Editing Quinn Martin

{{Short description|American television producer (1922–1987)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Quinn Martin
| image              = 
| image_size         = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Irwin Martin Cohn
| birth_date         = {{Birth date text|May 22, 1922}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], US
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1987|9|5|1922|5|22}}
| death_place        = [[Rancho Santa Fe, California]], US
| occupation         = Television producer
| spouse             = [[Madelyn Pugh]] (a.k.a. Madelyn Davis); Marianne Muffet Webb
| children           = 3
| parents            = [[Martin G. Cohn]]
}}

'''Quinn Martin''' (born '''Irwin Martin Cohn'''; May 22, 1922 &ndash; September 5, 1987) was an American [[television producer]]. He had at least one [[television series]] running in [[prime time]] every year for 21 straight years (from 1959 to 1980).<ref name="MBC">{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/martinquinn/martinquinn.htm |title=Quinn Martin |publisher=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713073051/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/martinquinn/martinquinn.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2007}}</ref> Martin is a member of the [[Television Hall of Fame]], having been inducted in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/awards/hall-of-fame-honorees|title=Television Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born on May 22, 1922,<ref>{{cite book
| title = Quinn Martin, Producer: A Behind-the-scenes History of QM Productions and Its Founder
| last = Etter
| first = Jonathan
| others = Walter Grauman, contributor
| page = 7
| publisher = [[McFarland & Company]]
| location = [[Jefferson, North Carolina|Jefferson]], [[North Carolina]]
| year = 2003
| isbn = 978-0-7864-1501-4}}</ref> in [[New York City]], Martin was the second of two children. His father, [[Martin G. Cohn|Martin Goodman Cohn]], was a film editor and producer at the studios of [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]]; his mother was Anna Messing Cohn. He was of [[Jewish]] descent. From the age of 4, he was raised in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. He graduated from [[Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)|Fairfax High School]], then served five years in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]], enlisting in the [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal Corps]] at [[Fort MacArthur]] in [[San Pedro, California]] on September 10, 1940, and achieving the rank of sergeant. He later changed his name to Quinn Martin.

While attending the [[University of California, Berkeley|University of California at Berkeley]],<ref name="MBC"/> Martin majored in [[English studies]] but did not graduate. Martin started his career in television as a [[film editor]] at [[MGM]], joining his father and also worked as manager of post-production for various organizations, including [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] (1950–1954). By the mid 1950s he had become an [[executive producer]] for [[Desilu Productions|Desilu Studios]], founded by [[Lucille Ball]]  and [[Desi Arnaz]]. His first wife, [[Madelyn Pugh|Madelyn Pugh Davis]], was one half of the writing team behind ''[[I Love Lucy]]''.<ref>[http://www.shemadeit.org/meet/biography.aspx?m=94 Madelyn Pugh Davis] at [[Museum of Television & Radio]].</ref> In 1959, he produced "The Untouchables", a two-part special that appeared in season 1 of the ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''. ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' later became a weekly television show on the ABC television network, which would win two [[Emmy Award]]s in 1960.

==QM Productions==
In 1960, Martin established his own [[production company]], QM Productions. It produced a string of successful [[television series]] during the 1960s and 1970s. The company had kicked off when he signed a deal with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] to produce television programs, with ''[[The New Breed (TV series)|The New Breed]]'' being one of the first QM programs.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 25, 1960 |title=Fates & Fortunes |pages=97 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/60-OCR/BC-1960-04-25-OCR-Page-0097.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> He then scored big when ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' premiered in 1963, becoming QM's first hit.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 19, 1962 |title=Program notes |pages=68 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-11-19-BC-OCR-Page-0068.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> He then proceeded to sue [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1968, only to be settled two years later in a non-exclusive agreement.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 28, 1968 |title=ABC suit brings QM countersuit |pages=26 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/68-OCR/1968-08-26-BC-OCR-Page-0026.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 6, 1970 |title=QM and ABC-TV end rift over old contract |pages=94 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/70-OCR/1970-04-06-BC-OCR-Page-0094.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> In 1976, QM was one of the four television producers who tried launching a syndicated division.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1976-05-10 |title=Closed Circuit |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/76-OCR/1976-05-10-BC-OCR-Page-0007.pdf |access-date=2021-08-27}}</ref>

