Frieda Fishbein Explained

Frieda Fishbein
Birth Date:	7 March 1886
Birth Place:	Romania
Death Place:	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation:	Theatrical and literary agent

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.

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)
• Heyday: An Autobiography by Dore Schary (1979)
• Hollywood Red: The Autobiography of Lester Cole (1981)
• Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart by Steven Bach (2002)

Notes and References

1. Book: Dace, Tish . 2011 . Martin Sherman: Skipping Over Quicksand . McFarland . Jeffereson, North Carolina . 16 . 978-0786488131.
2. News: 1981-09-10 . The New York Times . Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent . New York . D23 . 2022-03-26.
3. New Orleans, Louisiana, City Directory, 1903, page 331
4. News: 1981-09-10 . The New York Times . Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent . New York . D23 . 2022-03-26.
5. Year: 1910; Census Place: Brooklyn Ward 21, Kings, New York; Roll: T624_969; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0502; FHL microfilm: 1374982
6. News: 1981-09-10 . The New York Times . Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent . New York . D23 . 2022-03-26.
7. Book: Schary, Dore . 1979 . Heyday: An Autobiography . Little and Brown . Boston. . 55 . 0316772704.
8. News: 1932-05-15 . The Brooklyn Daily . NY Stage Society Resembles London's . Brooklyn, New York . 63 . 2022-03-26.
9. News: 1937-06-01 . Daily News . Theatre Notes . New York . 545 . 2022-03-26.
10. Book: 1946 . Writer's Digest Vol 26 . F&W Publications Inc . Cincinnati, Ohio . 76 .
11. News: 1947-10-27 . Chillicothe Gazette . On Broadway . Walter Winchell . Chillicothe, Ohio . 6 . 2022-03-26.
12. News: 1947-10-10 . Daily News . Broadway . Danton Walker . New York . 132 . 2022-03-26.
13. Book: 1954 . Writer's Digest Vol 34 . F&W Publications Inc . Cincinnati, Ohio . 49 .
14. News: 1981-09-10 . The New York Times . Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent . New York . D23 . 2022-03-26.
15. Book: Rebel Smith, a play in three acts . worldcat.org . 38077758 . 2022-01-03.
16. Book: See Naples and Die: a comedy in three acts. worldcat.org . 51507855 . 2022-01-03.
17. Book: Bach, Steven . 2002 . Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart . Da Capo . Cambridge, Mass. . 52 . 0306811359.
18. News: 1981-09-10 . The New York Times . Frieda Fishbein, Book Agent . New York . D23 . 2022-03-26.
19. Book: Bach, Steven . 2002 . Dazzler: The Life and Times of Moss Hart . Da Capo . Cambridge, Mass. . 78 . 0306811359.
20. News: 1933-04-14 . The Morning Call . Paul Shinkman . Present Plight of American Theater Fails to Daunt Aspiring Playwrights . New Jersey . 38 . 2022-03-26.
21. News: 1934-04-22 . Daily News . 3 Marx Brothers Yearn To turn straight in fall . New York . 104 . 2022-03-26.
22. News: 1937-03-02 . Daily News . Theatre Notes . New York . 151 . 2022-03-26.
23. News: 1937-04-23 . Times Union . Broadway Album . Louis Sheaffer . Brooklyn, New York . 14 . 2022-03-26.
24. News: 1937-10-03 . Daily News . Harris may do Lewis play: Virginia in 2D version . New York . 332 . 2022-03-26.
25. News: 1937-10-17 . Daily News . Messrs Evans and Aherne may alternate at St. James . New York . 442 . 2022-03-26.
26. News: 1937-11-23 . Daily News . Thayer writes satire on censors: 'Bovary' to give stage lesson . New York . 97 . 2022-03-26.
