[Dixielandjazz] R.I.P. Lawrence Barnett -- Variety

[Robert Ringwald]

Lawrence Barnett, Former MCA President, Dies at 98
Variety, June 13, 2012
Lawrence Barnett, president of the behemoth MCA talent agency right before its dissolution
in the early '60s as part of a long career in the entertainment industry, died June
11. He was 98.
After exiting MCA in 1963, where had served for 27 years, Barnett went on to top
positions at Chris-Craft Industries, where he was executive vice-president and director,
and United Television, where he was vice chairman. He also did stints as an executive
or on the board of ICM forerunner General Artists Corp. and Warner Communications.
MCA founder Jules Stein hired Barnett in 1936, sending him to the agency's West Coast
offices. Barnett served as an agent for many big bands, including those of Benny
Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo and Harry James, and handled the careers of singers
Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Lena Horne and Dinah Shore. MCA expanded into representing
film stars on its path to becoming the world's most powerful talent agency, and Barnett
was soon repping the likes of Jack Benny, George Burns, Judy Garland, Dean Martin
and Jerry Lewis, Ronald Reagan and Marlon Brando. He counseled Brando on his acting
career and helped Reagan through his divorce from Jane Wyman.
In 1948, Barnett was one of the original eight employees to whom Stein sold stock
in MCA. The agency's growth culminated in its 1962 acquisition of Universal Pictures,
but the Justice Dept. forced MCA to dissolve its agency business as a result.
Barnett was born and raised in Orrville, Ohio. He worked his way through Ohio State
U. as the leader of and booker for the Larry Barnett Orchestra, but fell ill and
did not graduate (he completed his degrees decades later in 1988).
He devoted considerable attention to philanthropy, focusing on causes including the
ALS Assn., devoted to seeking a cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease.
In 1993, Barnett established the Ohio State U. Arts Administration Program, endowing
numerous graduate fellowships, and later, the Public Policy and the Arts Symposium.
The program also brings notable members of the entertainment industry to Ohio State
to speak about their experiences; the first two speakers were Robert Redford and
Sidney Poitier, both former Barnett clients.
Barnett's wife, Isabel Bigley, a Tony winner for her role in the original Broadway
production of "Guys and Dolls," died in 2006. He is survived six children; 16 grandchildren;
and five great-grandchildren.
Donations may be made to the ALS Assn.


-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
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