Oliver A. Unger (August 28, 1914 – March 27, 1981) was an American

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, distributor, and exhibitor. In a 45-year career, he was also a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

and owner of movie theaters and television stations throughout the United States.

Personal

Unger was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, of Hungarian descent. His family also lived in New York before moving back in 1920 to the Hungarian capital,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, where his father, Bertram Unger, was a bank president. They returned to New York City in 1926 and Unger attended

Columbia Grammar School Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School ("Columbia Grammar", "Columbia Prep", "CGPS", "Columbia") is the oldest nonsectarian independent school in New York City, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (5 West 93rd Street). The school serves gr ...

until his graduation in 1931. Unger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1935. Unger was organizing ''Celebration 33'' — a benefit commemorating the thirty-third anniversary of the State of Israel — when he died at the age of 66. He was survived by his wife, Virginia; two sons,

Anthony B. Unger Anthony B. Unger (born October 19, 1940) is an American film producer whose 40-year international career includes such titles as Nicolas Roeg's 1973 thriller ''Don't Look Now'' as well 1969's ''Battle of Neretva'', ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'', ' ...

and Stephen A. Unger; three daughters: Meryl L. Unger, Dr. Olivia A. Raynor and Victoria R.S. Unger; and a grandson, David A. Unger. In 1984 the Unger family donated Oliver Unger's collection of personal documents and film production files to the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

's American Heritage Center.

Career

Film

From 1937 to 1945 Unger worked for J.H. Hoffberg Co. Inc., after 1940 renamed Hoffberg Productions Inc., eventually serving as Vice President. During this period, he was involved with importing and distributing foreign films. He was one of the first businessmen to travel to Europe after World War II, where he purchased foreign films for distribution in the United States. It was during this time that he founded Distinguished Films and Tola Productions with Martin Levine. They produced ''

The Roosevelt Story ''The Roosevelt Story'' is a 1947 American documentary film written and directed by Lawrence M. Klee. The film is a documentary about the private and public life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The film was narrated by Ed Begley, Gene Blakely, Kelly Fl ...

'', an 80-minute documentary about President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, filmed under the supervision of Elliott Roosevelt. ''The Roosevelt Story'' was awarded the Peace Prize at the 1948 Brussels Film Festival and regarded as "the most popular compilation film of the later 1940s". In the 1950s, he formed a brief partnership with Budd Rogers in the distribution firm of Rogers & Unger Inc. In 1961, Unger and

Ely Landau Ely Abraham Landau (January 20, 1920 – November 4, 1993) was an American producer and production executive best remembered for films of plays in the American Film Theatre series. Landau began working in television as a director and producer i ...

formed the Landau-Unger Company, which produced films such as ''Long Day's Journey into Night'' (1962) and ''The Pawnbroker'' (1964). Unger presented the former at the

1962 Cannes Film Festival The 15th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 23 May 1962. The Palme d'Or went to the ''O Pagador de Promessas'' by Anselmo Duarte. The festival opened with '' Les Amants de Teruel'', directed by Raymond Rouleau. During the Cannes Film Festiv ...

, where its stars (

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

, Jason Robards and Dean Stockwell) won the Best Actress and Actor awards collectively. The Landau-Unger Company also distributed '' The Eleanor Roosevelt Story'', which won the 1965

Academy Award for Best Documentary The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been besto ...

. Unger produced several films in Southern Africa with

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 ...

in the 1960s. The Landau-Unger Company was sold to Commonwealth United Corporation in 1967, at which time Unger was named Vice Chairman of Commonwealth United Company. In 1969 he added the titles of Vice Chairman of Commonwealth United Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth's Entertainment Division. Films financed, produced and distributed by Commonwealth United under Unger's tutelage include ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'', ''The Magic Christian'', ''Julius Caesar'' and ''Battle of Neretva''. In the early 1970s, Unger acquired the U.S. marketing rights for a number of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

's films, including ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...

'' and ''Modern Times''. Soon thereafter, Unger formed Marwi Capital Development N.V. in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, whose principal activity was to produce ''Assassination at Sarajevo'' also released as '' The Day That Shook the World'' (starring Christopher Plummer,

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was an Austrian-born Swiss actor, who also wrote, directed and produced some of his own films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1961 American film ''Judgment at Nuremberg'', h ...

, and

Florinda Bolkan Florinda Bolkan (born Florinda Soares Bulcão; 15 February 1941) is a retired Brazilian actress and model. Biography She was born in Uruburetama and lived in Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro until she moved to Italy. A former flight inspector fo ...

) and ''Force 10 from Navarone'' (starring

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

, Robert Shaw, Carl Weathers and Barbara Bach). Additionally, over a 20-year period Unger owned and operated (with partners) a number of movie theaters in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, among them The Tudor Theatre, The Lido, The Studio, The Little Carnegie, The Cinema Rendezvous and The Fine Arts.

Television

In the early 1950s, Unger worked as Vice President of Snader Telescription Sales and headed Station Distributors, "one of the country's first television syndication outfits." Unger co-founded National Telefilm Associates with

and Harold Goldman in 1954, where he served in various capacities and rose eventually to Chairman and President before leaving in 1961. Among the NTA's assets were American television stations including Channel 13 in Newark, N.J.

