Frieda Fishbein

Frieda Fishbein (born March 7, 1886, Romania — died September 6, 1981, Brooklyn, New York) was a Romanian American theatrical, film, television and literary agent for writers including Elmer Rice, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Anouilh,[1] and Colleen McCullough.

Frieda Fishbein
Frieda Fishbein from 1933 newspaper
Born(1886-03-07)March 7, 1886
Romania
DiedSeptember 6, 1981(1981-09-06) (aged 95)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)Theatrical and literary agent

Personal life and education

Fishbein was born in Romania, the eldest daughter of Molly and Osias Fishbein. The family emigrated to the United States in 1901. She was educated in the New Orleans public school system, then spent the majority of her adult life in New York City, initially Manhattan, moving to Brooklyn in later life.[2]

Work

Fishbein worked as a stenographer in New Orleans in 1903.[3] After moving to New York City, her first job was as a secretary in a movie company.[4] In 1910, she was again working as a stenographer.[5]

In 1929, Fishbein established the Frieda Fishbein Agency, a literary and theatrical agency, in New York City. In the same year, the playwright, director and producer Dore Schary described her as having “a stable of young writers, none of whom she could support, except with praise and enthusiasm.” He credited Fishbein with helping to get him his first job in Hollywood as a “$100-a-week writer”[6] by introducing him to Harry Cohn, “the maharajah of Columbia [studio]”.[7]

By 1932, she was on the advisory board of the New York Stage Society.[8] Her agency moved to the New Amsterdam Theatre in 1937.[9]

During an interview in 1946 she made the observation that many writers who had returned from the war had bought back partly completed plays. She believed the war had given them stamina and that they were sticking to their craft "more tenaciously".[10]

The following year, she made theatrical headlines across America by developing a new approach to selling shows. She would arrange for scripts to be acted out by semi-pros, filmed and the reel was submitted to prospective producers.[11][12] According to an interview in 1954, she would receive "about ten plays a week". She would accept “about five a year, and would sell about 8-10 options a year.”[13]

After Fishbein's death in 1981, her niece, Janice Fishbein, continued as the president of her agency.[14]

Playwrights

Fishbein represented the following writers and plays:

  • 1925 – Spencer Brodney's Rebel Smith[15]
  • 1929 – Elmer Rice's Street Scene (after it had been turned down by several Broadway producers; it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama)
    Wallace Thurman's Harlem
    Elmer Rice's See Naples and Die[16]
  • 1930 – Moss Hart's No Retreat,[17] Once In A Lifetime (Subsequently, Fishbein brought a lawsuit against Hart contending that she was entitled to a percentage of his royalties from plays produced by Sam Harris. The matter was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.)[18][19]
  • 1931 – I.J. Golden's Precedent[20]
  • 1934 – Jacques Deval's Prayer for the Living[21]
  • 1937 – Simon Gantillon[22] & Harold Igo's Steel[23]
    Sidney Shields's Marriage A La King[24]
    Martin Cumberland's Climbing[25]
    Dr. Conrad K. Gale's Dr. Almighty[26]
  • 1938 – Miss Trent Patterson's The Lady Must Eat[27]
    Ralph Holmes's The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer's Daughter[28]
    Irving Ellman's Crime Doesn't Pay[29]
    Maria M. Coxe's If Ye Break Faith[30]
  • 1939 – Pamela Burr's The Odd Man[31]
    Wilson Starbuck's Sea Dogs[32]
  • 1941 – Frederick Schlick's None But The Wounded; Because I Am A Woman[33]
  • 1942 – E. Mawby Green and Edward Allen Feilbert's The House In Paris[34]
  • 1943 – Howard Buermann and Alfred Golden's Help Wanted – Female[35]
  • 1944 – George Taylor and George Savage's The Phoenix and the Dwarfs[36]
  • 1946 – Paul Bowles's translation of Sartre's The Respectful Prostitute & No Exit
    John E. Miller's The Search for Love (also producer)[37]
  • 1947 – Agent for Paul Bowles’s adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's The Flies[38]
  • 1949 – Madeline Davidson and Maurice Glucher's The Perfect Pattern[39]
    Howard Bluerman and Alfred Golden's A Lovely Time[40]
  • 1950 – John S. Gordan's For Each Man Kills[41]
  • 1951 – Jean-Paul Sartre's The Devil and God[42]
  • 1953 – John Sheffield's The Forgotten Land[43]
  • 1960 – Weldon Sheerer's California, Here I Come[44]

