Harry Donenfeld
Harry Donenfeld | |
---|---|
Publisher | |
Spouse |
Gussie Weinstein (m. 1918) |
Children | Irwin (1926–2004) Sonia "Peachy" (b. 1928) |
Parent | Itzhak Donenfeld |
Relatives | Charlie, Mike, and Irving (brothers) |
Harry Donenfeld (
Biography
Early years
Harry Donenfeld was born into a
Donenfeld spent his early life in and out of school, and later in and out of gangs,[5] refusing to settle down or find an occupation like his brothers, who had set up a printing enterprise. Harry became a clothing salesman working in the city, saw himself as a class above the ordinary working man, and wanted a better life, preferably without hard work. After he avoided the draft in 1917, he married Gussie Weinstein (1898–1961) in 1918, and thanks to a loan from her parents he was able to open a clothing store in Newark, New Jersey.[6]
Martin Press
When
Pulp magazines
In 1924–25, Donenfeld, through his Elmo Press (formed in 1924), began printing Frank Armer's film magazine
In August 1933, Donenfeld formed Tilsam Publications to produce a mixed girlie/film magazine, Real Screen Fun.[9][13] In November 1933, he drafted Armer as editor to form a company called Super Magazines which ended up specializing in the mixed girlie/genre pulps Spicy Adventure, Spicy Detective, Spicy Mystery and Spicy Western. In 1934, after getting charged with obscenity, and narrowly escaping jail, Donenfeld changed the name of Super Magazines to Culture Publications.[9] In January 1943, again trying to clean up their image, he changed the word 'Spicy' to 'Speed' in the four magazines with that name.[14] Speed Western lasted the longest, ceasing publication in 1948.
National Allied Publications
In 1929, as a favor to an old client, Julius Liebowitz, Donenfeld gave work to Julius' son,
In 1935, Major
The fourth publication under National Allied Publications would be
American Comics Group
Donenfeld also owned a stake in a competitor comics publisher, American Comics Group (ACG). A gin rummy and traveling partner of Benjamin W. Sangor, in 1943 Donenfeld helped Sangor start ACG,[21] which was published until 1967. (ACG was also distributed by Donenfeld's Independent News.)
Injury and death
In 1962, the week before he was set to marry his second wife,[22] Donenfeld fell, injuring his head, which resulted in a lack of memory and speech from which he never recovered.[23] He died at a care home in New York City in 1965,[9] and is buried in Mount Ararat Cemetery, East Farmingdale, New York.
Donenfeld was posthumously named in 1985 as one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company's 50th-anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.[24]
Family
Harry's son Irwin Donenfeld was born in 1926,[25] and worked for the firm from 1948 to c. 1968, holding the titles of editorial director and executive vice president. Harry's daughter Sonia (known as "Peachie") was born in 1927. She was married to Fred Iger in 1947, had 2 children and the marriage ended in divorce after 15 years.
References
Notes
- ^ "Say How: D". National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ Social Security Death Index, Social Security #082-03-1850.
- ^ Donenfeld death notice, New York Times (Feb. 28, 1965).
- ^ Jones, pp. 1–4.
- ^ Jones, p. 15.
- ^ Jones, pp. 19–22.
- ^ Jones, p. 42.
- ^ Jones, pp. 42–46.
- ^ a b c d e f g David Saunders, "Harry Donenfeld" at PulpArtists.com
- ^ Todd Klein, "Schnapp, Donenfeld and the Pulps – Part 1" at kleinletters.com
- ^ Damon C. Sasser, "REH Splashes the Spicys – part I"
- ^ Douglas Ellis. 2003. Uncovered: The Hidden Art of Girlie Pulps. Adventure House.[page needed]
- ^ Brian Cronin. "How a U.S. Postal Service Crackdown on 'Indecency' Led to DC's First All-Humor Comic". Comic Book Resources.
- ^ Beau Collier, "Birth of the Girlie Pulps" at pulpmags.org
- ^ Jones, p. 62.
- ^ Jones, p. 89.
- ^ Jones, pp. 89–92.
- ^ Jones, pp. 101–102, 107–108, 125
- ^ Van Lente, Fred (2012). The Comic Book History of Comics. IDW. p. 32.
- ^ Jones, p. 142.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "The American Comics Group," Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Aug. 29, 2011.
- ^ Tom De Haven. 2010. Our Hero: Superman on Earth. Yale University Press.[page needed]
- ^ Donenfeld entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
- ^ Marx, Barry, Cavalieri, Joey and Hill, Thomas (w), Petruccio, Steven (a), Marx, Barry (ed). "Harry Donenfeld Detective Comics Inc." Fifty Who Made DC Great, p. 6 (1985). DC Comics.
- ^ Jones, p. 51.
Sources
- OCLC 62311432.
Further reading
- Stapinski, Helene; ISBN 978-1-9821-7166-7.