Keith Barish

Last updated

Keith Barish (born November 11, 1944) is an American businessman and film producer. [1] [2] He is known for the creation of Gramco, an ill-fated offshore fund, [3] [4] [5] and for being the former restaurateur of Planet Hollywood, [6] [7] [8] [9] which he co-founded with Robert Earl in 1991. [10] [11] [12] He also served as the producer of such films as Sophie's Choice (1982), The Running Man (1987) and The Fugitive (1993). [11] [12] [13] Barish also produced the film Ironweed (1987). [14] [15] [16]

Contents

Life and career

Barish was born in Los Angeles. [17] He moved to Miami at the age of three, when his parents divorced. [17]

In the early 1960's, Barish interned for one year in the White House under the administration of John F. Kennedy. [5] In 1962, he was instrumental in starting the Manufacturers National Bank in the Miami suburb of Hialeah, Florida. At the time he was only 18, so that he requested his mother to sit for him in shareholders meetings. [18] In 1967, Barish was already wealthy and had gained fame as a "financial whiz kid around Miami" when he started a mutual fund offshore company with investments in American real estate known as Gramco. [5] [19] It was structured as a holding company with GRAMCO International S.A. at the top, which was registered in Panama. [18] [19] A trust company was set up in the Bahamas to sell shares of Gramco's stock, but only to customers outside the United States so that it avoided oversight from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). [18] [19] It was chaired by Rafael G. Navarro, a Cuban exile who was sought out by Barish for his expertise as mutual funds sales manager. [19] With Barish as chairman of the top holding company, Gramco went public in May 1969, issuing one million shares for $10 each. [18] Gramco basked in the aura of the former Kennedy administration having hired a number of its alumni, including Pierre Salinger as a director. [19] [20] Otherwise, Gramco's advertising literature quoted Barish as saying that "we are engaged in a system that uses money for social good… to prevent economic injustice, and make the world a better place" and it also assured that Barish had "larger goals than merely making a lot of money." [18] On the other hand, Gramco invited scrutiny for unusual financial practices that enabled Barish and its associates to keep between 17% and 18% of their customers' investments for their own profit. [5] [18] [21] Gramco was also criticized for conducting operations that would have been illegal in the United States and Great Britain. [22] For a while, Gramco was very successful, as it accumulated net assets amounting to $278 millions and its shares climbed to $38. [3] [19] In August 1970, Barish declared to the editorial staff of der Spiegel: "It would be more likely for a giant to lift the Empire State Building from the ground and place it back on its head than for Gramco to run into serious difficulties." [23] Yet, only shortly thereafter did Gramco's shares fall precipitously to $1.50 as the result of a cash drain that was attributed to its unorthodox financial practices, the impact of a sales ban in West Germany, and a loss of investors' confidence in offshore funds. [3] [21] [24] On October 8, Gramco halted the redemption and sales of its stock, essentially freezing the assets of 23,000 shareholders whose investments amounted on average to $12,000. [23] [25] Even then, Gramco's management made further profits as it kept charging fees for managing the funds' assets. [26] In 1971, profits from the Gramco venture allegedly enabled Barish to move to 740 Park Avenue and pursue an affluent lifestyle. [22] [27] In contrast, Barish has stated that his fortune was made in Florida land deals. [22] He has also claimed to be unconcerned about public criticism leveled at his role with Gramco, saying "I never read the good or the bad. It comes with the territory." [22] In May 1972, the management of Gramco's portfolio was transferred to Arlen Realty and Development Corporation. [28] In 1973, a $40 million class action lawsuit was filed against Barish and company by two Gramco shareholders. [22] Among other claims, the plaintiffs asserted that "Gramco International, a Panamanian corporation [...] was allegedly formed to allow Barish and his associates to establish themselves in a jurisdiction where their interests and receipt of fees and commissions could be concealed". [29] However, the action was dismissed in 1975 due to the court's lack of subject matter jurisdiction. [29] Also in 1975, Gramco's shareholders regained access to their stock as the fund was absorbed by Arlen, but it was then traded at a small fraction of its original value. [30]

Barish officially became a film producer in 1979 and first produced the film Endless Love (1981), followed by Sophie's Choice (1982). [17] [31] He then subsequently set up a nine-picture production deal at 20th Century-Fox through a three-year alliance via the Keith Barish Productions banner. [32]

