Marty Colener, a pioneer of comedy specials that set the HBO genre template in the 1970s, died on March 17th at his home in Malibu, California, after injecting humorous music videos during MTV's heyday.
His son, Jazz Colener, said the cause is still unknown.
For half a century, Colener worked with some of the biggest names in popular culture, including Jerry Seinfeld, Madonna, Robin Williams, George Carlin, The Rolling Stones and Chris Rock.
Jason Ginoman of the New York Times wrote in 2022, “I liked to stay in the background, but I'm not shy, “I'm not shy,” as he's far from shy.
One day in the early 1980s, Colener had an epiphany. While watching TV at his Beverly Hills home, he realized he was obsessed with music videos. It was Kim Kerns' “Bet Davis Eye” – and he couldn't take his eyes off it.
“This is incredible,” he recalled in 2021 on the “Hokekkuk” podcast. He called it “the most artistic and entertaining thing I've ever seen,” recalled “I have to do this.”
After that, MTV was in the early days. However, Colener was willing to give up on his lucrative work on HBO's comedy specials due to the creative rush of making music videos.
At a meeting with Atlantic Records president Ahmet Eltegun, Colener was given three band options to make the video. He chose the twisted sisters of a heavy metal band, and in 1984 he transformed the group's song “Weall Not Gonna Take It” into a funny movie tale of a teenage rebellion.
In the video, the guitar-playing boy (played by his son Dachshunds) narrated by Colener, “I want to shake!”
“No matter how many Marty were paid, that wasn't enough,” Rob Tannenbaum said. “He made a twisted sister.”
Callner has created memorable videos for Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper and ZZ Top for over a decade. The 18 videos he made for Aerosmith included “sweet emotions” and “in a dream.”
For the video for her hit song “If I Could Go Back,” Cher performed in 1989 on the battleship Missouri among hundreds of happy hat-waving sailors. Mr. Colener convinced him to straddle the cannon.
In most videos, Shale wore a body-fitting black catsuit with cutouts filled with mesh.
During the rehearsal, Colener said the Navy production was nervous that if Cher was dressed for filming, he would be punished for being sent to the Aleutians. He told Mr. Colener she couldn't wear it.
“I said, 'You're going to tell her she can't wear it,'” replied Mr. Colener. The liaison has retreated.
Martin Henry Colener was born in Chicago on August 25, 1946 and grew up in the lower class in Cincinnati with his mother, Ethelgen (Hilsch) Colener. He spent the summer with his Chicago relatives, surrounded by art, mainly with his aunt and uncle until he was 18 years old.
He attended three universities, including the University of Kentucky, but he preferred partying over studying and did not graduate. He later recalls that his creativity was unlocked when he was 19 or 20 years old and traveled to psychedelic psilocybin.
He didn't find an outlet for his new creativity until his mother, who worked for a TV guide, proposed to interview him on a Cincinnati TV station in 1969. He quickly became the director of several shows.
However, he left a few years later when the station manager refused him to pay raises.
After being hired to make a commercial in Cleveland, he left to oversee the Celtics Games at Boston Station WBZ-TV. In 1975 he joined HBO, the then new cable channel, and established himself as director of a comedy show with HBO's first stand-up special, “A Night with Robert Klein.”
Callner's incorporating behind the scenes footage and using five cameras to capture the atmosphere of Klein's live performances was called “innovative” by The Times Critic John O'Connor.
The accolades led to a lucrative deal with HBO, directing a series of stand-up comedy specials starring Williams, Carlin and Steve Martin. He was also co-director of The Pee We Herman Show (1981). This is the more adult-oriented early version of the hit kids' series Pee-Wee's Playhouse and is star Paul Rubens.
“I learned that comedy oversees me,” Colener told The Times. “If a comedian is doing something physical, it's better to be a head-to-toe shot. If he's making an emotional point, it's better to be in a close shot. That was a report.”
On HBO, Colener also oversaw coverage of the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament. A concert special starring Liza Minnelli, Paul Simon, Diana Ross and Stevie Knicks. A filmed version of the 1982 revival of the Broadway musical “Camelot,” starring Richard Harris.
After overseeing music and comedy programming for years more, Colener came up with the HBO football reality show “Hard Knock.”
His idea was to follow the rookie during the preseason, when he tried to build a team. An in-season version of the series has recently been added.
“Everyone wants to go into the locker room and see what happens when the guy gets cut,” he told the sports and pop culture website The Ringer in 2022.
Former HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg said in an interview that the network and NFL films will quickly expand the concept, continuing to the story of not only the fate of the rookie, but also the development of veterans this season that teams and veterans say aren't wanting. Although Colener did not play an operational role in the series, he was an executive producer who won two sports emmys.
In addition to his son Jazz, he survived with Alliza (Zelser) Colener from his marriage, Mr. Colener was survived by his daughter Tess Levy from that marriage. His sons, Dachshunds and Chad, ended with a divorce from Jan Mussara from his marriage. stepdaughter, Lynn Swenson; son-in-law, Oliel Zelser; Eight grandchildren.
In 1998, Colener directed Seinfeld at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York for his HBO special live show, “I'm Last Talking to You.”
“When the show starts, I pull the lights down to black,” he told The Times before the TV broadcast. He added, “There's nothing worse than comedians who look at bright audiences.”
He learned that lesson from overseeing Steve Martin's stand-up show in 1976.
“I turned on the light and cut it,” he said. “His agent came behind me and whispered to my ears: “Cold and dark. The cold and dark of comedy.” I chose not to listen to him.
