Frank Liberman

Publicist

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his two-hour Archive interview, Frank Liberman chronicles his early career at the New York Daily News and then at Warner Bros. in New York and Chicago where he began in the publicity department. He talks about moving to Hollywood, where he left Warner Bros. and began his own publicity firm. He recalls representing Bob Hope, who he handled for 41 years and Phyllis Diller, who he handled for 32 years, among many other clients. Liberman speaks of dealing with the press, including powerful columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, and of how the process of publicizing talent has changed over the years. He discusses the craft of publicity and defines some of the components that go into successful publicity campaigns. Karen Herman and Reba Merrill conducted the interview in a joint venture with the Television Academy's Archive of American Television and the Publicists' Guild of America on February 21, 2001 at the Publicists Guild's offices in Sherman Oaks, California.

"All of the good contacts are gone because of the fax machine. You don't get to know anybody. They say 'send me a fax' and you do. In the old days, you'd show up at the city desk of a newspaper or Daily Variety or Hollywood Reporter and they'd know it was an important thing for you, because you were there."

Full Interview

Chapter 1

On his early life and influences; on his early interest in movies; on the first time he saw television and on going to work for the New York Daily News

On going to work for Warner Bros. and on the kinds of features Warner Bros. was putting out in the '30s and '40s; on going to work at Warner Bros. in Chicago; on some of the stars he worked with at Warner Bros. and on working with the Chicago press

On his experience with World War II; on going back to work at the Warner Bros. publicity department following World War II

Chapter 2

On a publicity stunt involving Ann Sheridan and on working with John Garfield and Olivia de Havilland; on working with Ronald Reagan; on leaving Warner Bros.

On what the publicity department does and on working with Bob Hope; on handling celebrities and working with dificult clients like Judy Garland

On handling celebrities and working with difficult clients like Judy Garland; on the press release, his media contacts, and on the tricks of the trade; on dealing with the media as a publicist and on Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons

On columnist Earl Wilson and on Ed Sullivan; on Rona Barett; on dealing with celebrity interviews for his clients

On dealing with the death of a client and on the changes in the publicity business over the years; on representing Jack Paar and Bob Hope

Chapter 3

On going overseas with Bob Hope; on representing Phyllis Diller; on his years representing Bob Hope and other comedians

On representing Joan Rivers; on representing comedians; on representing Patty Duke, June Allyson, and Stella Adler

On representing various clients including Lauren Bacall, George Burns, and Diahann Carroll; on representing various clients including Robert Conrad, Henry Fonda, and Eva Gabor; on representing various clients including Larry Hagman, Florence Henderson, and David Janssen

Chapter 4

On various people he's worked with in his career including Leonard Nimoy, Jim Nabors, and Betty White

On his favorite and least favorite clients; on the clients he accepted and the different kinds of publicity; on career highlights and regrets, and on how he'd like to be remembered

Topics

Historic Events and Social Change

View Topic

Frank Liberman on his experience with World War II