Michael G. Fitzgerald (December 19, 1950 – February 14, 2006) was a film historian and author. Fitzgerald was a native of

El Dorado, Arkansas El Dorado, founded by Matthew Rainey, is a city in, and the county seat of, Union County, on the southern border of Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 18,884. El Dorado is headquarters of the Ark ...

. His best known work was 1977's ''Universal Pictures: A Panoramic History in Words, Pictures, and Filmographies'' (published by Arlington House), which chronicled the history of the studio. He also co-authored two books with Boyd Magers, ''Western Women'' and ''Ladies of the Western'', both from McFarland & Co., which consisted of interviews with many leading ladies of western films. He dedicated this book to his nephew, Jon Fitzgerald, who grew up watching old movies with Michael as a small boy. Fitzgerald was also noted for co-hosting the annual ''Jivin' Jacks and Jills Hollywood Reunion'' in Studio City, California for over 20 years. Named after a dance troupe that performed in Universal films in the 1940s, the event began as a reunion for Universal actors. Fitzgerald was also an active participant in organizing the annual Memphis Film Festival from the early 2000s. He worked as an accountant in

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...

, until retiring about 2004. He died at the age of 55 from a staph infection in his foot. Fitzgerald's family includes his father, John F. Fitzgerald, his mother Tommie Mae Fitzgerald, his brother, Jerry Wayne Fitzgerald, and nephew Jon David Fitzgerald. Some time in the late 1960s, Michael's fiancée was killed in an automobile accident and he never married. Fitzgerald's favorite movies included musicals with Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Gloria Jean,

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People *Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

films, and classic horror movies such as ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'' (1931) and '' The Wolfman'' (1941). Fitzgerald spent hours every weekend in his screening room watching these classics on old reel to reel films.

References

1950 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American historians American film historians American male non-fiction writers People from El Dorado, Arkansas Writers from Arkansas 20th-century American male writers {{US-historian-stub