Gene Schwam, the veteran Hollywood publicist who represented legends including Elvis Presley, Julie Andrews, Blake Edwards, Barbara Eden and Lenny Bruce, has died at 96. He passed away Friday in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
Gene Schwam (Credit: Variety)
Schwam’s career in publicity spanned decades and began in the most unlikely way. Earning just $35 a week working for publicist Stanley Cowan, he decided to strike out on his own — joining forces with Adeline Hanson, a part-time disc jockey and publicist, to launch Hanson & Schwam Public Relations in 1955.
The Independent Agency That Endured
When it came time to decide whose name would come first, Schwam naturally wanted his own name at the front. Hanson settled the matter with two words: “Ladies first.” And so the independent agency was born — one that would endure for decades in an industry dominated by giant firms.
The firm’s client list read like a who’s who of mid-century entertainment. Schwam guided the public images of stars across film, television and music at a time when publicity was still a personal, relationship-driven craft.
A Legend Of Old-School Hollywood PR
Schwam belonged to an era of Hollywood when publicists were confidants and image architects rolled into one, long before social media rewired the business. His death closes a chapter on classic Hollywood publicity — the quiet machinery that helped turn Elvis Presley into the King and Julie Andrews into America’s sweetheart.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
