Arthur Holch
Encyclopedia
Arthur Everett Holch, Jr. [pronounced Holtsch] (March 13, 1924 – September 23, 2010) was an American television documentary filmmaker whose works in the early days of television covered controversial topics relating to race relations and political issues in the United States. Holch earned an Emmy Award for a 1991 documentary broadcast on HBO documenting the life of a German man who had been a member of the Hitler Youth
and then turned against the Nazis.
Holch was born on March 13, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska
. Raised in Denver, he earned his undergraduate degree there from the University of Denver
and was awarded a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism
at Northwestern University
. During the Korean War
, Holch served in the United States Army
, stationed in Tokyo
. He started in the news field as a reporter at the Rocky Mountain News
before heading east.
Moving to New York City
, Holch was hired by CBS Radio
and then for the NBC
television network.
Establishing Round Hill Productions for his own independent work, Holch wrote the script for the hour-long documentary Walk in My Shoes which was produced and directed by Nicholas Webster
. The film, nominated for an Emmy Award, was broadcast on ABC television
in 1961, though some stations in the South
pre-empted the show, with a Chattanooga, Tennessee
station choosing to air a Billy Graham
program in its place. The documentary
featured profiles of African American life across social classes in New York City as seen through the eyes of such individuals as taxi divers, comedian Dick Gregory
and lawyer-turned-politician Percy Sutton
. The New York Herald Tribune
credited "Walk in My Shoes" with providing "an infinitely deeper understanding and sense of concern for an appalling American problem" and said it was "one of the finest documentaries ever offered on television". Television critic Jack Gould
of The New York Times
called Walk in My Shoes "nothing short of an unforgettable visit to the world of the Negro in the United States" providing "a viewer the sobering experience of living for a moment in the Negro's world and sharing the frustration that is his lot" that was captured "to a degree never before achieved in TV documentary".
Heil Hitler! Confessions of a Hitler Youth was a half-hour documentary Holch developed for HBO, which described Alfons Heck
who had been a member of the Hitler Youth in his teens and had been a vigorous supporter of Adolf Hitler
, but had turned against the Nazis and spoke widely about his transformation. The film won a 1992 Emmy Award for News & Documentary. He also created documentaries about life behind the Iron Curtain
which were broadcast on ABC, producing and directing the 1967 film The Beautiful Blue and Red Danube and Cuba: The Castro Generation in 1977. His 1972 work Chile: Experiment in Red documented life under the rule of Salvador Allende
.
A resident of Greenwich, Connecticut
since 1955, Holch later learned that he came from one of the city's founding families. At the time of his death he was working on Greenwich: The Golden Apple: Big Bucks, Big Names, Big Deals, a book about Greenwich over the past two centuries. Holch died in a hospital in Greenwich at the age of 86 on September 23, 2010, due to heart failure. He was survived by his wife, the former Ellen O'Keefe Hare, as well as by four daughters, three sons, and seven grandchildren.
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and then turned against the Nazis.
Holch was born on March 13, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. Raised in Denver, he earned his undergraduate degree there from the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
and was awarded a master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism
Medill School of Journalism
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It has consistently been one of the top-ranked schools in Journalism in the United States...
at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Holch served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, stationed in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. He started in the news field as a reporter at the Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
before heading east.
Moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Holch was hired by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and then for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network.
Establishing Round Hill Productions for his own independent work, Holch wrote the script for the hour-long documentary Walk in My Shoes which was produced and directed by Nicholas Webster
Nicholas Webster
Nicholas Webster was an American film and television director. Chiefly remembered for his CBS program The Violent World of Sam Huff ; the ABC Close Up documentary Walk in My Shoes , nominated for an Emmy as the best television program of the year , it was the first...
. The film, nominated for an Emmy Award, was broadcast on ABC television
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in 1961, though some stations in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
pre-empted the show, with a Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
station choosing to air a Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
program in its place. The documentary
featured profiles of African American life across social classes in New York City as seen through the eyes of such individuals as taxi divers, comedian Dick Gregory
Dick Gregory
Richard Claxton "Dick" Gregory is an American comedian, social activist, social critic, writer, and entrepreneur....
and lawyer-turned-politician Percy Sutton
Percy Sutton
Percy Ellis Sutton was a prominent black American political and business leader. A civil-rights activist and lawyer, he was also a Freedom Rider and the legal representative for Malcolm X...
. The New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
credited "Walk in My Shoes" with providing "an infinitely deeper understanding and sense of concern for an appalling American problem" and said it was "one of the finest documentaries ever offered on television". Television critic Jack Gould
Jack Gould
Jack Gould was an American journalist and critic, who wrote influential commentary about television....
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called Walk in My Shoes "nothing short of an unforgettable visit to the world of the Negro in the United States" providing "a viewer the sobering experience of living for a moment in the Negro's world and sharing the frustration that is his lot" that was captured "to a degree never before achieved in TV documentary".
Heil Hitler! Confessions of a Hitler Youth was a half-hour documentary Holch developed for HBO, which described Alfons Heck
Alfons Heck
Alfons Heck was born in the Rhineland. From 1938 through the end of World War II, he was a member of Hitler Youth, eventually becoming a Hitler Youth Officer and a fanatical adherent of Nazism’s ideologies...
who had been a member of the Hitler Youth in his teens and had been a vigorous supporter of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, but had turned against the Nazis and spoke widely about his transformation. The film won a 1992 Emmy Award for News & Documentary. He also created documentaries about life behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
which were broadcast on ABC, producing and directing the 1967 film The Beautiful Blue and Red Danube and Cuba: The Castro Generation in 1977. His 1972 work Chile: Experiment in Red documented life under the rule of Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
.
A resident of Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
since 1955, Holch later learned that he came from one of the city's founding families. At the time of his death he was working on Greenwich: The Golden Apple: Big Bucks, Big Names, Big Deals, a book about Greenwich over the past two centuries. Holch died in a hospital in Greenwich at the age of 86 on September 23, 2010, due to heart failure. He was survived by his wife, the former Ellen O'Keefe Hare, as well as by four daughters, three sons, and seven grandchildren.