Was the inspiration for "Irving Steinbloom", the folk impresario whose
death inspired the tribute concert in A Mighty Wind (2003).
1940s: Worked for the Irving Berlin Music Company, first as an office
boy, later as a song plugger - pitching Irving Berlin's songs to the likes of
Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. Later worked for Goodman's Regent Music Company.
Parents were Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Lithuania. His
father died when Harold was 8 weeks old.
He was the model for Irving Steinbloom, the impresario immortalized in
the 2003 movie comedy A Mighty Wind.
An internationally known folk music promoter. In 1963 he introduced an
unkempt 21 year old Bob Dylan in his first major concert
appearance.