Martin Starger obit

 

Martin Starger, ‘Nashville’ and ‘Mask’ Producer, Dies at 92

He also served in the 1970s as the first president of ABC Entertainment, home of ‘Roots,’ ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Rich Man, Poor Man.’ 

He was not on the list.

Martin Starger, who shepherded Roots, Happy Days and Rich Man, Poor Man as the first president of ABC Entertainment before producing such films as Robert Altman’s Nashville and Peter Bogdanovich’s Mask, has died. He was 92.

Starger died Friday at his home in Los Angeles, his niece, New York-based casting director Ilene Starger, announced. “He was a brilliant, elegant, remarkable man and had wonderful taste in projects,” she noted.

As an executive producer, Starger worked on films including Stanley Donen’s Movie Movie (1978), Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata, The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Great Muppet Caper (1981), Mark Rydell’s On Golden Pond (1981), The Last Unicorn (1982) and Alan J. Pakula’s Sophie’s Choice (1982).

He received Tony nominations in 1987 and 1989 for producing the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Starlight Express and the comedy Lend Me a Tenor, respectively,

Starger was born on May 8, 1932, in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from City College, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 and assigned to the Signal Corps motion picture division. In Honolulu, he wrote, directed, photographed and edited documentaries and features for television, for the U.S. Department of Defense and for newsreels.

After the Army, Starger joined the advertising agency BBDO in New York, then jumped to ABC as vice president of programs in 1969. Three years later, he was promoted to president of ABC Entertainment, a new position.

Under his stewardship, the third-place network found success with its Movie of the Week franchise, its acclaimed miniseries Roots and Rich Man, Poor Man, and such hit series as Marcus Welby, M.D. and Happy Days. Barry Diller and Michael Eisner were among the up-and-coming creative executives who worked for him.

While still at ABC, he championed Nashville (1975), which he executive produced with Jerry Weintraub, who had brought the project to him.

Starger went on to partner with British legend Lew Grade at Marble Arch Productions — they produced the Cher-starring Mask (1985) — and launched his own company, Marstar Productions. There, he produced or executive produced the telefilms Friendly Fire, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Merchant of Venice, The Elephant Man and Escape From Sobibor.

He got into Broadway by producing, with Grade, the 1976-78 comedy Sly Fox, written by Larry Gelbart, and Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, which premiered in 1981.

Starger divided his time between New York and L.A., his niece said.

Producer

Love Letters (1999)

Love Letters

6.7

TV Movie

executive producer

1999

 

Diana Muldaur in The 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1990)

The 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

6.2

TV Special

executive producer

1990

 

Robert Young in Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (1988)

Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair

6.1

TV Movie

executive producer

1988

 

The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.4

TV Series

executive producer

1988

2 episodes

 

Alan Arkin, Rutger Hauer, and Joanna Pacula in Escape from Sobibor (1987)

Escape from Sobibor

7.4

TV Movie

executive producer

1987

 

Code Name: Emerald (1985)

Code Name: Emerald

5.9

producer

1985

 

Eric Stoltz in Mask (1985)

Mask

7.2

producer (produced by)

1985

 

Martin Sheen, Marlo Thomas, and Barry Tubb in Consenting Adult (1985)

Consenting Adult

7.3

TV Movie

executive producer

1985

 

Robert Young and Morgan Stevens in The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. (1984)

The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.

7.0

TV Movie

executive producer

1984

 

Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice (1982)

Sophie's Choice

7.5

executive producer

1982

 

Mia Farrow in The Last Unicorn (1982)

The Last Unicorn

7.3

executive producer

1982

 

Gary Busey and Willie Nelson in Barbarosa (1982)

Barbarosa

6.4

executive producer

1982

 

The Elephant Man (1982)

The Elephant Man

7.1

TV Movie

executive producer

1982

 

Red Flag: The Ultimate Game (1981)

Red Flag: The Ultimate Game

5.4

TV Movie

executive producer

1981

 

Frank Oz, Charles Grodin, Jim Henson, Diana Rigg, and Dave Goelz in The Great Muppet Caper (1981)

The Great Muppet Caper

7.1

executive producer

1981

 

Harry's Battles (1981)

Harry's Battles

7.6

TV Movie

executive producer

1981

 

Klinton Spilsbury in The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

The Legend of the Lone Ranger

4.9

executive producer

1981

 

Kim Basinger, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Tanya Tucker in Hard Country (1981)

Hard Country

5.6

executive producer

1981

 

Oliver Clark, Peter Cook, Dana Hill, and Mimi Kennedy in The Two of Us (1981)

The Two of Us

7.3

TV Series

executive producer

1981

1 episode

 

Rodeo Girl (1980)

Rodeo Girl

6.2

TV Movie

delegate producer

1980

 

Raise the Titanic (1980)

Raise the Titanic

5.2

executive producer

1980

 

From the Life of the Marionettes (1980)

From the Life of the Marionettes

7.2

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

Omnibus (1980)

Omnibus

7.0

TV Series

producer

1980

 

The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd (1980)

The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd

7.1

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett in Saturn 3 (1980)

Saturn 3

5.1

executive producer

1980

 

All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)

All Quiet on the Western Front

7.1

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie

7.6

executive producer

1979

 

Frank Oz, Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, and Jerry Nelson in The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)

The Muppets Go Hollywood

6.9

TV Special

executive producer

1979

 

Sanctuary of Fear (1979)

Sanctuary of Fear

5.5

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

Friendly Fire (1979)

Friendly Fire

7.2

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

Whodunnit?

6.1

TV Series

executive producer

1979

1 episode

 

Jennifer: A Woman's Story (1979)

Jennifer: A Woman's Story

6.4

TV Movie

executive producer

1979

 

Movie Movie (1978)

Movie Movie

6.4

executive producer

1978

 

Susan Bigelow, Louisa Flaningam, and Ellen Greene in The Rock Rainbow (1978)

The Rock Rainbow

TV Movie

executive producer

1978

 

Candice Bergen and Gene Hackman in The Domino Principle (1977)

The Domino Principle

5.7

executive producer

1977

 

Westside Medical (1977)

Westside Medical

6.7

TV Series

executive producer

1977

1 episode

 

Nashville (1975)

Nashville

7.6

executive producer

1975

 

Writer

Broadway: The American Musical (2004)

Broadway: The American Musical

8.8

TV Mini Series

conceived by

developed in association with

2004

6 episodes

 

Additional Crew

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Muppet Movie

7.6

presenter

1979