Skip to content
MovieCove

Martin Starger

Producer · Died May 31, 2024, aged 92 · New York City, New York, USA

Martin Starger (May 8, 1932 – May 31, 2024) was an American entertainment businessman and producer. He led ABC Entertainment (a wing of the American Broadcasting Company) during its boom period in the 1970s, pioneering the creation of television shows such as ABC Movie of the Week, Marcus Welby, M.D. and Happy Days. He also pushed the limits of television broadcast presiding over pioneering miniseries and specials such as Roots and Rich Man, Poor Man. Starger was born in the Bronx, New York City in 1932. He made his way into films as the executive producer of Robert Altman's 1975 film Nashville before becoming tied to the film production department of Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment starting with Stanley Donen's 1978 film Movie Movie. Working with Grade, Starger became the president of Associated Film Distribution, the distributor of ITC's films which tied him to the production of films both successful (Autumn Sonata, The Muppet Movie, On Golden Pond, Sophie's Choice) and unsuccessful (Raise the Titanic, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Saturn 3), some of which bombed in a manner that destroyed the company. After the fall of AFD, Starger continued to produce films such as Peter Bogdanovich's 1985 film Mask. Starger died at his home in Los Angeles on May 31, 2024, at the age of 92. Description above from the Wikipedia article Martin Starger, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 8, 1932
Died
May 31, 2024 (aged 92)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Producer
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Martin Starger's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
22%
Self
20%
Survival
20%
Society
14%
Bonds
12%
Power
7%
Ideas
5%
Justice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 7 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 13 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Melancholic
13
Dread
5
Warm
5
Hopeful
6
Other
18

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet10
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Martin Starger's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Martin Starger's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Love Letters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Executive Producer

  • Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Executive Producer

  • Earth Star Voyager (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Escape from Sobibor(1987)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Mask(1985)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Consenting Adult(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Code Name: Emerald(1985)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Sophie's Choice(1982)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Last Unicorn(1982)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Barbarosa(1982)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Elephant Man(1982)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Red Flag: The Ultimate Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Executive Producer

  • The Legend of the Lone Ranger(1981)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Hard Country(1981)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Friendly Fire(1979)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Raise the Titanic(1980)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd(1980)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Saturn 3(1980)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • From the Life of the Marionettes(1980)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • All Quiet on the Western Front(1979)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Muppet Movie(1979)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Sanctuary of Fear(1979)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Jennifer: A Woman’s Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Executive Producer

  • The Muppets Go Hollywood(1979)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Movie Movie(1978)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Domino Principle(1977)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Nashville(1975)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles from 1975 to 1999.

Biggest box office

Mask (1985)

$48M worldwide

Highest rated

Nashville (1975)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Sophie's Choice (1982)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing24 of 24: 24 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

1970s7 · crew1980s16 · crew1990s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Martin Starger's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 22; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · producer

The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)

65th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Martin Starger's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles44–70 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles27–48 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles13–68 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles34–57 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles34–80 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Martin Starger work with?

People who share at least 2 of Martin Starger's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lew Grade shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles