Though I hadn’t talked to him in some 10 years, I was saddened to learn of Ted Goetz’s passing last month at the age of 84. Ted was one of the first people in the business I got to know when I joined this paper in the late 1970s. He was a straight shooter, a mentor of assorted producers in this business, developed the careers of numerous directors, and helped to bring the commercial production community together–first via the Commercial Film Producers Association, a Los Angeles area-based organization, which was the predecessor in many respects to what became the AICP’s West Coast chapter.
I met Ted during his long tenure as executive producer at FilmFair and at a juncture when the AICP had become firmly entrenched as a collective voice for spot production houses. He served as president of AICP/West and a national VP of the AICP. He was also an astute labor negotiator, bringing considerable savvy and expertise to talks with unions. Yet with all his acumen, he retained his humility and let others seek and have the spotlight.
But Ted’s quiet work behind the scenes and the universal respect he earned over the years from both the production house and ad agency sides of the business finally thrust him into that proverbial spotlight one evening in 1992 as a recipient of the Jay B. Eisenstat Award. Named for the late legendary founding father of the AICP, the Eisenstat Award was instituted in 1990 to recognize outstanding contributions and service to the commercial production industry.
Ted recalled that when he went on stage to accept the award, he felt “a great sense of pride for the organization, of how so many people worked to create a consolidated, articulate voice for our industry. And that voice has helped to do a great deal of good in our business.”
Still, the last time Ted and I chatted, on the occasion of the AICP’s 30th anniversary in 2002, he humbly observed that perhaps his highest career honor was not winning the Eisenstat Award but accepting it in ’94 for another, the late Frank Tuttle, a past national AICP president.
“That meant a lot to me,” recollected Goetz. “Frank was what the AICP is all about–he was a unifying force within the production house community, and in helping to bring that community together with agencies, clients and suppliers.”
In our obituary on Ted last month (SHOOTonline, 7/23), we sought out some of his colleagues, including Patrick Collins, currently head of the Collins Consulting Company in L.A. Back during his production house days, Collins served as the first president of AICP/West and worked with Goetz.
“Ted was the mentor every young producer needed,” observed Collins. “He became a good friend as well as a very kind and savvy counselor. And he gave a whole new definition to the description: A Nice Man.”
Those last three words succinctly capture how I would sum up Ted, which in and of itself is a wonderful legacy. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 25, 3 pm, at the site of the former FilmFair in L.A. Log onto theodoreagoetz.blogspot.com for further info. Donations in Ted’s memory may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More