==Quinn Martin television series==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Series produced by Quinn Martin
|-
! Title !! First Episode !! Final Episode  ||  Genre  ||  Seasons  ||  Episodes  ||  Original Network
|-
| ''[[The New Breed (TV series)|The New Breed]]'' || October 3, 1961 || June 5, 1962  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  36  || rowspan="6" |  ABC
|-
| ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' || September 17, 1963 || August 29, 1967  ||  Crime drama  ||  4  ||  120  
|-
| ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|Twelve O'Clock High]]'' || September 18, 1964 || January 13, 1967  ||  Military drama  ||  3  ||  78  
|-
| ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'' || September 19, 1965 || April 28, 1974  ||  Crime drama  ||  9  ||  241  
|-
| ''[[The Invaders]]'' || January 10, 1967 || March 26, 1968  ||  Science fiction  ||  2  ||  43  
|-
| ''[[Dan August]]'' || September 23, 1970 || April 8, 1971  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  26  
|-
| ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]'' || September 14, 1971 || March 3, 1976  ||  Crime drama  ||  5  ||  122  ||  CBS
|-
| ''[[Banyon]]'' || September 15, 1972 || January 12, 1973  ||  Crime drama  || 1  || 15  ||  NBC
|-
| ''[[The Streets of San Francisco]]'' || September 16, 1972 || June 9, 1977  ||  Crime drama  || 5  || 121  ||  ABC
|-
| ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'' || January 23, 1973 || April 3, 1980  ||  Crime drama  ||  8  ||  178  || rowspan="2" |  CBS
|-
| ''[[The Manhunter]]'' || September 11, 1974 || March 5, 1975  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  22  
|-
| ''[[Caribe (American TV series)|Caribe]]'' || February 17, 1975 || May 12, 1975  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  13  || rowspan="3" |ABC
|-
| ''[[Bert D'Angelo/Superstar]]'' || February 21, 1976 || July 10, 1976  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  12  
|-
| ''[[Most Wanted (1976 TV series)|Most Wanted]]'' || October 16, 1976 || August 20, 1977  ||  Crime drama  ||  1  ||  21  
|-
| ''[[Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected]]'' || February 2, 1977 || August 24, 1977  ||  Horror/Sci Fi  ||  1  ||  8  || rowspan="3" |  NBC
|-
| ''[[The Runaways (TV series)|The Runaways]]'' || April 27, 1978 || September 4, 1979  ||  Drama  ||  2  ||  18  
|-
| ''[[A Man Called Sloane]]'' || September 22, 1979 || December 22, 1979  ||  Secret Agent  ||  1  ||  12  
|}

Besides producing sixteen one-hour [[television network]] series, he also produced twenty "made-for-TV" movies, including ''[[Dan August#Relation to earlier works|House on Greenapple Road]]'' (1970), ''[[Incident in San Francisco]]'' (1971), ''Murder or Mercy'' (1974), ''The FBI Story: The FBI vs. [[Alvin Karpis]], Public Enemy Number One'' (1974), ''[[Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan]]'' (1975), and ''[[Brink's: The Great Robbery]]'' (1976). Some TV movies, like ''[[Code Name: Diamond Head]]'' (1977), and ''[[The Hunted Lady]]'' (1977), were originally filmed as pilots for new television dramas which were never picked up by the networks. His only feature film was ''[[The Mephisto Waltz]]'' (1971), released by [[20th Century Studios]].<ref>Jonathan Etter, p. 101-105, ''Quinn Martin, Producer: A Behind-the-Scenes History of QM Productions and Its Founder'', McFarland, {{ISBN|978-0-7864-3867-9}}.</ref>

