Nils Granlund
Encyclopedia
Nils T. Granlund was an American
Broadway show producer, radio
industry pioneer, a publicist for Marcus Loew
who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM). Although his name was actually Nils Theodore Granlund, he later used Thor as a middle name, and after appearing on early radio was commonly referenced only by his initials, N.T.G., on the air and in print.
His father was Teodor Granlund, b. 1857 in Fridlevstad in the province of Blekinge and his mother Amanda née Bylund 1858 in Tingsås, province of Småland. (Source: Swedish Census of 1890)
who hired Granlund in 1913 as a Publicity Agent for Hanky Panky, a recently acquired touring vaudeville show.
, a part-time broadcasting station in Ridgewood, Queens
,
New York, and after a series of experimental programs, he convinced Loew to lease the station as a promotional arm of Loew's Theaters.
he was arrested along with several other speakeasy figures, including Texas Guinan
, whom Granlund had introduced to Larry Fay, her partner at the notorious El Fey Club. The sweep was part of a city-wide liquor crackdown that made headlines across the United States. Although Granlund was charged in the initial indictment, following Guinan's acquittal, prosecutors declined to press the case against Granlund.
critics.
Returning to California, he staged revues for several West Coast nightclubs, and briefly hosted a radio talk show as well as a televised amateur variety production on KTSL
, a short-lived program called Backstage with NTG.
The publication of his memoir, Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets briefly resurrected his name from the obscurity into which he had fallen, and four weeks after its release, Granlund was in Las Vegas negotiating a chorus line production contract when his taxi was struck leaving the Riviera Hotel. He died of head injuries on April 21, 1957.
Funeral arrangements were made by actress Yvonne De Carlo
, whom Granlund had hired as a dancer at the Florentine Gardens, one of the multitude of stars who owed their first break in show business to Granlund.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Broadway show producer, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
industry pioneer, a publicist for Marcus Loew
Marcus Loew
Marcus Loew was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .-Biography:...
who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
(MGM). Although his name was actually Nils Theodore Granlund, he later used Thor as a middle name, and after appearing on early radio was commonly referenced only by his initials, N.T.G., on the air and in print.
His father was Teodor Granlund, b. 1857 in Fridlevstad in the province of Blekinge and his mother Amanda née Bylund 1858 in Tingsås, province of Småland. (Source: Swedish Census of 1890)
Early life
Granlund was born in Sweden in 1889 in Ljuder in the province of Småland in the south of Sweden. He immigrated with hos family to the United States in 1893, settling in Providence, Rhode Island. While still in his teen years he began covering the yachting news for the Providence Tribune, where he later become Sports Editor, and covered the local entertainment news. His promotional efforts for a local theater caught the attention of Marcus LoewMarcus Loew
Marcus Loew was an American business magnate and a pioneer of the motion picture industry who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .-Biography:...
who hired Granlund in 1913 as a Publicity Agent for Hanky Panky, a recently acquired touring vaudeville show.
Marcus Loew Theaters
Following the year-long tour, Loew promoted Granlund to oversee marketing for his theater chain as Publicity Manager. In addition to publicizing events at the various venues, at the urging of Loew, Granlund began staging live talent revues at several of the underperforming theaters. His innovative techniques resulted in the first use of film for promoting live theater and the first filmed trailers for upcoming movies. In 1922 Granlund visited the studios of WHNWHN
WHN was a radio station in New York City located at 1050 kHz. Its best known format was country music, which the station played from 1972 to 1987...
, a part-time broadcasting station in Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood, Queens
Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
,
New York, and after a series of experimental programs, he convinced Loew to lease the station as a promotional arm of Loew's Theaters.
Early Radio
After several months of live programming as an anonymous announcer known only by his initials, N.T.G., Granlund approached George Schubel, President of the Ridgewood Times and licensee of WHN, proposing to purchase the station and relocating it to New York City.http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/nycamhistory3.html On July 28, 1923, the station was purchased by Marcus Loew and the studios transferred to his State Theatre at 1540 Broadway, where Granlund served as Station Manager and announcer.Prohibition
Granlund continued to stage live revues for the Loew's Theaters and became known for his use of scantily-clad chorus girls, comedians, and singers. As a producer, he simultaneously staged shows at Broadway showplaces such as the Frivolity Club, the Silver Slipper, the Paradise, and the Hollywood. During ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
he was arrested along with several other speakeasy figures, including Texas Guinan
Texas Guinan
Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan was an American saloon keeper, actress, and entrepreneur.-Early life:...
, whom Granlund had introduced to Larry Fay, her partner at the notorious El Fey Club. The sweep was part of a city-wide liquor crackdown that made headlines across the United States. Although Granlund was charged in the initial indictment, following Guinan's acquittal, prosecutors declined to press the case against Granlund.
Nightclub Ownership
September 15, 1938, after operating successful reviews on Broadway and touring the U.S., Granlund opened his first nightclub as sole owner. The Midnight Sun featured a Swedish motif and relied on the sales of food over liquor, but offered the same live stage presentations. In a syndicated column describing his innovations in the New York Times, Granlund is credited with having invented the modern nightclub.Hollywood
His Congress of Beauty exhibition at the 1939 World's Fair met with mixed reviews and financial disaster, forcing Granlund to shut down the showgirl revue early. Within a year, he relocated to California, setting up a chorus line revue at Hollywood's Florentine Gardens, an act generally panned by Variety, but one that - during World War II - held great appeal to California-based servicemen, and boosted Granlund into the ranks of the nation's top grossing entertainment acts. While in Hollywood, he was featured in several motion pictures, generally appearing as himself, and 1942's Rhythm Parade http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036309/ was set at the Florentine Gardens.Later years
After seven years in Hollywood, Granlund made an unsuccessful return to New York, staging his familiar shows that were increasing panned by critics as throwbacks to vaudeville. His shows at the Frivolity, The Greenwich Village Inn, and the Rio Cabana were savaged by VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
critics.
Returning to California, he staged revues for several West Coast nightclubs, and briefly hosted a radio talk show as well as a televised amateur variety production on KTSL
KTSL
KTSL is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Medical Lake, Washington, USA, the station serves the Spokane area. The station is currently owned by EMF Broadcasting.-History:...
, a short-lived program called Backstage with NTG.
The publication of his memoir, Blondes, Brunettes, and Bullets briefly resurrected his name from the obscurity into which he had fallen, and four weeks after its release, Granlund was in Las Vegas negotiating a chorus line production contract when his taxi was struck leaving the Riviera Hotel. He died of head injuries on April 21, 1957.
Funeral arrangements were made by actress Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...
, whom Granlund had hired as a dancer at the Florentine Gardens, one of the multitude of stars who owed their first break in show business to Granlund.