Jim Green was a trailblazing programming executive at ABC-TV in the 1960s and ‘70s who helped pioneer the "ABC Movie of the Week" franchise before becoming an independent producer.
As a programming executive, Green helped develop and shepherd nearly 200 made-for-TV movies of the week including Steven Spielberg’s feature-length directorial debut "Duel" (1971), five-time Emmy Award winner, "Brian’s Song" (1971), plus several made-for-TV movies that went on to become hit series such as "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1973), "The Night Stalker" (1972)," Starsky & Hutch," (1975) and "The Love Boat" (1976). He later helped develop the landmark eight-part television adaptation of Alex Haley’s "Roots" (1977).
After graduating from Cal State Northridge, Green considered law school while dating singer Cathy Cole, who appeared with her family on ABC’s popular primetime variety program The King Family Show. When the King Family was about to embark on a national concert tour, the entrepreneurial Green suggested to Cole’s mother, Yvonne King of The King Sisters, who hosted, created and produced the series, that he serve as the group’s tour manager. His successful work with the Kings launched his long entertainment career. After a brief stint as a publicist at Universal Studios, he joined ABC in 1966 and married Cathy Cole the following year.
Green began producing independently in 1977 with the telefilm "Black Market Baby," starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Linda Purl. He later joined former ABC executive Allen Epstein to form Green/Epstein Productions, a prolific company that produced more than 50 network and cable primetime movies and miniseries.
In 1981, Green produced "Fallen Angel," starring Melinda Dillon, Richard Masur and Dana Hill, one of television’s first treatments of the issue of child pornography. The critically lauded film received wide acclaim, and Green’s celebrated work on the project was honored with an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Drama Special. A commendation celebrating Green, the film, and its impending impact was entered into the California Congressional Record by Representative Robert K. Dornan in advance of its premiere.
Partnering with producer Mark Bacino in 1986, Green/Epstein Productions continued to score with a series of successful literary adaptations. Their landmark TV adaptation of Stephen King’s "It" (1990) starred Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Seth Green, and Jonathan Brandis, and showcased Tim Curry’s memorably terrifying performance as Pennywise.
Following "Doublecrossed (1991), their CableACE Award-winning HBO project starring Dennis Hopper, Green, Epstein and Bacino produced One Special Night (1999), adapted from the Jan Hartman play A Winter Visitor.
Recognizing his well-established track record with true-crime and social-issue-oriented projects, ABC approached Green about replicating that success in an entirely different genre – kids and family programming. The network offered Green/Epstein the opportunity to produce a film for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, then the breakout stars of ABC’s hit series Full House. The resulting film, "To Grandmother’s House We Go" (1992), was a major hit for ABC, and its success led the Olsen’s family shingle, Dualstar Entertainment, to select Green/Epstein/Bacino as their ongoing producing partners. For nearly a decade thereafter, in collaboration with Dualstar, Green/Epstein/Bacino produced feature-length films, including the Emmy-nominated "Double, Double Toil and Trouble" (1993) and "How the West Was Fun" (1994), and numerous television specials and home video productions that helped establish Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as major stars.
Green’s success continued with the celebrated made-for-TV biopics "Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story" (1997) and "Michael Landon, the Father I Knew" (1999), as well as popular television reunions such as "The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin’ in Brooklyn Heights" (1999) and, following Allen Epstein’s passing in 2001, "Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers" (2004).
Green and Bacino later co-founded Goodland Pictures, producing the international feature film "On Wings of Eagles" (2016), starring Joseph Fiennes. At the time of Green’s death, they were developing several projects, including a limited-series reimagining of "And the Sea Will Tell."
