Sandy Howard

Sandy Howard (August 1, 1927 – May 16, 2008) was an American film producer and television producer.

Biography

A native of the Bronx, New York City, Howard wrote short stories for publication in magazines like Liberty, and worked as a publicist for Broadway shows until he became a director for the Howdy Doody show at the age of nineteen; he later produced the Captain Kangaroo show.[1]

He cooperated with Ray Heatherton creating the TV show The Merry Mailman in the early 1950s. He was producer of The Barry Gray Radio Show (1951–1958).[2]

Film producer

In the 1960s, Howard moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in film. Among his film productions are A Man Called Horse (1970) and Man in the Wilderness (1971).[3]

After an explosion on the Greek set of Sky Riders (1976), which he was producing for 20th Century Fox, a Greek electrician died and 11 others were injured and Howard was arrested for manslaughter and detained for several weeks.[4][5] He was unable to leave the country for five months and a $250,000 out-of-court settlement was made,[4][5] - which one Variety article called a "bribe" - so the crew member responsible would not be imprisoned by the military regime.[6]

While stuck in Greece, he claimed he made unfavourable deals to make films such as The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) and The Island of Dr Moreau (1977).[4] He contributed as writer on Vice Squad (1982).

In December 1984, he and his company filed for bankruptcy claiming that he was owed millions of dollars from foreign distributors despite the recent success of Angel (1984) and having four films ready to be released.[4]

Death

He developed Alzheimers and spent the last ten years of his life as a resident at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, in the Alzheimer's and dementia care facility, Harry's Haven. He died in 2008.[1]

Select credits

Awards

References
  1. "Sandy Howard, 80; produced 'A Man Called Horse'" (Retrieved on May 18, 2008)
  2. "Producer behind A Man Called Horse dies" – CBC News (Saturday, May 17, 2008) (Retrieved on May 17, 2008)
  3. Borseti, Francesco (2016). It Cam from the 80s!: Interviews with 124 Cult Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 20-39.
  4. Klein, Richard (December 21, 1984). "Producer Sandy Howard Buckles Under Debts , Filing Bankruptcy". Daily Variety.
  5. Mack. (March 24, 1976). "Sky Riders". Variety.
  6. "Producer Sandy Howard dies at 81". Variety. May 16, 2008.
  7. "Western Heritage Awards: 1971" – imdb.com (Retrieved on May 17, 2008)


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