Margaret (Margie) Smilow

As director of PBS cultural programs at WNET in New York, I was always looking for producers
with the vision and the talents to create great primetime quality arts programs.
Margie Smilow arrived, first with her own company and eventually on staff with a surprising
range of original art programs and ideas. She also brought a fresh range of coproduction
contacts, like Japan’s NHK into our department.

After I convinced her to join the staff, we traveled happily together to many of the international
TV sales fairs in Cannes or Spain. Margie’s “Jewish mother” qualities on these trips led to the
friendship of our two families, she and Takami and my partner Dan Routhier and I.
Margie brought a fresh range of art ideas to Great Performances, from “Music for the
Movies” and the film “Kurosawa”, to my favorite “Degas and the Dance”.   Margie was always a
good producer/host when Dan and I visited her on Orient, NY. We remembered our first
trip with their boat and an excursion to a tiny island for a lobster picnic lunch.

She always remembered my birthday with beautiful presents. One gift of classes at the Art
Students League which she bought at some charity auction was a challenge. Could I enjoy
going from super executive to being an evening art student after work?  When I retired, because
of this gift I had the idea of taking weekly art classes until we moved to Florida.

After Margie became too ill to work, Dan and I fondly remember the wonderful times we all
enjoyed together on Orient. Before we left for Florida last October I realized all last
summer‘s efforts to get together were “postponed”, so I knew things were bad.
So sorry we never had a big Jewish/Japanese mother farewell hug.

Jac & Dan