Barish then served as chairman of Taft Entertainment/Keith Barish Productions, which he co-founded in 1984 with a subsidiary of Taft Broadcasting, with 20th Century-Fox intended as film distributor, then Tri-Star Pictures took over Fox's duties. [16] [33]

On December 31, 1985, Taft-Barish Productions inked an agreement with Producers Sales Organization (later the duties were assumed by J&M Entertainment after PSO went bankrupt) to handle worldwide sales of its own films, with Tri-Star Pictures handling film distribution. [34] On August 13, 1986, film director Taylor Hackford, filed a lawsuit against Keith Barish's production company for breaching an agreement to co-develop the film At Play in the Fields of the Lord , with Barrish getting a development option from MGM/UA. [35] At one point, Barish was attached to produce The Flintstones (1994). [36] [37]

On August 20, 1986, Taft/Barish Productions had inked a $200 million agreement with Tri-Star Pictures to handle four to six films per year, with production and distribution costs will be funded entirely by Taft/Barish, a joint venture of Taft Motion Pictures and Keith Barish Productions. [38] On October 8, 1986, Rob Cohen was appointed vice chairman of Keith Barish's production company, and served as executive producer on most of the Taft-Barish projects. [39] In August 1987, Taft-Barish Productions and Tri-Star Pictures decided to scale down projects from four-to-six to two-to-three projects yearly, with a new emphasis on higher budgeted, high quality films, rather than having a previous mixture of various product that the original agreement had to offer. [40] In October 1987, ahead of MIFED, the international film rights to the Taft-Barish projects in a group package were picked up by J&M Entertainment, a foreign sales distributor, after the collapse of defunct film distributor Producers Sales Organization, and certain sales of the Taft-Barish projects were assigned to another Taft Broadcasting subsidiary Worldvision Enterprises, which will retain film and television rights on the four Taft-Barish group pictures. [41]

In 1991, Barish and Robert Earl co-founded Planet Hollywood. [11] [42] [43] [44] Barish left Planet Hollywood in 1999. [45] [46] [47]

Barish is married to socialite Ann Barish. [13] They have a son, Chris. [13] [48] [49]

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

YearFilmNotes
1981 Endless Love Executive producer
1982 Sophie's Choice
Kiss Me Goodbye Executive producer
1984 Misunderstood Executive producer
1986 9½ Weeks Executive producer
Big Trouble in Little China Executive producer
1987 Light of Day
The Monster Squad Executive producer
The Running Man Executive producer
Ironweed
1988 The Serpent and the Rainbow Executive producer
1989 Her Alibi
1990 Fire Birds Executive producer
1993 The Fugitive Executive producer
1998 U.S. Marshals Executive producer
As an actor
YearFilmRole
1993 Last Action Hero Himself
Thanks
YearFilmNotes
1997 The Brave Special thanks
2015Little LoopersThe producers wish to thank
Ghost SquadSpecial thanks
Christmas TradeDirect-to-video
Special thanks to

Television

YearTitleNotes
1984 A Streetcar Named Desire Television film
Executive producer
As an actor
YearTitleRole
1984 The Fall Guy Himself

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer</span> American film and television company

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., is an American media company specializing in film and television production and distribution. Founded on April 17, 1924, and based in Beverly Hills, California, it is owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Artists</span> In-name-only American digital media/entertainment company

United Artists Corporation (UA) is an American production and distribution company founded in 1919 by D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as a venture premised on allowing actors to control their own interests rather than being dependent upon commercial studios.

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate Sony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major film studios</span> United States film production and distribution companies with high output

Major film studios are production and distribution companies that release a substantial number of films annually and consistently command a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, the major film studios, often known simply as the majors or the Big Five studios, are commonly regarded as the five diversified media conglomerates whose various film production and distribution subsidiaries collectively command approximately 80 to 85% of U.S. box office revenue. The term may also be applied more specifically to the primary motion picture business subsidiary of each respective conglomerate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TriStar Pictures</span> American film studio

TriStar Pictures, Inc. is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony studio Columbia Pictures.

