Biographical Note
Howard E. Reinheimer was born to Emanuel and Esther Bamberger Reinheimer on May 3, 1899. He received his bachelor's degree in 1917, and in 1919 he received an undergraduate law degree and a master's degree from Columbia University, where he had also been the editor of the Columbia Law Review.
During World War I, Reinheimer served in the U.S. Navy. In the early years of his civilian career, he seems to have focused primarily on real estate and real estate law. In 1927, he formed the 7 West Forty-fourth Street Corporation, and in May 1928 he incorporated Greenpoint Foundation, Realty.
Reinheimer married Eleanor Kaiser in 1929, and in July 1931 their son Howard Reinheimer Jr. was born. Their son Kurt E. Reinheimer was born in May 1935, but died in July 1954.
Reinheimer’s career shifted almost entirely to show business, likely the result of his friendship with lyricist, librettist, and producer Oscar Hammerstein II. According to Reinheimer's son, his father waited to marry until after he successfully sold the film rights to the Hammerstein and Kern musical Show Boat, which was first produced as a mostly silent picture in 1929.
In 1934, Reinheimer appeared as amicus curriae on behalf of Jerome Kern, Robert Sherwood, Maxwell Anderson, Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg, Laurence Schwab, Fanny Heaslip Lea, and Arthur Schwartz. He then settled a case representing George S. Kaufman and Robert Sherwood against Hollywood mogul Samuel Goldwyn. In 1936, Reinheimer represented playwright Elmer Rice in a case before the New York Supreme Court regarding the retroactive taxation of copyrights and patents. Later that same year, he represented Romberg in contract negotiations with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and he represented Simon & Schuster publishers in a plagiarism lawsuit. In 1937, he acquired the rights to 111 plays that had been the property of Charles B. Dillingham on behalf of Irving Berlin, Hammerstein, Otto Harbach, and Kern. Then in October he famously acquired the rights to seventy-two musical productions from the estate of Florenz Ziegfeld on behalf of Berlin, Harbach, Hammerstein, Kern, and Romberg.
During World War II, Reinheimer headed the copyright division in the Office of Alien Property Custodian and in that capacity had to defend Hitler's copyright to Mein Kampf. In 1943, he was named the civilian legal adviser representing the film rights to Winged Victory.
Reinheimer’s friendship with Hammerstein and his contributions to the lyricist's business activities evolved during the 1940s. In fact, they were purported to be together on a train in 1940 when Hammerstein was inspired to write the lyric for "The Last Time I Saw Paris." Reinheimer began representing the new team of composer Richard Rodgers and Hammerstein, whose prominence exploded with the success of the Broadway musical Oklahoma! in 1943, and who then produced the play I Remember Mama in 1944. After reading the reviews for their next musical Carousel in 1945, Reinheimer famously wired Rodgers and Hammerstein "Thanks a lot," signing it "Henry Morgenthau," the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Reinheimer swiftly became something of a third partner to Rodgers and Hammerstein, functioning both as a legal and financial advisor, and with and for them creating several subsidiaries and corporations to represent their various interests. In 1947, he negotiated the sale of the Rodgers and Hammerstein-produced Irving Berlin musical Annie Get Your Gun to MGM for the then-record price for a stage work of $650,000. With the extraordinary success of South Pacific in 1949, including commercial tie-ins, their business dealings continued to expand in multiple directions.
In 1945, Reinheimer became a member of the advisory board of Theater Incorporated, the newly organized non-profit repertory theater. He formed a theatrical production company in 1946 on behalf of Otto Preminger, and in 1947, he negotiated the musical rights to the play Charley’s Aunt on behalf of producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin. Reinheimer was made legal advisor in 1949 to the newly-formed Committee of Theatrical Producers.
Others among Reinheimer’s list of clients were Ina Claire, Marc Connelly, Dorothy Fields, Moss Hart, Sidney Kingsley, Alan Jay Lerner, Beatrice Lillie, Lindsay & Crouse, Carole Lombard, Mary Martin, Gilbert Miller, Margaret Mitchell, Jule Styne, and Kurt Weill.
After a brief illness, Reinheimer passed away at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan on August 7, 1970.