. Nathan Lieberman was born October 12, 1873 in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and emigrated in 1890,
[1920 US Census: Chicago Ward 25, Cook (Chicago), Illinois; Roll: T625_342; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 1451; Image: 333] taking employment with Sears, Roebuck & Company, and later, Montgomery Ward, selling clothing. In 1918, Nathan Lieberman was employed by Kahn Tailoring Company in Chicago.
[US WWI Selective Service Registration Card, 1918] His wife, Rose, was born in Sweden in 1885, and immigrated to the United States in 1899. The couple had one other child, Robert Lieberman, born in Chicago in 1914, who was a promotions agent for The Chicago Tribune - New York News Syndicate.
[Nathan Lieberman Obituary, New York Times, January 21, 1955] Nathan Lieberman brought his family to New York in the early 1920s, and founded a clothing firm originally known as Mencher Brothers & Lieberman, a manufacturer of boys' and student's clothing later called Quickturns Company. Nathan Lieberman was actively involved in the operation, serving as general manager of the firm at the time of his death in 1955, at the age of 82.
Mortimer Lieberman attended
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
, then moved to New York City, going to work as an editor for ''Amusements Magazine'' under
Donald Flamm and adopting the pen name Lee Mortimer. Broadway columnist
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...
, in a March 12, 1931 column, called out Mortimer for having reported that Winchell was changing newspapers, reporting that Mortimer, "an up and coming youngster now editing Amusements for Donald Flamm, goes a little gay with facts too, however, when he reports that I am shifting rags."
[Wisconsin State Journal, 3-12-1931, page 3]
Newspaper and radio
In 1932, Mortimer began his long-term association with the ''
New York Mirror
The ''New-York Mirror'' was a weekly newspaper published in New York City from 1823 to 1842, succeeded by ''The New Mirror'' in 1843 and 1844. Its producers then launched a daily newspaper named ''The Evening Mirror'', which published from 1844 ...
'', working for editor
Jack Lait
Jack Lait (March 13, 1883 – April 1, 1954) was an American journalist, author and playwright. During a 50-year career he wrote prolifically and became renowned as one of the leading newspapermen of the first half of the 20th century. He is ...
, with whom he later penned a series of bestselling crime books. At the ''Mirror'', Mortimer was installed as a reporter and critic, and later began a long-running Broadway gossip column. His association with
Marcus Loew
Marcus Loew (May 7, 1870 - September 5, 1927) was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loew's Theatres and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio (MGM).
Life and career
Loew was born in New York City, ...
's theater publicist and nightclub impresario
Nils Granlund
Nils T. Granlund (September 29, 1890–April 21, 1957) was an American show producer, entertainment industry entrepreneur and radio industry pioneer. He was a publicist for Marcus Loew who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). ...
led to introductions to speakeasy club owners of the Prohibition Era, as sources for his Broadway material.
[Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets, Granlund, N.T.; Van Rees Press, NY, 1957]
Mortimer found a close ally in Nils Granlund, who managed WHN radio and broadcast live jazz performances from NYC nightclubs, and by 1939, Mortimer had his own radio program on
WMCA WMCA may refer to:
*WMCA (AM), a radio station operating in New York City
* West Midlands Combined Authority, the combined authority of the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom
*Wikimedia Canada
The Wikimedia Foundation, ...
, a station owned by Flamm.
[New York Times, ''Today on the Radio'', October 20, 1939.] Mortimer made appearances regularly at Granlund-staged events, and eventually produced Granlund-style dance revues for New York City nightclubs.
[New York Times, ''Lee Mortimer Dies; Columnist, Author'', March 2, 1963]
On crime
Mortimer served as a first lieutenant in the Signal Corps from 1942 to 1943, then returned to New York City and began a collaboration with Jack Lait that produced several bestselling crime books. Following that success, Mortimer began lecturing on crime and communism, and at one point attempted to tie popular singer
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
to the
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
and the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
. The two men had a confrontation outside Ciro's nightclub in Hollywood on April 9, 1947 (New York Times, ''Sinatra Held For Trial'', April 10, 1947).
Author
With Jack Lait, Mortimer wrote a series of books, including "New York: Confidential," "Washington: Confidential," "Chicago: Confidential," "
U.S.A. Confidential", and the science fiction short story "Mars Confidential".
On his own, he wrote "New York Behind the Scenes" and "Women: Confidential."
Following the publication of "U.S.A.: Confidential," Mortimer and Lait were charged in separate libel lawsuits by
Margaret Chase Smith
Margaret Madeline Smith (née Chase; December 14, 1897 – May 29, 1995) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was the firs ...
and
Augustine B. Kelley
Augustine Bernard Kelley (July 9, 1883 – November 20, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1941 to 1957.
Life and career
Kelley was born in New Baltim ...
, members of Congress. The $500,000 suit by Kelley was settled after Mortimer and the estate of Jack Lait offered written apologies and paid costs associated with the litigation.
[New York Times, ''Libel Suit Settled'', January 29, 1957.]
Personal life
Mortimer wed five times, including marriages to Gerry Pascal, Patricia Whitney, Una Wyse, Ann Koga, and Mariko Harada.
Mortimer died of a heart attack in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on March 1, 1963.
[New York Times, Mortimer Obit, March 2, 1963]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortimer, Lee
American non-fiction crime writers
1904 births
1963 deaths
Writers from New York City
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century American businesspeople