Ethel

We met in those dear, dead days, almost beyond recall, (the early sixties to be precise) at a cocktail party given by the late lamented Jim Lanphier. Ethel, who was about to produce her first television series, called The Great Adventure at CBS, was in need of a Story Editor. I leapt at her offer because I had been writing The Untouchables for almost two years and was eager to write something - anything that didn't involve machine guns and smoke filled rooms.

Little did I know, in the beginning, the size of the talent with which I was going to have the privilege of working, though I flatter myself that I did anticipate, at least to some small extent, the heights to which that talent was going to take this very small capsule of high voltage energy, named Winant.

When I first met Ethel she had already been employed, on Broadway, as a Production assistant to such luminaries as Elia Kazan, (Death Of A Salesman), Irene Selznick, (Street Car Named Desire and Bell, Book and Candle), Tennessee Williams, (Summer and Smoke) and as an Associate of the fine literary Agent, Audry Wood.

In the early days, too, she was the Associate Producer and Casting Director for the legendary Playhouse 90, which meant that she worked side by side with the giants of that memorable series, Fred Coe, Martin Manulis, Herb Brodkin and John Houseman, with whom she was to share a lifelong friendship and highly successful theatrical and television production company.

Along the way she also became the first Female Executive in the history of television to be awarded the title of Vice President in charge, not only of Casting and Talent for CBS, but as West Coast Executive in charge of CBS Playhouse and all Bicentennial Specials. She also found time, to be Executive in charge of Shogun, in which capacity, she fought tooth and nail to have the Japanese speak only in their native tongue and, by winning that prolonged struggle, brought a whole new accent of reality to television programming.

Perhaps of all her extraordinary attributes, however, none has been as awesome as her courage, for recently, without warning, and while still at the height of her creative activity, she began to go blind.

For the vast majority of people such a catastrophe would have been totally devastating. For someone who's entire career had been based primarily on her ability to read books, manuscripts, memos, resumes and faxes, or to assess, from dailies or stage and television performances, the qualities of actors, directors, cinematographer, et al, the affliction could have evoked suicidal thoughts.

For Ethel Winant, it was just one more challenge. Instead of sitting like Job on his dungheap howling at God for the afflictions that had been visited upon him, Ethel chose to teach herself Braille and did so, so well, that she now teaches at the Braille Institute.

She copes so well with her impairment, that she is presently working directly with Francis Ford Coppola on his personal projects, and is partnered with him and David Rintels, on a six hour Miniseries in pre-production for the Disney Channel. She still retains her glorious sense of humor and will remain, I suspect to her dying day, one of the world's truly great raconteurs.

I recently had the privilege and pleasure of presenting to Ms. Winant a Special Merit Award for Life Achievement and Contribution to the Community, on behalf of The Caucus for Producers Writers and Directors of which she is a member.

At that time (I have been reminded by friends!) I neglected to mention that Ethel is the recipient of:

• A Special Emmy
• Two Peabody Awards
• A Christopher Award
• A Humanitas Award
• A Crystal Award.

In 1992, she was inducted into the "Women in Film" Hall of Fame.

It pleases me to have been able to rectify those omissions here, but stay tuned, further accolades are sure to follow.

John Mantley was Executive Producer of Gunsmoke and How The West Was Won.