Fishbein wrote at least one play herself, Pajama Tops, in 1963.[45]

Authors

She represented authors Peter Kenna,[46] Sherwood Anderson,[47] Katherine Hoskins,[48] Donald Burgett[49] and Alice White.[50]

Her biggest financial success came from representing Australian author Colleen McCullough. According to McCullough, she was making her sister a tuna fish casserole for her birthday and while looking through a list of agents she found Fishbein's name, which she took to be a sign.[51] McCullough's first novel Tim (1974) was followed by the global hit The Thorn Birds (1977), selling over 33 million copies. As a "multi-million dollar product",[52] Fishbein was able to retire on her share of the book.[53][54]

Act One

Fishbein appears as a character in Act One, a musical by James Lapine, adapted from the autobiography by Moss Hart. Her role is described “A literary agent. Highly respected in the community, so whatever plays she recommended for production were read with promptness and great enthusiasm. A bit of a character, she’s tough and realistic, but very supportive of her client, Moss.”[55] The Teacher Resource Guide for the play adds Fishbein is “a highly respected literary agent who connects Hart with the producer Sam Harris, and his colleague, Max Siegel.”[56]

Further reading
  • Act One: An Autobiography of Moss Hart (1959) ISBN 978-1-250-05089-2
  • Heyday: An Autobiography by Dore Schary (1979) ISBN 0-316-77270-4
  • Hollywood Red: The Autobiography of Lester Cole (1981) ISBN 0-87867-085-8
  • Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart by Steven Bach (2002) ISBN 0-306-81135-9