Sony Pictures Television Inc. is an American television production and distribution company. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, California, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainment and a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cannon Group, Inc.</span> Film studio

The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested heavily in the video market, buying the international video rights to several classic film libraries. Some of their best known films include Joe (1970), Runaway Train (1985) and Street Smart (1987), all of which were Oscar-nominated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolco Pictures</span> Defunct US independent film production company

Carolco Pictures, Inc. was an American independent film studio that existed from 1976 to 1995, founded by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna. Kassar and Vajna ran Carolco together until 1989, when Vajna left to form Cinergi Pictures. Carolco hit its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, with blockbuster successes including the first three films of the Rambo franchise, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Cliffhanger and Stargate. Nevertheless, the company was losing money overall and required a corporate restructuring in 1992. The 1995 film Cutthroat Island, intended to be a comeback for the studio, instead lost $147 million and brought the company to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Pictures</span> American television and film studio

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment through multiple platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Pictures Television</span> American content company

Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems (SG) and the third name of Pioneer Telefilms. For 26 years, the company was active from 1974 until New Year's Day 2001, when it was folded into Columbia TriStar Television, a merger between Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television. A separate entity of CPT continues to exist on paper as an intellectual property holder, and under the moniker "CPT Holdings" to hold the copyright for the TV show The Young and the Restless, as well as old incarnations from the company's television library such as What's Happening!!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagine Entertainment</span> American film and television production company

Imagine Entertainment, also known simply as Imagine, is an American film and television production company founded in November 1985 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Cohen</span> American film director and producer

Robert Alan Cohen is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, including The Wiz, The Witches of Eastwick, and Light of Day until he began focusing on full-time directing in the 1990s. He directed the action films The Fast and the Furious, and XXX.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screen Gems</span> American film studio

Screen Gems is an American film production company owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation, initially as a cartoon studio, then a television studio, and later on as a film studio. The label currently serves as a film production that specializes in genre films, mainly horror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taft Broadcasting</span> American media conglomerate (1939–1999)

The Taft Broadcasting Company was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment to manage its motion picture operations. It was launched in 1998 by integrating the businesses of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and TriStar Pictures, Inc.

Producers Sales Organization was an independent motion picture production and sales company founded in 1977. Initiated by Mark Damon, an actor-turned-producer, PSO mostly handled foreign sales of independent films. It was initially a partnership between Damon, producer Sandy Howard, and Richard St. Johns, who worked for Arthur Guinness Son & Co. At one point, it was a subsidiary of Guinness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All3Media</span> British content production and distribution company

All3Media Limited is a British worldwide independent television, film, and digital production and distribution company based in London. The All3Media group comprises more than 50 production and distribution companies and labels from across the United Kingdom and all other parts of Europe, New Zealand and the United States.

Stephen Jay Friedman was an American film producer known for The Last Picture Show (1971) and The Big Easy (1986). In 1980, he formed Kings Road Entertainment—named after the West Hollywood street where he lived—making him one of the first independent film producers to raise substantial film funding through a publicly traded company.

