Sime Silverman
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Simon J. Silverman (May 19, 1873 – September 22, 1933) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. He was the founder of the weekly newspaper ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' in
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in 1905, which gave theatre and vaudeville reviews and the Hollywood-based ''
Daily Variety ''Variety'' is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. The company was founded by Sime Silverman in New York City in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added ''Daily Variety'', based ...
'' magazine in 1933, focusing on the emerging motion picture film industry.


Early life

Silverman was born to an
American Jewish American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora ...
family on May 19, 1873 in
Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 17,556. The city of Cortland, near the county's western ...
. His father, Louis J. Silverman, was a businessman.


Career

Silverman began his career by working for his father. In 1903, he became a journalist for the ''Daily America'' and wrote under the
pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...
"The Man in the Third Row". After the ''Daily America'' dissolved, he later joined the New York-based ''
The Morning Telegraph ''The Morning Telegraph'' (1839 – April 10, 1972) (sometimes referred to as the ''New York Morning Telegraph'') was a New York City broadsheet newspaper owned by Moe Annenberg's Cecelia Corporation. It was first published as the '' Sunday ...
'' but was fired in 1905 for a notice on a new sketch played by Mrs. Stuart Robson at Proctor's 58th Street theatre where the review mentioned the sketch was n.g. (no good). He was not aware that Mrs. Robson had given the Telegraph an advertising contract for $50. Despite suggesting that since the sketch was n.g., that might make the contract n.g., too, as Mrs. Robson wouldn't advertise what she couldn't play, the owner did not like the suggestion. Silverman decided that he would have to start his own paper in order to be able to tell the truth. With a loan of $1,500 from his father-in-law, Alderman George Freeman of Syracuse, he launched trade newspaper ''Variety'' as the publisher and editor. He passed the editorship to
Abel Green Abel Green (June 3, 1900 – May 10, 1973) was an American journalist best known as the editor of ''Variety'' for forty years. Sime Silverman first hired Green as a reporter in 1918, and Green's byline first appeared on May 30, 1919. Biography ...
in 1931 but remained as publisher until his death, soon after launching the magazine ''Daily Variety''. During the course of his career, Silverman was known as the "oracle of show business, the sworn foe of grammar, and the man who never let anyone pay a check." p. 1 In 1934, he headed a list in ''
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'' magazine of the "ten modern Americans who have done most to keep American jargon alive". In 1920, Silverman purchased an old brownstone building at 154 West 46th Street in New York, which became the company's headquarters until its sale and demolition in 1988. In 1922, Silverman acquired the entertainment newspaper the ''
New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...
''.


Personal life, death and legacy

Silverman married Harriett Freeman in 1895. They lived at The Langham at 135 Central Park West in Manhattan. Silverman suffered from a bronchial condition and, for health reasons, had travelled to California for the two winters before his death. He died on September 22, 1933, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, from a lung hemorrhage. He was 60 years old. His body was found by casting director Ben Piazza and the editor of ''Daily Variety'', Arthur Ungar, who suffered a mild heart attack on finding the body. His funeral was held at
Congregation Emanu-El of New York Congregation Emanu-El of New York is the first Reform Judaism, Reform Jewish congregation in New York City and, because of its size and prominence, has served as a flagship congregation in the Reform branch of Judaism since its founding in 1845 ...
on September 28, 1933. His son Sidne Silverman, known as Sid or "Skigie", succeeded him as publisher of both publications. His grandson Syd became the third publisher of ''Variety''. Silverman was the subject of a biography by Dayton Stoddart in 1941.


References


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silverman, Sime Variety (magazine) people Variety (magazine) editors 20th-century American newspaper founders 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 1873 births 1933 deaths People from Cortland, New York Journalists from New York (state) Jewish American journalists Silverman family