Herbert F. Solow
Encyclopedia
Herbert F. Solow worked in Hollywood
as a producer, director, studio executive, talent agent, and writer.
in 1953 Solow was hired by the William Morris Agency
in New York City
to work in the mailroom. In 1954 he was promoted to talent agent. Later he was hired by NBC
and transferred to Los Angeles
in 1960 and was subsequently hired by CBS
as Director of Daytime Programs, West Coast. He returned to NBC a year later as Director of Daytime Programs.
In 1964, he joined Desilu Studios and was appointed Vice President of Production in 1964. Solow oversaw the development, sales, and production of Star Trek
, Mission: Impossible
, and Mannix
.
Solow joined MGM Television
as vice president
in charge of television production. There he oversaw the development and production of Medical Center
, Then Came Bronson
, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father
.
Solow was appointed Vice-president of Worldwide Television and Motion Picture Production and was head of MGM Studios in Culver City, California
and Borehamwood, England.
He was the executive producer of the short-lived NBC
TV series Man from Atlantis (packaged by his own production company, which was owned by Taft Broadcasting
) and produced the award-winning feature length documentary Elvis, That's the Way It Is, starring Elvis Presley
.
Along with Robert H. Justman
, he wrote Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, published by Pocket Books
in 1996. According to Publishers Weekly
, "As told by Solow, Star Trek's executive in charge of production, and Justman, Star Trek's co-producer, this is arguably the definitive history of the TV show...With plenty of behind-the-scenes material that will be of interest to Trek fans, this book puts a good deal of emphasis on the show's business side, elucidating production difficulties, cost overruns and the seemingly constant debate with NBC over the show's future." Although Solow is often credited with being the first to call Gene Roddenberry
"The Great Bird of the Galaxy", drawn from a throwaway line from the original series
episode The Man Trap, it was actually Robert Justman who coined the phrase. Solow thought the name was silly.
Solow is a member of the Writers Guild of America
, the Directors Guild of America
and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and serves on the Foreign Film, Documentary, and Special Effects Committees of AMPAS. He is married to Yvonne Fern Solow, who wrote the book, Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation (1994).
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
as a producer, director, studio executive, talent agent, and writer.
Biography
After graduating from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1953 Solow was hired by the William Morris Agency
William Morris Agency
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to work in the mailroom. In 1954 he was promoted to talent agent. Later he was hired by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and transferred to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1960 and was subsequently hired by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as Director of Daytime Programs, West Coast. He returned to NBC a year later as Director of Daytime Programs.
In 1964, he joined Desilu Studios and was appointed Vice President of Production in 1964. Solow oversaw the development, sales, and production of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, and Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
.
Solow joined MGM Television
MGM Television
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
as vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
in charge of television production. There he oversaw the development and production of Medical Center
Medical Center (TV series)
Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
, Then Came Bronson
Then Came Bronson
Then Came Bronson is a short-lived adventure/drama television series that aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970, and was produced by MGM Television. The series, created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, began with a movie pilot on Monday, March 24, 1969. The series was greenlit for one year and began its first...
, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...
.
Solow was appointed Vice-president of Worldwide Television and Motion Picture Production and was head of MGM Studios in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
and Borehamwood, England.
He was the executive producer of the short-lived NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
TV series Man from Atlantis (packaged by his own production company, which was owned by Taft Broadcasting
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
) and produced the award-winning feature length documentary Elvis, That's the Way It Is, starring Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
.
Along with Robert H. Justman
Robert H. Justman
Robert Harris "Bob" Justman was an American television producer, director and production manager. He worked on many television series including Lassie, The Life of Riley, Adventures of Superman, The Outer Limits, Then Came Bronson and Mission: Impossible.- Career :Bob Justman was one of the...
, he wrote Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, published by Pocket Books
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
in 1996. According to Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, "As told by Solow, Star Trek's executive in charge of production, and Justman, Star Trek's co-producer, this is arguably the definitive history of the TV show...With plenty of behind-the-scenes material that will be of interest to Trek fans, this book puts a good deal of emphasis on the show's business side, elucidating production difficulties, cost overruns and the seemingly constant debate with NBC over the show's future." Although Solow is often credited with being the first to call Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
"The Great Bird of the Galaxy", drawn from a throwaway line from the original series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode The Man Trap, it was actually Robert Justman who coined the phrase. Solow thought the name was silly.
Solow is a member of the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
, the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
and serves on the Foreign Film, Documentary, and Special Effects Committees of AMPAS. He is married to Yvonne Fern Solow, who wrote the book, Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation (1994).
External links
- Herbert F. Solow web site
- Herbert H. Solow interview by Peter Anthony Holder
- Herbert H. Solow article at BBC News
- BBC interview, seeking Solow's reaction to 2009 film