Obituaries

Cappy Capsuto died June 5 at 93. He is survived by his daughters, Holly Hawk and Kathy (David); and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Dorothy Coblens died May 19 at 88. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Robert; daughters, Carrie Ann (Marvin) and Nancy Beth; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and sister, Vivian. Chevra Kadisha

Robert Gross died June 6 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Lorrayne; daughter, Sherrie Stevens; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Malvern Kaplan died April 17 at 86. He is survived by his daughter, Patrice. Hillside

Myron Mandel died June 3 at 64. He is survived by his wife, Adrienne Zin-Mandel; daughter, Brooke (Michael) Lefevre; grandchildren, Samantha and Christopher; and sister, Bonnie MacDonald. Mount Sinai

Shirley Mendelsohn died June 5 at 75. She is survived by her daughters, Mindy Card and Cheryl; son, Victory; three grandchildren; sister, Ruth Wise; niece, Linda (Bernie) Reed; and nephew, Barry Wise. Mount Sinai

Betty Meyers died June 3 at 99. She is survived by her daughters, Robin (Mitch) Freed and Linda; and sister, Helen Steinfeld. Mount Sinai

David Shalomi died June 5 at 75. He is survived by his wife; Jenny; daughters, Roxanne and Sharon; six grandchildren; brothers, Belfor, Sedik, Fraim and Menashe; and sister, Rima. Groman

Janet Silverstein died June 3 at 78. She is survived by her sons, Jai Pal Singh (Seva) Khalsa, Dr. Robert (Susan Kamman) and James (Deborah); daughter, Carole (Julio Sims); five grandchildren; and sister, Marilyn Horwitz. Mount Sinai

Glenda Tusher died June 1 at 88. She is survived by her sister, Edith Mortvedt; nephew, Alvin; niece, Audrey Workman; and great-nephew, Randy Workman. Mount Sinai

Elaine Udoff died May 31 at 92. She is survived by her daughter, Carol; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Groman

Suzanne Alter Wolf died June 4 at 78. She is survived by her husband, Bennett; daughter, Teresa; and sons, Brian and David. Hillside

John Friedkin, Veteran Publicity Executive, Dies at 81

John Friedkin, veteran publicist and studio executive, died of respiratory failure May 11 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He was 81.

Born Dec. 9, 1926 in New York City, he graduated from Horace Mann High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at Columbia University. He started out as an adman with the prestigious Young & Rubicam agency but, in partnership with his friend Gabe Sumner, opted to open a public relations firm specializing in the entertainment business; their first client was Tony Bennett.

Sumner + Friedkin Associates represented many of the talented young writers producer Fred Coe had discovered for the landmark “Playhouse 90” live drama series on CBS: Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, J. P. Miller and Reginald Rose. They also handled public relations for the show itself as well as Studio One, the Purex Specials and Johnny Carson’s debut, “Who Do You Trust?”

Broadway clients included Rodgers and Hammerstein, and legendary producers David Merrick and Manny Azenberg. In addition to Bennett, their music slate featured Benny Goodman and others. Comedians Buddy Hackett and Joey Bishop shared representation with authors John D. MacDonald and Budd Schulberg.

Among the many films Sumner + Friedkin handled during their 10-year partnership were Chayefsky’s “The Goddess” and “Middle of the Night.”

In the mid-1960s, Friedkin accepted an offer to run the New York office of Rogers and Cowan but left in 1967 to become vice president of advertising, publicity and promotion for 20th Century Fox Film Corp.

Friedkin joined Fox at a time when all of the major film companies were in the process of consolidating their operations in Hollywood rather than separating administration and distribution in New York from creative development and production at their Los Angeles studios. This quintessential New Yorker was transferred to LaLa Land in 1972 but managed to survive and thrive, working on such notable films as “Star Wars” and “Alien”; the cult phenomenon “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”; award-winners “Julia” and “The Turning Point”; and all of Mel Brooks’ films beginning with “Young Frankenstein.”

In 1979, he moved from Fox to Warner Bros. to become vice president of international advertising and publicity. Among the films he was involved with there were “Blade Runner,” “Altered States,” “The Right Stuff,” and the Academy-Award winning “Chariots of Fire.” The surprise hit “Mad Max” led to a lasting relationship with director George Miller and his Kennedy/Miller Productions.

Friedkin became an independent consultant in 1987 with clients including New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures Classics and Miramax. He was reunited with George Miller in 1992 on “Lorenzo’s Oil,” and earned an associate producer credit on the film.

Then came the pig movie — “Babe” — and a stint in Australia as unit publicist, returning home to advise Universal on its campaign for, of all things, Academy Award nominations. “Babe” received an unprecedented seven nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for George Miller and Best Film Editing for John’s son, Jay Friedkin. John also served as publicity consultant on the sequel, “Babe: Pig in the City.”

John Friedkin was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and volunteered annually for the Foreign Language Film Selection Committee.

He is survived by his wife, Tatiana; son, Jay; brother, Donald; and sister, Renee.