In 1978, a duo of investors purchased his wholly self-owned QM Productions; they subsequently sold it to [[Taft Broadcasting]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waldencapital.com/meetTheTeam.html |title=Martin B. Boorstein profile |access-date=January 18, 2007 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410060950/http://www.waldencapital.com/meetTheTeam.html |archive-date=April 10, 2009 }} at Walden Capital Partners.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117475065/taft-broadcasting-acquires-qm-production/ | title=Taft Broadcasting acquires QM Productions (Page 1) | newspaper=The Los Angeles Times | date=February 1979 | page=55 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117475180/taft-broadcasting-acquires-qm-production/ | title=Taft Broadcasting acquires QM Productions (Page 2) | newspaper=The Los Angeles Times | date=February 1979 | page=56 }}</ref> In 1980, the company launched a pay television division hiring HBO executive Harlem Kleiman as executive.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 12, 1980 |title=Monitor |pages=54 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/80-OCR/1980-05-12-BC-OCR-Page-0054.pdf |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> In 1984, QM Productions became Taft Entertainment Television, with the sitcom ''[[The Lucie Arnaz Show]]'' being the first program to carry the new name.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hastings |first=Julianne |date=April 15, 1984 |title=Here's Lucie's TV new comedy |pages=157 |work=[[New York Daily News]]}}</ref>

===Typical format of a QM program===
Shows produced by the company were usually introduced by announcer [[Dick Wesson (announcer)|Dick Wesson]] or [[Hank Simms]] reading the title of the series and saying, "A Quinn Martin Production." Images of the stars of the show, followed by the guest stars for that week, were shown and their names announced, followed by "Tonight's episode", and the name of the episode, with various to-black effects.  In some series, such as ''[[The Fugitive (1963 TV series)|The Fugitive]]'' and ''[[The Invaders]]'', its backstory that led to the plot of the series, narrated by the announcer or the star, was told before the show's guest stars were announced. While episodes were structured into the usual four "acts" and an "epilogue," each was explicitly labelled at the start of each segment with the show title and the act number (or "epilogue" near the end of the program).

==Later life==
Martin worked as an adjunct professor at the [[University of California, San Diego|University of California at San Diego]]'s [[Earl Warren College]],<ref name="MBC"/> where he also endowed a professorial chair in drama.<ref>[http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/offices/apo/endowed.htm UCSD Academic Affairs: Endowed Chairs].</ref> He also established a scholarship for theater arts and communications students at [[Santa Clara University]]<ref>[http://www.scu.edu/cas/comm/students/awards.cfm Santa Clara University] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021204241/http://www.scu.edu/cas/comm/students/awards.cfm |date=October 21, 2006 }}</ref> Martin moved to [[Rancho Santa Fe, California]], near [[San Diego]] where he became president of the [[La Jolla Playhouse]] and the [[Del Mar Fair]] board of directors. He was involved with developing motion pictures for [[Warner Bros.]] with a new company named QM Communications.

==Death==
Martin died of a heart attack on September 5, 1987, in his home in [[Rancho Santa Fe, California|Rancho Santa Fe]], [[California]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Wolfgang|last=Saxon|title=Quinn Martin Is Dead at 65; Produced Popular TV Series|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DA1E3BF934A3575AC0A961948260 |work=[[New York Times]] |date=September 7, 1987 |access-date=2008-04-01}}</ref><!--August is incorrect per NYT obit, NNDB-->

==References==
{{reflist}}
*1930 Federal Census 
*Obituary: Quinn Martin. ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. 8 September 1987.
*Obituary: Quinn Martin. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. 8 September 1987.
*Obituary: Quinn Martin. ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel''. 8 September 1987.
*Obituary: Quinn Martin. ''Washington Post''. 8 September 1987. 
*[[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] Death Index
*U.S. Army Enlistment Records ({{convert|5|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}, {{convert|151|lb|kg|abbr=on}} at enlistment)

==Further reading==
* Etter, Jonathan. (2003). ''Quinn Martin, Producer: A Behind-the-Scenes History of QM Productions and Its Founder''. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc.

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0552918}}

{{1997 Television Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Quinn}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:Television producers from New York City]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:American racehorse owners and breeders]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]