Chris Steinbrunner

Peter Christian Steinbrunner (1934 – 7 July 1993) was an American author, broadcaster and historian specializing in detective film and fiction.[1][2]

Steinbrunner grew up in Queens, New York, and attended Fordham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a master's degree in sociology.[1] While at Fordham, and for some years afterward, he was the host of a weekly radio program broadcast from the university station WFUV-FM, on which he presented interviews as well as occasional dramatizations of Sherlock Holmes stories.[3][4]

Following his college years, he was employed at the local New York City television station WOR-TV (later WWOR), becoming its film programming director.[1][2] He remained at the station until the mid-1980s, during which time he produced entertainment specials about James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.[3]

Steinbrunner was well known among Holmes aficionados, and mystery fans in general, as exceptionally knowledgeable in his field. He was a founding member of The Baker Street Irregulars’ scion society "The Priory Scholars of Fordham".[5][6] He was a long-time member of the Mystery Writers of America, receiving its Edgar Award for co-authoring the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1976.[1][2]

Amongst Steinbrunner's written works were the program notes to the American Film Institute's festival "Sherlock Holmes on the Screen", presented in Washington, D.C., in 1972.[7]

Bibliography

  • Karlson, Katherine. "Stand with me here upon the terrace," The Serpentine Muse, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Summer 1993), pp. 7–8. Chris Steinbrunner tribute article.
  • Steinbrunner, Chris (with Penzler, Otto; Shibuk, Charles; Lachman, Marvin; and Nevins Jr, Francis M.). Detectionary. Overlook Press, 1977. ISBN 0-87951-041-2
  • Steinbrunner, Chris (with Goldblatt, Burt). Cinema of the Fantastic. Galahad Books, 1974. ISBN 0-88365-256-0
  • Steinbrunner, Chris; editor (with Penzler, Otto). Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection. McGraw-Hill, 1976. ISBN 0-07-061121-1
  • Steinbrunner, Chris (with Michaels, Norman). The Films of Sherlock Holmes. Citadel Press, 1978. ISBN 0-8065-0599-0

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Steinbrunner obituary, The New York Times, 10 July 1993
  2. ^ a b c Steinbrunner obituary, Variety, 12 July 1993
  3. ^ a b Fordham University alumni website Archived May 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Meskys, Ed. "A View From Entropy Hall," issue #8
  5. ^ "A Dedication to Jeremy Brett". Archived from the original on 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2008-05-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) at Jeremy Brett dedication site
  6. ^ "Three Garridebs" BSI scion history site
  7. ^ [1] University of Minnesota Library special collections