WNTA-TV WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...

(now WNET),''Forbes'', The 'Used Movie' Czars, May 15, 1958. whose programming included award-winning shows such as '' The Play of the Week'', ''

Open End ''The David Susskind Show'' is an American television talk show hosted by David Susskind which was broadcast from 1958 to 1986. The program began locally in New York City in 1958 as ''Open End,'' which referred to the fact that the program was open ...

'' (hosted by

David Susskind David Howard Susskind (December 19, 1920 – February 22, 1987) was an American producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a TV talk show host. His talk shows were innovative in the genre and addressed timely, controversial topics beyond th ...

) and ''

The Mike Wallace Interview ''The Mike Wallace Interview'' is a series of 30-minute television interviews conducted by host Mike Wallace from 1957 to 1960. From 1957 to 1959, they were carried by the ABC American Broadcasting Company television network, and in 1959–1960, ...

''. In November 1962, Unger formed a partnership with

Bill Sargent William Hilton Sargent (February 25, 1907 – March 18, 1963) was an American college, high school, and professional football coach. He served as the head coach at Loyola Marymount University from 1947 to 1948. Sargent also coached the Los Angeles ...

and

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...

to promote Cassius Clay's (later

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

) first closed-circuit fight against Archie Moore in Los Angeles. A year later, after he was approached by Roy Wilkins and

Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-A ...

(then President and Executive Director of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, respectively), Unger formed Freedom Network, Inc. to produce and promote ''Freedom Spectacular'', a charity event commemorating the tenth anniversary of '' Brown v. Board of Education''. The all-star production, screened live in movie theaters and other venues, included

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

, Nat King Cole, Bill Cosby, Ossie Davis and

Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (October 27, 1922 – June 11, 2014) was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (19 ...

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

, Tony Bennett, Richard Burton and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

and many others. In 1972, Unger and Peter Gettinger formed Hotel Films International, the first venture in Europe that made films available in hotel rooms via closed-circuit television. They sold the company to a Swiss/Arab interest in 1975.

Medal of Honor

In 1978, at a special investiture ceremony "in recognition of his services in promoting US/Yugoslavian cultural and trade relations," Unger was bestowed a "Medal of Honor" and designated an "Honored Artist" by President Tito for films that he either produced or co-produced in Yugoslavia: ''Battle of Neretva'' ('' Bitka na Neretvi'', nominated for

Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the

42nd Academy Awards The 42nd Academy Awards were presented April 7, 1970, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. For the second year in a row, there was no official host. Awards were presented by seventeen "Friends of Oscar": Bob Hope, John ...

in April 1970), '' The Day That Shook the World'' ('' Atentat u Sarajevu'', 1975) and ''Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978).

Filmography

As Producer (partial list) * ''

'' (1947) * ''

Coast of Skeletons ''Coast of Skeletons'' is a 1965 adventure film, directed by Robert Lynn and starring Richard Todd and Dale Robertson. It is a sequel to the 1963 film ''Death Drums Along the River'', and just as that film, it uses the characters from Edgar W ...

'' (1964) * ''

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

'' (1964) * '' Face of Fu Manchu'' (1965) * ''

Ten Little Indians "Ten Little Indians" is a traditional American children's counting out rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 12976. The term "Indians" in this sense refers to Indigenous North American peoples. In 1868, songwriter Septimus Winner adapt ...

'' (1965) * '' A Face of War'' (1968) * ''

Sandy the Seal ''Sandy the Seal'' is a 1965 British family film directed by Robert Lynn and starring Heinz Drache, Marianne Koch and Gert Van den Bergh. Produced and co-written by Harry Alan Towers, the film was shot in South Africa in Technicolor and Techn ...

'' (1969) * ''Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978) As Executive Producer, Presenter, Distributor, Other (partial list) * ''

'' (1931) * ''Modern Times'' (1936) * ''Long Day's Journey into Night'' (1962) * ''The Pawnbroker'' (1964) * ''

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (french: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music and lyrics by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young l ...

'' (1964) * '' Eleanor Roosevelt Story'' (1965) * ''

Our Man in Marrakesh ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (released in North America as ''Bang! Bang! You're Dead!'') is a 1966 British comedy spy film shot in Morocco produced and co-written by Harry Alan Towers, directed by Don Sharp and starring Tony Randall, Herbert Lom and ...

'' (1966) * ''Battle of Neretva'' (1969) * ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'' (1969) * '' King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis'' (1970) * ''

I Love You Rosa ''I Love You Rosa'' ( he, אני אוהב אותך רוזה, Ani Ohev Otach Roza) is a 1972 Israeli film directed by Moshé Mizrahi. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1972 Cannes Fil ...

'' (1972) * '' The Day That Shook the World'' (1975)

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Oliver A. 1914 births 1981 deaths American film producers American film studio executives American television executives American people of Hungarian descent 20th-century American businesspeople Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School alumni Syracuse University alumni