Hank Milgram, cofounder of movie theater chain and retired stage show producer, has died at 96

Hank Milgram, 96, of Bala Cynwyd, cofounder of a popular movie theater chain in Philadelphia and South Jersey, retired producer of live stage shows, and film booking businessman, died Tuesday, Feb. 28, of complications from dementia at his home.

As cofounder and co-owner of a nine-theater chain that included Philadelphia’s Milgram Theater at 16th and Market Streets, Mr. Milgram was often at the center of the city’s movie, stage, and theater world from the early 1960s until the 1980s.

He hobnobbed with movie stars, studio bigwigs, and other film industry notables, and produced memorable live performances by Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and other acts at the Uptown Theater on Broad Street in North Philadelphia.

He owned and operated, with an uncle and cousin, the Milgram, Fox Theater, and Stage Door Cinema in Center City; the Uptown and Avenue Theaters in North Philadelphia; and the Westmont, Coronet, Tilton 9, and Circle Drive-in Theaters in South Jersey. Later, after the family sold the theaters in the early 1980s, he worked with his son, Bob, buying and booking films for independent theaters.

He retired in 2016, and his grandson Jared is the family’s fourth generation to work in the movie industry. Today, Liberty Place is the dominant building on Market Street between 16th and 17th Streets, where the Milgram, Fox, and Stage Door theaters once stood.

As a theater owner and show producer, Mr. Milgram had access to private movie screenings, red-carpet openings, and glitzy press conferences. The 17-story Fox Theater building on Market Street also housed the local sales offices of the major movie studios, and he was regarded by film executives as an astute critic and market expert.

He “earned respect for knowing what films would be successful at what theaters based on a lifetime of experience,” his family said in a tribute. His favorite film, he told his family, was 1972′s The Godfather.

A benefactor as well as a businessman, Mr. Milgram was an international ambassador and president and chairman of the board of the Philadelphia chapter of the Variety Club, known now as Variety - the Children’s Charity. The charity, which began in the 1920s as a social club for theater owners in Pittsburgh, benefits children worldwide who are sick, disadvantaged, or live with disabilities and other special needs.

During his time with the charity, Mr. Milgram oversaw its annual Philadelphia telethons that featured such hosts as Joey Bishop and Monty Hall, and guest stars Ann-Margret, Grace Kelly, Sidney Poitier, Henry Winkler, and others. He was also on the board of trustees at Hahnemann University Hospital and board of directors at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital, now MossRehab, and other organizations.

“He was a character,” his son said. “Everybody thought he was funny. He loved movies. But most of all, he loved the live shows at the Uptown.”

Henry Milgram was born April 20, 1926, in Philadelphia and grew up in the Wynnefield neighborhood. He graduated from Overbrook High School, spent a year in the Army Air Corps, and studied for a time at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

He married Toby Shiekman, and they had daughter Jamy and son Bob. After a divorce, he married Carol Harkness in 1978 and adopted her niece Caroline, and they lived in Havertown and Bala Cynwyd. His former wife and daughter Jamy died earlier.

Mr. Milgram had a sharp mind for numbers and was a voracious reader, sometimes racing through entire books at one sitting. “He was a very intelligent man,” his wife said.

He enjoyed entertaining at home and sailed on cruises with his wife. He played tennis into his 90s, liked golf, and was a longtime season ticket holder to Eagles and Phillies games. He was close with his daughter Caroline, granddaughter Randi, and daughter-in-law Cheryl.

In an online tribute, a friend remembered his “amazing sense of humor.” His wife said: “We just had fun. He was my greatest love.”

In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, Mr. Milgram is survived by two great-grandsons, and other relatives.

A celebration of his life was held Sunday, March 5.

His family said: “In lieu of flowers or donations, he would have preferred for people to go see a movie in a theater.”