Stephen Falk Krantz (May 20, 1923 – January 4, 2007) was a film producer and writer, most active from 1966 to 1996.

Career

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, Krantz graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and went on to serve in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Air Forces in the Pacific 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as a second lieutenant. He worked as a comedy writer for

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

and

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

. His later years were devoted to the production of

animated cartoons Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...

in Canada. After firing

Shamus Culhane James H. "Shamus" Culhane (November 12, 1908 – February 2, 1996) was an American animator, film director, and film producer. He is best known for his work in the Golden age of American animation. Career Shamus Culhane worked for a number of ...

from the animator's supervising director job on ''

Rocket Robin Hood ''Rocket Robin Hood'' is a Canadian animated television series, placing the characters and conflicts of the classic Robin Hood legend in a futuristic, outer space setting. It was produced by Krantz Films, Inc. and aired on CBC Television from 1966 ...

'', director

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

and background artist Johnnie Vita were brought to Toronto, not knowing that Krantz and producer

Al Guest Al Guest is a Canadian animation producer. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and started his career there when he dropped out of the University of Manitoba to pursue a career in films. A writer and fine artist, he has exhibited his paintings at m ...

were in the middle of a lawsuit. Failing to reach a settlement with Guest, Krantz told Bakshi to grab the series' model sheets and return to the United States. When the studio found out, a warrant for Bakshi's arrest was issued by the Toronto police. Bakshi's animation studio, Bakshi Productions, took over ''Rocket Robin Hood'' and another Krantz-produced series, ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

'', beginning Krantz' working relationship with Bakshi. By 1968, Krantz was producing live-action shows (such as the Canadian supernatural series ''

Strange Paradise ''Strange Paradise'' is a Canadian occult-supernatural soap opera of 195 episodes, initially launched in syndication in the United States on September 8, 1969, and later broadcast on CBC Television from October 20, 1969, to July 22, 1970. The pr ...

''). Krantz agreed to produce Bakshi's animated film ''

Heavy Traffic ''Heavy Traffic'' is a 1973 American live-action/animated drama film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film, which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young New York City ...

'', but told Bakshi that Hollywood studio executives would be unwilling to fund the film because of its content and Bakshi's lack of film experience. Bakshi later pitched a film adaptation of

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

's comic strip ''

Fritz the Cat ''Fritz the Cat'' is a comic strip created by Robert Crumb. Set in a "supercity" of anthropomorphic animals, it focused on Fritz, a feline con artist who frequently went on wild adventures that sometimes involved sexual escapades. Crumb began d ...

'', and Krantz sent Bakshi to San Francisco in an attempt to persuade Crumb to sign the contract. Krantz later acquired the film rights through Crumb's then-wife, Dana, who had Crumb's power of attorney and signed the contract. ''

'' was released on April 12, 1972, opening in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. A major hit, it became the most successful independent animated feature of all time. Towards the end of the year, Krantz began coproducing ''Heavy Traffic'' with Samuel Z. Arkoff, but Krantz had not compensated Bakshi for his work on ''Fritz the Cat'', and halfway through the production of ''Heavy Traffic'', Bakshi asked when he would be paid. Krantz responded, "The picture didn't make any money, Ralph. It's just a lot of noise." Bakshi found Krantz's claims dubious, as the producer had recently purchased a new BMW and a mansion in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. Bakshi soon accused Krantz of ripping him off, which the producer denied. When Bakshi attempted to work with Albert S. Ruddy on another film, Krantz locked Bakshi out of the studio and called several directors, including

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

, in search of a replacement. Arkoff threatened to withdraw his financial backing unless Krantz rehired Bakshi, which Krantz did a week later. After 1974, live-action motion pictures dominated Krantz' filmography. He wrote two novels, including ''Laurel Canyon'' (Pocket Books, 1979, paperback original), which was a best-seller.

Personal life

Krantz married magazine writer Judith Tarcher on February 19, 1954. In the mid-1970s, as

Judith Krantz Judith Krantz (née Tarcher; January 9, 1928 – June 22, 2019) was a magazine writer and fashion editor who turned to fiction as she approached the age of 50. Her first novel '' Scruples'' (1978) quickly became a ''New York Times'' best-seller a ...

, she began her career as a best-selling novelist. Judith's first book, ''

Scruples Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

'', was published in 1978, and reached number one on the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' bestseller list. The couple had two sons,

Tony Krantz Tony Krantz (born June 16, 1959) is an American film and television producer, writer, and director. Krantz started his career in the American entertainment industry as an agent, spending 15 years at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He started the ...

and Nicholas. Tony is a film and television writer, director and producer. His sister-in-law is puppeteer and ventriloquist Shari Lewis, who is famous for performing Lamb Chop. He is 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 ...

faith.

Death

He died in Los Angeles, California, on January 4, 2007, from complications of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

, aged 83.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Krantz, Steve 1923 births 2007 deaths Film producers from New York (state) American male screenwriters Deaths from pneumonia in California Columbia College (New York) alumni Writers from Brooklyn Military personnel from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) Jewish American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews