David Wolper: Imagine

This past month I was deeply honored to produce a memorial for a man I had admired for years and who meant so much not only to Warner Bros. and the entire entertainment industry but also to the event industry in which I’ve been part of my entire career.

David Wolper’s 50-year-plus career spanned many forms of entertainment, and he broke ground in all of them, paving the way for others with a legacy of thoughtful and quality work. His office had been on the Warner Bros. lot for more than 35 years, so it was fitting that his memorial should be held where he had enjoyed so many of his successes.


One only has to look at the short list of award-winning and memorable shows for which he was responsible to see what an impact he had. David produced documentaries such as the 1967 Jacques Cousteau Television Specials, the mini-series Roots and The Thorn Birds, the comedy TV series Chico and the Man and Welcome Back Kotter, and films such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and  L.A. Confidential. Another of the many other films he produced was Imagine: John Lennon. I point this one out especially because in my opinion the song Imagine might be the one that sums David up best.

He would imagine it, and it would happen.

Certainly David did that with large-scale outdoor events. To these he applied the same winning formula as he had to film and TV. His vision changed the way mega-events are produced today. In the late sixties he produced the 200^th Anniversary of the United States.

But it wasn’t until the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles that his name became synonymous with event production perfection. And in 1986, he had the chance to do it all again as the Executive Producer of the Liberty Weekend, a four-day celebration of the 100^th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.

Knowing all this, it probably will come as no surprise that this impresario of events would have already orchestrated his own memorial. He actually left notes regarding several specific things he’d like to be included. Among them was the wish that his favorite Frank Sinatra songs be played during cocktails and to have some sort of homage or tie-in with his alma mater, University of Southern California.

The evening began with cocktails at the Steven J. Ross Theater and, following his wishes, Frank Sinatra tunes played as guests ate shrimp cocktail (his favorite) and perused several vignettes created by the Warner Bros. archivist, Leith Adams. Adams brought in director’s chairs, props, scripts, Emmy awards and more to create areas that reflected the Thorn Birds, Roots, Willy Wonka and more.

Some of the memorabilia on display during cocktails were photos from David’s work and awards for his work such as this one from the Olympics (above) and 20 original one-sheets from his most important film and TV work (below).

After cocktails, everyone took a seat in the theater, and the memorial began with a clip of David’s 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace. Then emcees, actors and friends Robert Wagner and Mike Connors, took the stage. They did a lovely piece about their memories of David that was funny, entertaining and sentimental. After that a list of 15 friends spoke or were heard from in letters and notes to David’s family. Toward the end, David’s two sons came onstage to introduce the memorial’s finale – a performance by the USC Marching Band! The band played the USC Fight Song followed by the Olympics’ Fanfare for Trumpets and ending with God Bless America.

Not a dry eye in the house! The USC Marching Band created an emotional ending to the memorial program.

That’s when I lost it! It was a beautiful celebration to his life and legacy and I was so honored to be part of this event for a man I admired as a person and as a professional. I invite you to take a look at David’s bio at www.davidwolper.com. His body of work inspires all of us to see what we can do in life when we have the passion and dedication to craft as he had.