27. News: 1938-03-20 . Daily News . Theatre Notes . New York . 82 . 2022-03-26.
28. News: 1938-03-27 . Daily News . Theatre Notes . New York . 424 . 2022-03-26.
29. News: 1938-05-01 . Daily News . Kern Picks Operetta Cast: Lindsey to Desert Musicals . New York . 396 . 2022-03-26.
30. Book: Kazacoff, George . 1989 . Dangerous Theatre: The Federal Theatre Project as a Forum for New Plays . Xlibris . Bloomington, Indiana . 214 . 1456887378.
31. News: 1939-08-19 . The Evening Sun . All Play To Her. Baltimore, Maryland . 6 . 2022-03-26.
32. News: 1939-08-21 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . Classmates Welcome New Singing Starlet . Brooklyn, New York . 7 . 2022-03-26.
33. News: 1941-06-08 . Daily News . New Scripts . New York . 326 . 2022-03-26.
34. News: 1942-11-10 . The Brooklyn Citizen . Secures Production Rights . Brooklyn, New York . 10 . 2022-03-26.
35. News: 1943-12-10 . Daily News . 305 from services enter play contest; Pemberton has gag . New York . 503 . 2022-03-26.
36. October 1944 . Dramatics: The Educational Magazine for Directors, Teachers, and Students of Dramatic Arts . What's new among books and plays . Vol 16, Issue 1 . Educational Theatre Association . Cincinnati, Ohio . 32.
37. News: 1946-04-08 . Oakland Tribune . Curtain Calls: Critics pass up 10 best plays . Oakland, California . 4 . 2022-03-26.
38. Web site: French Literature, ca 1750-1977 . indiana.edu . 2022-01-03.
39. News: 1949-05-29 . The Brooklyn Daily Eagle . New Ewing Production . Brooklyn, New York . 21 . 2022-03-26.
40. July 1949 . The Billboard . Summer Test for Time . Vol 61, No. 27 . Nielson Business Media Inc . New York City . 51.
41. Book: For Each Man Kills . worldcat.org . 688560437 . 2022-01-03.
42. News: 1951-08-29 . The News and Observer . What's Doing . Raleigh, North Carolina . 16 . 2022-03-26.
43. Book: Mayorga, Margaret . 1954 . The Best Short Plays of 1953-1954 . Dodd and Mead . New York . 129.
44. News: 1960-01-20 . The Sandusky Register . Sioux City Drama Group Discovers Hungarian Play. Sioux City, Iowa. 30. 2022-03-26.
45. News: 1963-06-07 . The Gazette and Daily . 'Pajama Tops' is off totem pole schedule . New York . 27 . 2022-03-26.
46. Web site: Peter Kenna papers . www.archival.sl.nsw.au . 2022-01-03.
47. Book: Rideout, Walter B . 2007 . Sherwood Anderson: A Writer in America, Volume 2 . University of Wisconsin Press . Madison, Wisconsin . 178 . 978-0299220235.
48. Web site: Katherine Hoskins Papers. library.udel.edu . 2022-01-03.
49. News: 1967-11-12 . Detroit Free Press . Donald Burgett: The Long Day of Horror is Past . Detroit, Michigan . 171 . 2022-03-26.
50. News: 1971-05-06 . The Daily Register . Writer Creates Suspense . Marybeth Allen . Red Bank, New Jersey . 17 . 2022-01-26.
51. Book: Larsen, Michael . 2006 . How to get a literary agent . Sourcebooks . Naperville, Illinois . 19 . 1402205600.
52. Book: Noton, T.A. . 1983 . Getting your foot in the editorial door . TCW Marketing Group . Lakeland, Florida . 19 . 0910459002.
53. News: 1978-06-25 . Evansville Press . Marriage is still eluding 'The Thorn Birds' author . New York . 23 . 2022-03-26.
54. News: 1977-12-04 . The Daily Register . Mary=-Beth Allen . A mystery-music merger . Red Bank, New York . 34 . 2022-03-26.
55. Web site: Act One - Piedmont Players Theatre Inc. Non Equity Auditions . . www.broadwayworld.com . 2022-01-03.
56. Web site: Act One Teacher Resource Guide . . www.lct.org . 2022-01-03.