Fred Weintraub
Born
Fred Robert Weintraub

(1928-04-27)April 27, 1928
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 5, 2017(2017-03-05) (aged 88)
Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film producer
  • television producer
Known forOriginal owner of The Bitter End, martial arts and action films
Websitefredweintraub.com

Fred Robert Weintraub (April 27, 1928 – March 5, 2017)[1] was an American film and television producer and writer.

Career

Background

Weintraub was the original owner and host of The Bitter End in New York City's Greenwich Village.[2] Weintraub discovered singers and stand-up comedians such as Peter, Paul and Mary, Lenny Bruce (with whom he was arrested for obscenity), Randy Newman and The Isley Brothers.[3] The club also featured early performances of Neil Diamond, Woody Allen, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Ricky Nelson, Nina Simone, Dustin Hoffman, Charles Aznavour, Lily Tomlin, Stevie Wonder, Kris Kristofferson, Joni Mitchell, George Carlin, Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Bill Cosby and Phil Ochs.[3] During the early 1960s The Bitter End hosted "Open Mike" Hootenannies every Tuesday night, showcasing young, old, known and unknown folksingers.[4]

Weintraub is not related to fellow film producer Jerry Weintraub.

Films and television

Moving west in the mid 1960s, Weintraub created, wrote, and produced several television shows including Hootenanny and Dukes of Hazzard.[5] Beginning with Rage then Enter the Dragon Weintraub produced dozens of movies, many with a martial arts theme (like China O'Brien with Cynthia Rothrock, for example), as well as directing a documentary on Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee: The Curse of the Dragon (1993).[5]

In 1970 Weintraub became an Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. One of the first films he oversaw for the studio was Woodstock. In 1972 he became an independent producer, and made a number of adventure films, including Enter the Dragon, starring Bruce Lee.

One of Weintraub's documentary films was It's Showtime (1976) which consisted of film clips profiling various animal actors, such as Rin Tin Tin, Flipper, Trigger, and Asta, with commentary from the actors who worked with them, and including footage of James Cagney, Jimmy Durante, Cary Grant, Maureen O'Sullivan, Dick Powell, Ronald Reagan, and Mickey Rooney working with animal stars.[6][7]

Other work

In 2011, Weintraub published his memoir, Bruce Lee, Woodstock and Me, along with collaborator David Fields,[8] recalling his fifty-year career in the entertainment industry.[9]

Death

Weintraub died on March 5, 2017, in his Pacific Palisades home due to natural causes related to Parkinson's disease. He was 88.

He is survived by his wife Jackie; children Sandra, Barbara, Max and Zachary; and four grandchildren.[10]

Filmography

Producer

Title Year Notes
Christmas at F.A.O. Schwarz 1968 Executive producer; television film
Rage 1972
Invasion of the Bee Girls 1973 Executive producer
Enter the Dragon 1973
Black Belt Jones 1974
Truck Turner 1974
Golden Needles 1974
The Ultimate Warrior 1975
Trial by Combat 1976
It's Showtime 1976 Documentary film
Hot Potato 1976
Checkered Flag or Crash 1977
Outlaw Blues 1977 Executive producer
The Pack 1977
The Promise 1979
Jaguar Lives! 1979
Tom Horn 1980
The Big Brawl 1980
Force: Five 1981
High Road to China 1983
Gymkata 1985
Out of Control 1985
The Women's Club 1987
My Father, My Son 1988 Television film
The Best of the Martial Arts Films 1990 Documentary film
Chips, the War Dog 1990 Executive producer; television film
China O'Brien 1990
A Show of Force 1990 Co-producer
China O'Brien II 1990 Direct-to-video
Born to Ride 1991
The JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes 1992 Documentary film
Gypsy Eyes 1992
Trouble Bound 1993
The Curse of the Dragon 1993 Documentary film
Backstreet Justice 1994
Under the Gun 1995 Executive producer
Triplecross 1995 Television films
Playboy's Really Naked Truth 1995-97 Executive producer (21 episodes)
Undertow 1996 Television film
The New Adventures of Robin Hood 1997-98 Executive producer (53 episodes)
The Devil's Arithmetic 1999 Television films
Perilous 2000 Television films
Amazons and Gladiators 2001
Warrior Angels 2002
Endangered Species 2003
Dream Warrior 2003
La Femme Musketeer 2004 Mini-series (2 episodes)
Patton's Ghost Corps 2006 Executive producer; direct-to-video documentary

Writer

Title Year Notes
Black Belt Jones 1974 Story
Trial by Combat 1976 Story
Hot Potato 1976 Characters
The Promise 1979 Story
The Big Brawl 1980 Story
The Women's Club 1987 Story
The New Adventures of Robin Hood 1997-1998 Creator (53 episodes)

Director

Title Year Notes
It's Showtime 1976 Documentary film
The Curse of the Dragon 1993 Documentary film

Other credits

Title Year Notes
Hootenanny 1963-1964 Talent coordinator (2 episodes)
Black Belt Jones 1974 Cameo as "Judge"
The Dukes of Hazzard 1979 Consultant (5 episodes)

References

  1. ↑ "Fred Weintraub, Who Showcased Future Greats at the Bitter End, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ Colby, Paul (2002). The Bitter End: Hanging Out at America's Nightclub. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 9781461660866. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Paul Colby's The Bitter End". The Bitter End.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  4. ↑ "The Bitter End". folkmusicarchives.org. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Fred Weintraub Biography". filmreference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  6. ↑ ""It's Showtime" cast and crew". Yahoo Movies. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ ""It's Showtime" cast and crew". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Free Wedding Websites - Best Wedding Websites".
  9. ↑ Bruce Lee, Woodstock and Me
  10. ↑ Roberts, Randall (March 7, 2017). "Fred Weintraub, who financed 'Woodstock' and helped discover Bruce Lee, dies at 88". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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