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H. William Fitelson

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H. William Fitelson (January 21, 1905[1] – May 19, 1994[2]) was an entertainment lawyer with Fitelson & Mayers, managing director of the Theatre Guild,[3] and a founding board member of the Actors Studio.[2] He also served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union.[4]

Career

Fitelson was born in New York, NY, in on January 21, 1905.[1] He graduated from New York Law School in 1927.[2]

He took up practice of entertainment industry law in New York with clients in theater and film, including Broadway personalities and investors.[2] Clients included Joshua Logan and Elia Kazan[5] and Gypsy Rose Lee and Ethel Merman.[6] Author James Baldwin called him "a feisty Napoleon of the theater."[3]

"While practicing law in the firm of Fitelson and Mayers, Fitelson advocated for many causes."[6] He served as general counsel and managing director of radio and television programming for the Theatre Guild.[2][7] He was a member of the original board of directors of the Actors Studio upon formation in 1948.[2] He was a sponsor of the National Lawyers Guild.[8]

From the 1940s through the 1960s, he was involved in the production of musicals and dramas, as well as motion pictures.

He retired from Fitelson & Mayers (also known as Fitelson, Mayers & London) in the mid-1980s.[2]

Personal life and death

Fitelson was married to Anita. They had two daughters, Margaret Fitelson and Robin Fitelson, and a son, Dr. David Fitelson.[2]

His correspondence extended to New York intellectuals such as philosopher Sidney Hook[9] and art historian Meyer Schapiro.[10]

He died at home in New York City at age 89 of obstructive cardiopulmonary disease.[2]

Bibliography

  • Theatre Guild on the Air, edited by H. William Fitelson (1947)[11]
  • H. William Fitelson Letter to Kurt Weill, 1949, July 22 (1949)[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. 1988. p. 100. ISBN 9780810320680. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "H. W. Fitelson, 89, Broadway Lawyer". New York Times. 20 May 1994. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  3. ^ a b Baldwin, James; Stein, Sol (2005). "Native Sons". One World Books. p. 18. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  4. ^ "ACLU Letter to U.S. Senator Herbert H. Lehman re Alaska's Statehood" (PDF). Columbia University. 9 June 1950. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  5. ^ Kazan, Elia (1988). Elia Kazan: A Life. Knopf. ISBN 9780307959348. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  6. ^ a b Franke, Noralee (2009). Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee. Oxford University Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780199831012. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  7. ^ Barnouw, Erik (1996). Media Marathon: A Twentieth-century Memoir. Duke University. p. 90. ISBN 0822317281. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  8. ^ "The National Lawyers Guild" (PDF). On Target, publication of The Minutemen (via Hood College). 1 July 1964. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Sidney Hook Papers - Subject File, 1904-1990". Stanford University. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  10. ^ "uncataloged letter dated 20 February 1973, Box 6, Meyer Schapiro Collection, 1919–2006". Columbia University. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Theatre Guild on the Air". Library of Congress.
  12. ^ "H. William Fitelson letter to Kurt Weill, 1949, July 22". Library of Congress. 22 July 1949.

External links

  • Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. 1988.
  • "H. W. Fitelson, 89, Broadway Lawyer". New York Times. 20 May 1994.
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