Sy Weintraub

Sy Weintraub (28 May 1923 - 4 April 2000) was a movie and television producer of Tarzan and Sherlock Holmes He was also an owner of Panavision.

After World War II service in the US Army he formed Flamingo Films with David L. Wolper who acquired the television rights to Eagle-Lion Films in 1951. In 1958 Weintraub produced Tarzan films made on actual locations. Weintraub started with "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure" (1959) and its follow-up, "Tarzan the Magnificent" (1960) both with Gordon Scott. Weintraub then produced "Tarzan Goes to India" and "Tarzan's Three Challenges" (filmed in Thailand) both with Jock Mahoney. In 1965 Weintraub filmed three Tarzan films back to back with former Los Angeles Rams football star Mike Henry; "Tarzan and the Valley of Gold" (Mexico), "Tarzan and the Great River" and "Tarzan and the Jungle Boy" both filmed in Brazil. When Henry was tired of his gruelling Tarzan work and refused to do the "television series", Weintraub hired Ron Ely for the role.

In 1965 Weintraub bought Panavision but sold it later. He was briefly in 1967, the president of the CBS Television Network. Weintraub claimed to have discovered several starlets, including actress Goldie Hawn.

In 1982 Weintraub planned to co-produce six Sherlock Holmes films for television but only two, "The Sign of Four" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" both with Ian Richardson were produced in 1983. When Weintraub discovered that Granada Television had acquired the rights for their own series with Jeremy Brett he was awarded damages in an out of court settlement.

In 1997, he unsuccessfully sued artist Hiro Yamagata, alleging the latter had reneged on a contract to produce art for Weintraub. After a trial in Santa Monica Superior Court, however, the Jury sided with Yamagata. In that legal action, he was represented by Attorney David Ganezer.

In retirement, he speculated in the silver market, owned race horses and built one world's largest collections of ancient coins. [McClintick, David "Indecent Exposure: A True Story of Hollywood and Wall Street" ISBN 0060508159]

He had one child, a daughter, who is an attorney in Century City.

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