Silverman, Sime
SILVERMAN, SIME
SILVERMAN, SIME (1872–1933), U.S. theatrical journalist. Born in Cortland, New York, Silverman wrote theatrical commentary for the New York Morning Telegraph (1896–1905) until he offended advertisers and lost his job. In 1905, on $1,500 borrowed money, he started Variety, a weekly trade magazine devoted exclusively to show-business content. He was the editor and publisher until shortly before his death. It took him 24 years to make the paper pay, but he turned it into an influential weekly noted for its robust style and authoritative insight. In his latter years he launched a Hollywood edition of the publication. Variety covered vaudeville at first but then expanded to encompass film, radio, television, and music. A rich source of trend-setting phrasing, the paper popularized such terms as "high-hat," "pushover," and "belly laugh."
bibliography:
D. Stoddart, Lord Broadway (1941).
[Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)]