Milton Subotsky (September 27, 1921 – June 27, 1991) was an American film and television writer and producer. In 1964, he founded Amicus Productions with Max J. Rosenberg. Amicus means "friendship" in Latin. The partnership produced low-budget science fiction and horror films in the United Kingdom.

Early life and career

Subotsky was born 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 ...

, to a family of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

immigrants. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served in the Signal Corps, in which he wrote and edited technical training films. After the war, he began a career as a writer and producer during the 1950s "Golden Age" of television, including the television series '' The Clock'' and '' Lights Out''. In 1954, he wrote and produced the TV series ''Junior Science''. He graduated to film producing '' Rock, Rock, Rock'' (1956), for which he also composed nine songs. Subotsky moved to England; he produced his first horror film, '' The City of the Dead'' (aka, ''Horror Hotel'', 1960), at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

. He was a regular juror on '' Juke Box Jury'' on BBC Television in the early 1960s.

Amicus Productions

In 1964, with fellow expatriate producer Max J. Rosenberg, Subotsky formed the company Amicus Productions. Based at

, they produced such films as '' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors'' (1964), ''

Dr. Who and the Daleks ''Dr. Who and the Daleks'' is a 1965 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the first of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars Peter Cushi ...

'' (1965), ''

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. ''Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.'' is a 1966 British science fiction film directed by Gordon Flemyng and written by Milton Subotsky, and the second of two films based on the British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It stars ...

'' (1966), '' Torture Garden'' (1967), '' Scream and Scream Again'' (1970), ''

The House That Dripped Blood ''The House That Dripped Blood'' is a 1971 British anthology horror film directed by Peter Duffell and distributed by Amicus Productions. It stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Nyree Dawn Porter, Denholm Elliott, and Jon Pertwee. The ...

'' (1970), ''

Tales from The Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'' (1972), '' Asylum'' (1972), '' From Beyond the Grave'' (1973) and '' The Land That Time Forgot'' (1975).

Sword & Sorcery Productions

Amicus was disestablished in 1975, but Subotsky continued producing. Around this time he formed Sword & Sorcery Productions, Ltd., with Frank Duggan. At some point Andrew Donally joined the company. Numerous projects did not enter production. These include adaptations of

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

's "Thongor" stories, a live-action version of

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

's '' The Incredible Hulk'', film adaptations of stories that appeared in James Warren's comic magazines '' Creepy'' and '' Eerie'', and a co-production with former James Bond film producer Harry Saltzman on Saltzman's troubled "shrunken man" epic ''The Micronauts''. Unable to purchase film rights to

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

's ''Conan the Barbarian'' stories, Subotsky instead bought the rights to Carter's "Thongor" stories in 1976. Subotsky himself adapted Carter's 1965 novel ''

The Wizard of Lemuria ''The Wizard of Lemuria'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the first book of his '' Thongor series'' set on the fictional ancient lost continent of Lemuria. The author's first published novel, it was initially issued in paperback ...

''.

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

agreed to bankroll the project – now called ''Thongor in the Valley of Demons'' – in 1978, but subsequently withdrew for unspecified reasons. Sword & Sorcery's first film project to get off the ground was ''

Dominique "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bo ...

''. In 1980, they co-produced the TV series '' The Martian Chronicles'', adapted from the short story collection by

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

. During the making of this miniseries, Subotsky and Donally parted ways.

Later career and death

Subotsky also co-produced several adaptations of

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

novels, including '' Cat's Eye'' (1985), ''

Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film written and directed by Stephen King. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, and Yeardley Smith. The screenplay was inspired by and loosely based on King's short ...

'' (1986), ''

Sometimes They Come Back "Sometimes They Come Back" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1974 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later collected in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary In 1957, nine-year-old Jim Norman and his twelve-y ...

'' (a 1991 TV film) and ''

The Lawnmower Man "The Lawnmower Man" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the May 1975 issue of ''Cavalier'' and later included in King's 1978 collection '' Night Shift''. Plot summary Harold Parkette is in need of a new lawn mowing service. The ...

'' (1992). The Director's Cut of the latter was dedicated to his memory. Subotsky died of

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

in 1991, at the age of 69. His widow, Dr Fiona Subotsky, is a prominent London psychiatrist, and an historian of psychiatry.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Subotsky, Milton 1921 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American company founders American expatriates in the United Kingdom Film producers from New York (state) American film score composers American male film score composers Jewish American military personnel United States Army personnel of World War II American male screenwriters American television writers Businesspeople from New York City Jewish American songwriters Jewish American writers Television producers from New York City Place of death missing 20th-century classical musicians American male television writers 20th-century American composers Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American film editors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American Jews