References

  1. ↑ Hawker, Tom (18 July 2012). "25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About The Expendables". IGN . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Archerd, Army (4 October 1993). "New Planet Hollywood inaugurated in D.C." Variety . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bonn makes it rough for Gramco". Business Week . 10 October 1970. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Mutual funds: Gramco: The second domino". Time . 19 October 1970. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, John (1999). The Go-Go Years:The Drama and Crashing Finale of Wall Street's Bullish 60s. New York: John Wiley. ISBN   9780471357551.
  6. ↑ Gardner, Eriq (30 April 2015). "Planet Hollywood Founder Becomes Latest Target in Hunt for Ken Starr Money". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Adler, Jerry (27 October 1991). "DINING WITH WOLVES". Newsweek . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "FILMING TO BEGIN THIS SUMMER ON BIG-SCREEN 'THE FUGITIVE'". Sun-Sentinel . 10 February 1992. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. ↑ White, Adam (21 December 2016). "The billionaires, supermarket moguls and tycoons financing your favorite Hollywood movies". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Ryan, Nancy (10 June 1992). "NEW EATERY BETTING CUSTOMERS WILL HAVE STARS IN THEIR EYES". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 Gross, Daniel (11 August 2003). "Arnold's Bad Business: Is his campaign the new Planet Hollywood?". Slate . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  12. 1 2 Abramovitch, Seth (21 August 2014). "Throwback Thursday: When Stallone and Schwarzenegger Teamed Up for Planet Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Gaines, Steven; Landman, Beth (25 June 2001). "6 Most Gracious Hosts on the East End". New York . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  14. ↑ Grondahl, Paul (9 December 2016). "'Ironweed' effect lives on in Albany 30 years after film". Times Union (Albany) . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  15. ↑ Conway, Ann (12 October 1992). "Stars to Orbit Planet Hollywood's O.C. Opening". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  16. 1 2 Van Gelder, Lawrence (30 May 1986). "AT THE MOVIES". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 Suplee, Curt (7 June 1981). "The Passion of the producer". The Washington Post . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raw, Charles; Page, Bruce; Hodgson, Godfrey (1971). "Do You Sincerely Want to Be Rich?" The Full Story of Bernard Cornfeld and IOS. New York: The Viking Press. SBN   670-28063-1.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lee, John M. (12 October 1970). "Offshore funds encountering a skeptical investor attitude". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Investment: Pierre as financier". Time . 13 September 1968. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Möglichst imposant". Der Spiegel . 13 September 1970. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Gross, Michael (2005). 740 Park, The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building. New York: Broadway Books. ISBN   9780767917445.
  23. 1 2 "Es ist Schluß". Der Spiegel . 11 October 1970. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  24. ↑ Lee, John M. (6 October 1970). "Redemptions imperil Gramco's fund". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  25. ↑ Lee, John M. (9 October 1970). "Gramco suspends U.S.I.F. sales". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  26. ↑ "In den Sternen". Der Spiegel . 25 October 1970. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Shnayerson, Michael (3 August 2010). "All The best victims". Vanity Fair . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  28. ↑ Sloane, Leonard M. (23 May 1972). "2 billion in real estate now controlled by Arlen". The New York Times . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  29. 1 2 "Recaman v. Barish, 408 F. Supp. 1189 (E.D. Pa. 1975)" . Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  30. ↑ "Drei Musketiere". Der Spiegel . 20 July 1975. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  31. ↑ Harmetz, Aljean (17 February 1981). "BARISH BUYS FILM RIGHTS TO FEMINIST MUSICAL 'ACT'". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  32. ↑ Loynd, Ray (1983-04-13). "Indie Barish Follows Initial Click with Nine-Film Fox Deal". Variety . p. 7.
  33. ↑ "Taft Entertainment, Barish Form Pact". Variety . 1984-05-02. p. 4.
  34. ↑ Greenberg, James (1986-01-01). "PSO Acquires Worldwide Distrib For 10 Produced By Taft-Barish". Variety . p. 3.
  35. ↑ "Sue Barrish Prods. Over 'Lord' Pact". Variety . 1986-08-13. p. 20.
  36. ↑ Pirnia, Garin (30 September 2017). "15 Solid Facts About The Flintstones". Mental Floss . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  37. ↑ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca; Gordinier, Jeff; Kennedy, Dana (3 June 1994). "Bringing The Flintstones to the big screen". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  38. ↑ Tusher, Will (1986-08-20). "Taft/Barish Pacts With Tri-Star For 10 Pics, With More Possible". Variety . p. 7.
  39. ↑ "Cohen Barish Chair". Variety . 1986-10-08. p. 5.
  40. ↑ "Taft-Barish Deal With Tri-Star Pared Down To 2-3 Pics Yearly". Variety . 1987-08-19. pp. 6, 36.
  41. ↑ "J&M Entertainment's Milan Lineup Includes Four From Taft-Barish". Variety . 1987-10-21. p. 442.
  42. ↑ "Planet Hollywood sets expansion". United Press International. 30 May 1996. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  43. ↑ "Cash for Planet Hollywood". CNN. 6 August 1999. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  44. ↑ Siklos, Richard (24 September 2007). "Savor Those Curly Fries: Planet Hollywood Is Back (Again)". The New York Times . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  45. ↑ Johnson, Beth (26 October 2001). "Planet of the Aches". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  46. ↑ Snyder, Jack (26 March 1999). "CO-FOUNDER DEPARTS PLANET HOLLYWOOD JOB". Orlando Sentinel . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  47. ↑ "Planet Hollywood co-founder resigns". Deseret News . 27 March 1999. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  48. ↑ Preston, Sarah (8 October 2007). "All Shook Up". Chicago . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  49. ↑ Sheckells, Melinda (29 December 2017). "What's New in Las Vegas for the New Year". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 1 September 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.