References
  1. Dace, Tish (2011). Martin Sherman: Skipping Over Quicksand. Jeffereson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 16. ISBN 978-0786488131.
  2. "Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent". The New York Times. New York. September 10, 1981. p. D23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  3. New Orleans, Louisiana, City Directory, 1903, page 331
  4. "Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent". The New York Times. New York. September 10, 1981. p. D23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  5. Year: 1910; Census Place: Brooklyn Ward 21, Kings, New York; Roll: T624_969; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0502; FHL microfilm: 1374982
  6. "Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent". The New York Times. New York. September 10, 1981. p. D23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  7. Schary, Dore (1979). Heyday: An Autobiography. Boston.: Little and Brown. p. 55. ISBN 0316772704.
  8. "NY Stage Society Resembles London's". The Brooklyn Daily. Brooklyn, New York. May 15, 1932. p. 63. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  9. "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York. June 1, 1937. p. 545. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  10. Writer's Digest Vol 26. Cincinnati, Ohio: F&W Publications Inc. 1946. p. 76.
  11. Walter Winchell (October 27, 1947). "On Broadway". Chillicothe Gazette. Chillicothe, Ohio. p. 6. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  12. Danton Walker (October 10, 1947). "Broadway". Daily News. New York. p. 132. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  13. Writer's Digest Vol 34. Cincinnati, Ohio: F&W Publications Inc. 1954. p. 49.
  14. "Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent". The New York Times. New York. September 10, 1981. p. D23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  15. Rebel Smith, a play in three acts. OCLC 38077758. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via worldcat.org.
  16. See Naples and Die: a comedy in three acts. OCLC 51507855. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via worldcat.org.
  17. Bach, Steven (2002). Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo. p. 52. ISBN 0306811359.
  18. "Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent". The New York Times. New York. September 10, 1981. p. D23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  19. Bach, Steven (2002). Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo. p. 78. ISBN 0306811359.
  20. Paul Shinkman (April 14, 1933). "Present Plight of American Theater Fails to Daunt Aspiring Playwrights". The Morning Call. New Jersey. p. 38. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  21. "3 Marx Brothers Yearn To turn straight in fall". Daily News. New York. April 22, 1934. p. 104. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  22. "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York. March 2, 1937. p. 151. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  23. Louis Sheaffer (April 23, 1937). "Broadway Album". Times Union. Brooklyn, New York. p. 14. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  24. "Harris may do Lewis play: Virginia in 2D version". Daily News. New York. October 3, 1937. p. 332. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  25. "Messrs Evans and Aherne may alternate at St. James". Daily News. New York. October 17, 1937. p. 442. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  26. "Thayer writes satire on censors: 'Bovary' to give stage lesson". Daily News. New York. November 23, 1937. p. 97. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  27. "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York. March 20, 1938. p. 82. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  28. "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York. March 27, 1938. p. 424. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  29. "Kern Picks Operetta Cast: Lindsey to Desert Musicals". Daily News. New York. May 1, 1938. p. 396. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  30. Kazacoff, George (1989). Dangerous Theatre: The Federal Theatre Project as a Forum for New Plays. Bloomington, Indiana: Xlibris. p. 214. ISBN 1456887378.
  31. "All Play To Her". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. August 19, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  32. "Classmates Welcome New Singing Starlet". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. August 21, 1939. p. 7. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  33. "New Scripts". Daily News. New York. June 8, 1941. p. 326. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  34. "Secures Production Rights". The Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. November 10, 1942. p. 10. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  35. "305 from services enter play contest; Pemberton has gag". Daily News. New York. December 10, 1943. p. 503. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  36. "What's new among books and plays". Dramatics: The Educational Magazine for Directors, Teachers, and Students of Dramatic Arts (Vol 16, Issue 1 ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio: Educational Theatre Association. October 1944. p. 32.
  37. "Curtain Calls: Critics pass up 10 best plays". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. April 8, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  38. "French Literature, ca 1750-1977". indiana.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  39. "New Ewing Production". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 29, 1949. p. 21. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  40. "Summer Test for Time". The Billboard (Vol 61, No. 27 ed.). New York City: Nielson Business Media Inc. July 1949. p. 51.
  41. For Each Man Kills. OCLC 688560437. Retrieved January 3, 2022 – via worldcat.org.
  42. "What's Doing". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. August 29, 1951. p. 16. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  43. Mayorga, Margaret (1954). The Best Short Plays of 1953-1954. New York: Dodd and Mead. p. 129.
  44. "Sioux City Drama Group Discovers Hungarian Play". The Sandusky Register. Sioux City, Iowa. January 20, 1960. p. 30. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  45. "'Pajama Tops' is off totem pole schedule". The Gazette and Daily. New York. June 7, 1963. p. 27. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  46. "Peter Kenna papers". www.archival.sl.nsw.au. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  47. Rideout, Walter B (2007). Sherwood Anderson: A Writer in America, Volume 2. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0299220235.
  48. "Katherine Hoskins Papers" (PDF). library.udel.edu. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  49. "Donald Burgett: The Long Day of Horror is Past". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. November 12, 1967. p. 171. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  50. Marybeth Allen (May 6, 1971). "Writer Creates Suspense". The Daily Register. Red Bank, New Jersey. p. 17. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  51. Larsen, Michael (2006). How to get a literary agent. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks. p. 19. ISBN 1402205600.
  52. Noton, T.A. (1983). Getting your foot in the editorial door. Lakeland, Florida: TCW Marketing Group. p. 19. ISBN 0910459002.
  53. "Marriage is still eluding 'The Thorn Birds' author". Evansville Press. New York. June 25, 1978. p. 23. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  54. Mary=-Beth Allen (December 4, 1977). "A mystery-music merger". The Daily Register. Red Bank, New York. p. 34. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  55. "Act One - Piedmont Players Theatre Inc. Non Equity Auditions". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  56. "Act One Teacher Resource Guide" (PDF). www.lct.org. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
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