This site is a TRIBUTE to the legendary Hollywood manager
***************** RIP 1937-2006 ********************- - - - -
To understand the influence that the American Entertainment industry has had on the world is to understand Jay Bernstein.The Hollywood Reporter said "Jay Bernstein must have a direct line to God. When Jay starts talking, Hollywood listens."As a television producer, I have had more dramatic series on prime time one particular season, than anyone else. I've also produced countless movies for television.I was Labeled the "Starmaker" by the Boston Globe and everyone else around this magical town called Tinseltown.I not only represented America's biggest television and movie stars, I produced them.Here's the short-list:Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone, Brooke Shields, Pamela Anderson, Michael Jackson, The Rat Pack, Jayne Mansfield, Sammy Davis Jr, Stacy Keach, William Shatner, Lee Majors, Sela Ward, Michael Landon, Kristy McNichol, Dionne Warwick, Delta Burke, Mary Hart, Linda Evans, Bruce Boxleitner, David Carradine, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Donald Sutherland, Lynda Carter, Rachael Ward, Joan Collins, Andy Griffith, Emma Samms, Peter Fonda, Michael Douglas, Ernest Borgnine, Ron Howard, Glenn Ford, Donna Mills, Lauren Hutton, Isaac Hayes, Red Buttons, Melissa Sue Anderson, Tony Bennett, Larry Hagman, George Peppard, Jennifer O'Neill, Angie Dickinson, Milton Berle, Victor French, Mike "Mannix" Connors, Billy Dee Williams, Aretha Franklin, Susan Saint James, Jim Nabors, Barry White, Gig Young, Donald Sutherland, Steve Guttenberg, Dan Haggerty, Merv Griffin, Alan Thicke, Diana Ross, Michael Pare, Susan Hayward, Robert Conrad, Faye Dunaway, Ray Liotta, Casper Van Dien and Jim Carrey. As a personal manager, I took little-known actresses like Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Kristy McNichol, and Drew Barymore just to name a few, and I created very successful careers for them and made them into stars, BIG stars, Superstars, known all over this world! While representing Farrah Fawcett Majors in the 1970's, I created "The Perfect 30 Year Old". Then, while representing Linda Evans, I created the campaign in the United States for "The Perfect 40 Year Old" which completely shifted the consciousness of the entire nation and the world in terms of women's health and fitness.I don't call myself a star maker. When I'm asked 'Did you create those people?' I take a sip of my cocktail, smile and coolly respond by saying "no, I didn't. What I did is maximized their potential. That's what I do -- I'm the guide through the Hollywood jungle who has learned how to maximize the potential of people by utilizing the past.When I was a kid I lived vicariously through my heroes of the silver screen! Stars like -Alan Ladd ,Clark Gable, Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and the rest. That's why I'm so in tune to this. Everybody needs people to fantasize about, people who stand for good, people who can get your mind off of your problems, whether it be the mortgage, the car payments, whatever.Arriving in Hollywood, I started out in the proverbial mail room, first at the William Morris talent agency, then at Rogers & Cowan public realtions. Additionally, I held down a couple of extra jobs working on an assembly line of a ball bearing factory in Burbank. Then I parked cars at Lawry's restaurant in Hollywood on weekends. When I came out here I knew no one. I felt there was a bond between the former New Yorkers who had moved to Hollywood as well as the film students at UCLA and USC who had spent years working together and would continue to do so after their schooling . I needed a "gimmick." I decided to work a constant "double-shift." I worked from 9am till 7pm and then from 8pm until 2am. When I was in Hollywood for ten years I had really worked twenty. And when I was in Hollywood for 20 years I had put in the hours of someone who had worked forty. In other words, my "gimmick" was to work twice as long and twice as hard. Eventually I graduated to my own company, Jay Bernstein Public Relations, where I represented more than 600 stars, as well as non-entertainment companies like AT&T, U.S.Steel, General Foods, Dr Pepper, General Mills, Procter Gamble and Kodak.My actor client roster makes me the Starmaker. God, I'm great! Jk! My clients over the years include Della Reese, Dick Van Dyke, Faye Dunaway, James Caan, Sally Field, James Coburn, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Ed McMahon, Sal Mineo, Ricardo Montalban, Elizabeth Montgomery, The Muppets, Jack Palance, George Peppard, Richard Pryor, Robert Reed, Debbie Reynolds, Diana Ross, Telly Savalas, George Segal, Peter Sellers, Steven Spielberg, Robert Urich, Shelly Winters, Bob Crane, James Garner, Larry Hagman, William Holden, Quincy Jones, Shirley Jones, Frank Sinatra, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Collins, Andy Griffith, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Hamilton.I was hired and fired over 600 times by over 600 stars.Wanna know how I got out of the Publicity business.? I can say it in four words: Farrah Fawcett - Suzanne Somers." Farrah happened along when I felt that it was time for me to put all the things that I'd learned into helping do what I really came out here to do -- to be involved with the creation of heroes and heroines.My goal has always been one of accomplishment and to combine quality entertainment with the creation of role models who would represent commitment, responsibility and success.I've dedicated my life to that task and the results of my work will out live you all.
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