About

Known credits:
88
Birthday:
1920-12-19
Place of birth:
New York City, New York, USA
Website:
N/A

David Susskind

Overview

David Howard Susskind (December 19, 1920 – February 22, 1987) was an American producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a TV talk show host. His talk shows were innovative in the genre and addressed timely, controversial topics beyond the scope of others of the day.

His first job after the war was as a press agent for Warner Brothers. Next, he was a talent agent for Century Artists, ultimately ending up in the Music Corporation of America's newly minted television programming department, managing Dinah Shore, Jerry Lewis, and others. In New York, Susskind formed Talent Associates, representing creators of material rather than performers. In 1954, Susskind became a producer of the NBC legal drama Justice, based on case files of the Legal Aid Society of New York. His program Open End began in 1958 on New York City's commercial independent station WNTA-TV and was so titled because the program continued until Susskind or his guests were too tired to continue. In 1961, Open End was constrained to two hours and went into national syndication. The show was retitled The David Susskind Show for its telecast on Sunday night, October 2, 1966. In the 1960s it was the first nationally broadcast television talk show to feature people speaking out against American involvement in the Vietnam War. In the 1970s it was the first nationally broadcast television talk show to feature people speaking out for gay rights. The show continued until its New York outlet canceled it in 1986. During his close to three-decade run, Susskind covered many controversial topics of the day, such as race relations, transsexualism, and the Vietnam War. His interview with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, which aired in October 1960, during the height of the Cold War, generated national attention. It is one of the very few talk show telecasts from the era that was preserved and can be viewed today. In a now notorious interview with then 25-year-old Muhammad Ali during a recently-unearthed 1968 appearance on the British program The Eamonn Andrews Show, Susskind displayed an intense antipathy and vitriol towards the famous boxer, whom he excoriated with withering criticism for refusing to be conscripted into the U.S. military for the Vietnam War. Some commentators have described this as a racist attack. Susskind was also a noted producer, with scores of movies, plays, and TV programs to his credit. His legacy is that of a producer of intelligent material at a time when TV had left its golden years behind and had firmly planted its feet in programming which had wide appeal, whether or not it was worth watching.

Known for

Acting
2013 The Trials of Muhammad Ali Actor 59
Average
2012 The David Susskind Show: Give 'em Hell Harry Actor Self N/A
N/A
1980 Simon Actor Himself 59
Average
1975 Fear on Trial Actor Self 58
Average
1970 The Carol Lawrence Show Actor Self N/A
N/A
1963 David Susskind Archive: Interview With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Actor himself N/A
N/A
1962 Requiem for a Heavyweight Actor Self - Trailor Narrator (uncredited) 60
Fair
1961 A Raisin in the Sun Actor On-screen Trailer Narrator (uncredited) 62
Fair
1959 The David Susskind Show Actor Self - Host 69
Fair
David Susskind Archive: Truman Capote Tells All Actor N/A
N/A

Directing
2020 David Susskind Archive: I Was a Hitman for the Mafia Directing Director N/A
N/A
1963 David Susskind Archive: Interview With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Directing Director N/A
N/A
Howard Hughes: the Watergate Connection Directing Director N/A
N/A
David Susskind Archive: Gay Rights Pro and Con Directing Director N/A
N/A
David Susskind Archive: Truman Capote Tells All Directing Director N/A
N/A

Production
1983 Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess Production Producer 58
Average
1983 Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1981 Casey Stengel Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1981 The Bunker Production Producer 59
Average
1981 Fort Apache, the Bronx Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1981 Crisis at Central High Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1980 Father Figure Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1980 Loving Couples Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1980 Mom, the Wolfman and Me Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1980 The Plutonium Incident Production Producer 59
Average
1979 The Family Man Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1979 Sex and the Single Parent Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1979 Blind Ambition Production Executive Producer 69
Fair
1979 Walking Through the Fire Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1979 Transplant Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1978 Who'll Save Our Children? Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1978 Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1978 Tom and Joann Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1978 Home to Stay Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1978 The World Beyond Production Executive Producer 59
Average
1978 Breaking Up Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1977 Tell Me My Name Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1977 On Our Own Production Producer 69
Fair
1977 The World of Darkness Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1977 Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1977 Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1976 Harry S. Truman: Plain Speaking Production Producer N/A
N/A
1976 Alice Production Producer 69
Fair
1976 Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1976 Eleanor and Franklin Production Executive Producer 68
Fair
1975 A Moon for the Misbegotten Production Producer 58
Average
1974 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Production Producer 64
Fair
1974 The Country Girl Production Producer N/A
N/A
1973 The Glass Menagerie Production Producer 59
Average
1972 If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band Production Producer N/A
N/A
1972 Harvey Production Producer 59
Average
1971 All the Way Home Production Producer N/A
N/A
1971 The Pursuit of Happiness Production Producer 58
Average
1971 The Price Production Producer N/A
N/A
1970 Lovers and Other Strangers Production Producer 58
Average
1968 A Hatful of Rain Production Producer N/A
N/A
1968 Of Mice and Men Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1968 Laura Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1967 The Desperate Hours Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1967 The Diary of Anne Frank Production Producer 58
Average
1967 Dial M for Murder Production Producer N/A
N/A
1967 Johnny Belinda Production Producer N/A
N/A
1967 Mark Twain Tonight! Production Producer 59
Average
1966 CBS Playhouse Production Producer N/A
N/A
1966 The Human Voice Production Producer 58
Average
1966 Death of a Salesman Production Producer 58
Average
1965 Eagle in a Cage Production Producer N/A
N/A
1964 Mr. Broadway Production Producer N/A
N/A
1963 East Side/West Side Production Producer 70
Good
1963 The Power and the Glory Production Producer N/A
N/A
1962 Hedda Gabler Production Producer 59
Average
1962 Requiem for a Heavyweight Production Producer 60
Fair
1962 At the Drop of a Hat Production Producer N/A
N/A
1961 A Raisin in the Sun Production Producer 62
Fair
1960 Mrs. Miniver Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Miracle On 34th Street Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Back to Back Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 The Moon and Sixpence Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Medea Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Play of the Week Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Too Young to Go Steady Production Producer N/A
N/A
1959 Meet Me in St. Louis Production Producer 58
Average
1958 The Winslow Boy Production Producer N/A
N/A
1958 Three Plays by Tennessee Williams Production Executive Producer 58
Average
1957 Edge of the City Production Producer 60
Fair
1956 A Murder is Announced Production Producer N/A
N/A
1955 Five in Judgement Production Executive Producer N/A
N/A
1950 Armstrong Circle Theatre Production Producer 67
Fair