Information about Harry Donenfeld
Harry Donenfeld (1893-1965), was an American publisher who is known primarily for being the owner of National Allied Publications, which famously distributed Detective Comics and Action Comics, the originator publications for the superhero characters Batman and Superman.
Harry spent his early life in and out of school, and later in and out of gangs, refusing to settle down and find an occupation like his brothers, who had set up a printing enterprise. Harry became a clothing salesman working in the city, and saw himself as a class above the ordinary working man, and wanted a better life, but preferably without the hard work. After he avoided the draft in 1917, he married Gussie Weinstein in 1918, and thanks to a loan from her parents he was able to open a clothing store in Newark, New Jersey.[2]
In 1935 Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson arrived on the doorstep of Independent News in a desperate bid to relaunch his comic book New Fun, having lost his previous backers due to poor sales and debts. Donenfeld accepted to distribute the comic but with heavy loss of rights to Wheeler-Nicholson. The major produced two more titles to be handled by Independent News, New Comics and Detective Comics (which would later see the first appearance of Batman); but now under the banner of Detective Comics Incorporated in which Wheeler-Nicholson was forced to take Donenfeld on as a partner, with Liebowitz named as joint owner. In an almost obvious twist, in 1938 Donenfeld sued Wheeler-Nicholson for nonpayment and Detective Comics Inc. went into bankruptcy. Not too surprisingly Donenfeld bought up the company and Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications in their entirety as part of the action.[5]
The fourth publication under National Allied Publications would be Action Comics (1938), and it would be this comic book that would change Donenfeld's life. Issue one introduced the superhero, Superman, created by artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel, and the character's popularity created incredible profits; not only in comic book sales, but also in merchandising such as toys, costumes and even a radio show. At the end of 1941 Donenfeld's comic businesses took in $2.6 million. Unfortunately for Shuster and Siegel, they had sold the rights for the character to National Allied Publications, so as Donenfeld became rich, they continued on flat employee fees. Legal actions between the creative pair and National Allied Publications for compensation would continue for decades to come, but Donenfeld allowed Liebowitz to handle this side of his empire.[6]
In 1962 Harry Donenfeld fell at his home, injuring his head, which resulted in a lack of memory and speech from which he never recovered. He died at a care home in 1965.
Early years
Harry Donenfeld was born into a Jewish family in Romania in 1893, but at the age of five emigrated to the United States of America with his parents and his brother Irving. A few years later the family was joined by Harry's two elder brothers Charlie and Mike. Little is known of his early life, as is common with many people entering America during the days of mass immigration; but the family entered America via Ellis Island and took up residence in New York in the Lower East Side area.[1]Harry spent his early life in and out of school, and later in and out of gangs, refusing to settle down and find an occupation like his brothers, who had set up a printing enterprise. Harry became a clothing salesman working in the city, and saw himself as a class above the ordinary working man, and wanted a better life, but preferably without the hard work. After he avoided the draft in 1917, he married Gussie Weinstein in 1918, and thanks to a loan from her parents he was able to open a clothing store in Newark, New Jersey.[2]
Martin Press
When consumer spending dropped in the US in late 1920, Harry and Gussie's store fell on hard times and by early 1921 they were in debt. Harry's skills of flattery and fast talking were of no use when the country was in economic decline and despite Gussie's best efforts the store went broke. Under pressure to find a steady income, Harry found work with his brothers' printing company, now called Martin Press, as a salesman and fourth partner. During the twenties Martin Press saw a vast expansion in capital. It is speculated that Harry, through links with gangster Frank Costello, moved alcohol, now illegal during the prohibition, along with legitimate Canadian pulp paper across the border. By 1923 Haryy had managed his most important sales deal of his life, acquiring the rights for Martin Press to print 6 million subscription leaflets for Hearst magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping. This was partly due to his new underworld contacts having close connections with Hearst newspaper salesman Moe Annenberg. The company was able to move from their earlier downtown location to a 12 story building in the Chelsea district. 1923 also saw the emergence of the brutal business side of Harry as he took control of Martin Press and forced his two older brothers out of the company, leaving Irving as a minority partner and head printer. Harry then changed the company name from Martin Press to Donny Press.[3]National Allied Publications
In 1929, as a favour to an old client Julius Liebowitz, Harry gave work to Julius' son, Jack. Jack and Harry had little in common, but Jack soon emerged as a man who could run finances. Whereas Harry would promise the world to clients without understanding the economic realities, Jack was bookish and ensured bills were paid on time and helped create a respectability in the firm. Soon the two men were spoken off as a partnership. With the financial backing of Paul Sampliner, Irving Donenfeld as head printer, Harry as salesman and Jack Liebowitz running the finances they launched the Independent News Company in 1923. [4]In 1935 Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson arrived on the doorstep of Independent News in a desperate bid to relaunch his comic book New Fun, having lost his previous backers due to poor sales and debts. Donenfeld accepted to distribute the comic but with heavy loss of rights to Wheeler-Nicholson. The major produced two more titles to be handled by Independent News, New Comics and Detective Comics (which would later see the first appearance of Batman); but now under the banner of Detective Comics Incorporated in which Wheeler-Nicholson was forced to take Donenfeld on as a partner, with Liebowitz named as joint owner. In an almost obvious twist, in 1938 Donenfeld sued Wheeler-Nicholson for nonpayment and Detective Comics Inc. went into bankruptcy. Not too surprisingly Donenfeld bought up the company and Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications in their entirety as part of the action.[5]
The fourth publication under National Allied Publications would be Action Comics (1938), and it would be this comic book that would change Donenfeld's life. Issue one introduced the superhero, Superman, created by artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel, and the character's popularity created incredible profits; not only in comic book sales, but also in merchandising such as toys, costumes and even a radio show. At the end of 1941 Donenfeld's comic businesses took in $2.6 million. Unfortunately for Shuster and Siegel, they had sold the rights for the character to National Allied Publications, so as Donenfeld became rich, they continued on flat employee fees. Legal actions between the creative pair and National Allied Publications for compensation would continue for decades to come, but Donenfeld allowed Liebowitz to handle this side of his empire.[6]
In 1962 Harry Donenfeld fell at his home, injuring his head, which resulted in a lack of memory and speech from which he never recovered. He died at a care home in 1965.
