Irving Fein, Longtime Manager of Jack Benny and George Burns
Fein was an established publicist when he joined forces with Benny, with whom he spent 28 years.
Irving Fein, a producer and longtime manager of Jack Benny and George Burns, died August 10, 2012, in West Hollywood. He was 101.
Born in Brooklyn, Fein got his start in the business at Warner Bros., where he worked in publicity and advertising. After earning a law degree at Brooklyn Law School he moved to California, where he went to work in the Warner Bros. mailroom.
He segued into the studio's publicity department and worked as a publicist for several years before connecting with Benny, who hired him to handle his P.R. and advertising in 1947. in the ensuing years he handled Benny's publicity, and also became his manager and producer. Fein continued to guide Benny's career until his death in 1974.
Fein also managed the career of George Burns following the death of Burns' wife and comedy partner, Gracie Allen.
Fein discussed his career at length in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation's Archive of American Television here.
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