Michael "Mickey" Redstone (born Max Rothstein; April 11, 1902 – April 4, 1987) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the Northeast Theater Corporation'','' now
National Amusements, Inc.
Biography
Redstone was born on April 11, 1902 in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts.
[Boston Globe: "MICHAEL REDSTONE, OWNED THEATERS, LATIN QUARTER NIGHTCLUB; AT 85]
April 6, 1987 Born Max Rothstein, he later changed the family name to "Redstone" to avoid association with Jewish gambling boss Arnold Rothstein.
Redstone dropped out of high school to pursue his first business venture, buying a truck and securing a trucking contract with the City of Boston. During this period, he became close with local gambling boss Harry “Doc” Sagansky.
In 1934, Redstone and Sagansky started a Boston nightclub, the Mayfair, and purchased a
drive-in theater
A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movi ...
in
Valley Stream, Long Island. Both ventures were funded by Sagansky, who contributed “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to Redstone’s businesses.
The pair also started a Massachusetts loan company, and opened an additional night club, the
Latin Quarter
The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne.
Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistro ...
, in 1943.
In 1936, Redstone established the Northeast Theater Corporation, which grew rapidly as Redstone purchased land throughout the northeast and built new drive-in theaters.
By 1954, when his son Sumner left his job to work for the company, Redstone owned three drive-in theaters and had hired his son Edward to help with the business.
On August 28, 1959, Northeast was reincorporated as National Amusements, Inc. to consolidate the family's ownership interests and make it easier to obtain financing.
His son,
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redst ...
, grew National Amusements into one of the largest media conglomerates in the United States, owning one of the three broadcast networks in
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, the cable television and content provider
Viacom (which includes
MTV Networks
Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...
and
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
), and the movie studio
Paramount Pictures. CBS and Viacom are equal partners in
MovieTickets.com.
References
External links
National Amusements
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redstone, Michael
1902 births
1987 deaths
20th-century American Jews
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
20th-century American businesspeople