External links
References
1. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp1-4 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
2. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp15,19-22 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
3. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp42-46 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
4. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp62,89,92 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
5. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp101-102,107-108,125 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
6. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp142, 158-159, 242-245 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
2. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp15,19-22 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
3. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp42-46 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
4. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp62,89,92 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
5. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp101-102,107-108,125 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
6. ^ Gerrard Jones, Men of Tomorrow pp142, 158-159, 242-245 Arrow Books ISBN 978 0 099 48706 7
DC Comics
Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
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Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
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Detective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best-known for introducing the iconic fictional character Batman. It is, along with Action Comics
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Action Comics is the comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics, Inc.
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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Location New Jersey & New York, USA
Nearest city Jersey City, NJ
Coordinates
Area 58.38 acres (0.24 km²) (includes Statue of Liberty NM)
Established May 11, 1965 (as a monument)
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Nearest city Jersey City, NJ
Coordinates
Area 58.38 acres (0.24 km²) (includes Statue of Liberty NM)
Established May 11, 1965 (as a monument)
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State of New York
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Lower East Side is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of New York City borough of Manhattan. It has traditionally been an immigrant, working class neighborhood, but it has undergone gentrification in recent years and is increasingly populated by young professionals and
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Nickname: The Brick City
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Nickname(s): Garden State[1]
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity
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Nickname(s): Garden State[1]
Motto(s): Liberty and prosperity
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Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, or Castilla (January 26, 1891 - February 18, 1973) was a New York gangster who rose to the top of America's underworld, controlled a vast gambling empire across the United States and enjoyed political influence like no other La Cosa
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Prohibition in the United States aimed to achieve alcohol abstinence through legal means. The term is also used to denote the era of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the years 1920 to 1933, during which alcohol sale, manufacture and transportation were
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The Hearst Corporation is a privately-held American-based media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower in New York City, USA. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media.
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Cosmopolitan is a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo", which has been published for more than a century. It began as a family magazine, launched in 1886 by Schlicht & Field as The Cosmopolitan.
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Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles.
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Moses "Moe" Louis Annenberg (February 11, 1877 – July 20, 1942) was a major U.S. newspaper publisher, who purchased The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1936.
Annenberg began his career as a rough-hewn Chicago newspaper salesman for the Hearst Corporation.
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Annenberg began his career as a rough-hewn Chicago newspaper salesman for the Hearst Corporation.
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DC Comics
Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
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Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
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Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
Born 1890
Died 1968
Nationality American
Area(s) Publisher
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
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Born 1890
Died 1968
Nationality American
Area(s) Publisher
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
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More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935-1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first comic-book series to feature solely
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DC Comics
Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
..... Click the link for more information.
Subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
Founded 1934, by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (as National Allied Publications)
Headquarters 1700 Broadway, New York City, New York
Key people Paul Levitz (President and Publisher)
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Action Comics is the comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics, Inc.
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Joe Shuster
Birth name Joseph Shuster
Born 10 July 1914
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died July 30 1992 (aged 78)
Nationality Naturalized American
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Birth name Joseph Shuster
Born 10 July 1914
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died July 30 1992 (aged 78)
Nationality Naturalized American
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Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel in 1976.
Birth name Jerome Siegel
Born September 17 1914
Died January 28 1996 (aged 83)
United States
Nationality American
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Jerry Siegel in 1976.
Birth name Jerome Siegel
Born September 17 1914
Died January 28 1996 (aged 83)
United States
Nationality American
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The Adventures of Superman, adapted from the DC Comics character created in 1938 (see Superman), came to radio as a syndicated show on New York City's WOR on February 12, 1940.
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