The last time I saw Fred Rheinstein–founder of The Post Group, a company he sold in 2005–was at the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Awards in November 2007 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
HPA president Leon Silverman said of Rheinstein at the time, “Today’s postproduction industry would be a very different place indeed if not for Fred Rheinstein.” Silverman went on to describe Rheinstein as being “a larger-than-life figure who helped to create more than just The Post Group, but a postproduction industry that was recognized and respected worldwide…He hired, trained, mentored and supported so many young people who became some of the most successful postproduction professionals in our industry. Fred, by giving of his own time, resources and knowledge, helped to create a real sense of community within the postproduction industry, especially in his roles as board member and president of the ITS [the former International Teleproduction Society] and as a founding member of the HPA.”
Rheinstein passed away on Dec. 22 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.
Rheinstein’s storied career extends well beyond the post industry, back into TV’s Golden Age. At NBC-TV he stage-managed the iconic Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. He also stage managed and later AD’d the first five annual network Bob Hope specials. He was later transferred from his native New York to L.A. where he began a long producing/directing career at NBC News. His assignments included serving as West Coast producer for the Today Show, acting as on-site producer-director of important global events including Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald (live), NBC-Houston coverage for almost all Gemini and Apollo missions, 15 tours in Vietnam and producing remotes on all political conventions from ‘56 to ‘72.
The first time I met Rheinstein, we got to talking about his coverage of Ruby fatally shooting Oswald. It was a fascinating account, his being able to convince the network to cut to the scene less than a minute before Oswald was shot.
A Requiem Eucharist in celebration of Rheinstein’s life will be held at All Saints Episcopal Church Beverly Hills on January 25 at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to “L.A. Opera 90012” program or the Episcopal School of Los Angeles.
