Matty Simmons

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American businessman (1926–2020)

title: "Matty Simmons" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1926-births", "2020-deaths", "american-chief-executives", "film-producers-from-new-york-(state)", "american-businesspeople-in-finance", "american-magazine-publishers-(people)", "american-newspaper-reporters-and-correspondents", "businesspeople-from-brooklyn", "television-producers-from-new-york-city", "journalists-from-new-york-city", "national-lampoon-people", "writers-from-brooklyn", "united-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "city-college-of-new-york-alumni"] description: "American businessman (1926–2020)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Simmons" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American businessman (1926–2020) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameMatty Simmons
birth_nameMartin Gerald Simmons
birth_date
birth_placeBrooklyn, New York City, U.S.
death_date
death_placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
employerNew York World-Telegram and Sun
Diners Club International
occupationPublisher, producer, writer
organizationTwenty First Century Communications, Inc./National Lampoon, Inc.
known forPublisher of National Lampoon
Author of If You Don't Buy This Book, We'll Kill This Dog!
spouse{{plainlist
* {{marriageKorky Kelley
* {{marriageLee Easton
* {{marriagePatti Browne
children4 (Michael Simmons, Andrew Simmons, Julie Simmons-Lynch, Kate Simmons)
::

| name = Matty Simmons | image = | caption = | birth_name = Martin Gerald Simmons | birth_date = | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | other names = | yearsactive = | employer = New York World-Telegram and Sun Diners Club International | occupation = Publisher, producer, writer | organization = Twenty First Century Communications, Inc./National Lampoon, Inc. | known for = Publisher of National Lampoon Author of If You Don't Buy This Book, We'll Kill This Dog! | spouse = {{plainlist|

| children = 4 (Michael Simmons, Andrew Simmons, Julie Simmons-Lynch, Kate Simmons)

Martin Gerald "Matty" Simmons (October 3, 1926 – April 29, 2020) was an American film and television producer, newspaper reporter for the New York World-Telegram and Sun, and Executive Vice President of Diners Club, the first credit card company. Simmons gained his greatest fame while the chief executive officer of Twenty First Century Communications (renamed National Lampoon Inc., after its best-known product).

Life and career

Simmons was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926, the son of Kate (Shapiro), a homemaker, and Irving Simmons, a sign painter. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

In 1950, Frank X. McNamara, Ralph Schneider, Alfred S. Bloomingdale, and Simmons formed Diners Club, the first independent payment card company in the world, successfully establishing the financial service of issuing travel and entertainment (T&E) credit cards as a viable business. In 1952, Simmons and fellow Diners Club employee Leonard A. Mogel created Diners Club News (later known as Signature Magazine).

Simmons and his brother Don formed Simmons Associates in the 1950s, publishing a book called On the House: History and Guide to Dining and Night Life, "a history of and guide to four hundred outstanding restaurants and nightclubs." The book featured "decorations" by Antonio Fabrés.

In 1967, Simmons and Mogel left Diners Club and formed Twenty First Century Communications, Inc.. The company's first publication was Cheetah, a counterculture magazine connected with the popular Cheetah nightclub chain. and National Lampoon magazine (launched in 1970). From 1971 to 1973, Twenty First Century Communications published a revived Liberty magazine.

In the mid-1970s, National Lampoon expanded into radio, theater, records, and film. Simmons is given credit for raiding "Chicago’s satirical Second City troupe to bring Belushi to New York for the 1973 revue National Lampoon's Lemmings."

In 1977, Simmons and Mogel added Heavy Metal magazine to the roster, publishing the graphic fantasy magazine under the subsidiary HM Communications, Inc. In 1981, Simmons installed his daughter, Julie Simmons-Lynch, as editor of Heavy Metal, a position she held for more than eleven years. In 1985, National Lampoon's entire editorial staff was fired, with the top positions replaced by Simmons' sons Michael Simmons and Andy Simmons. (Michael Simmons had been in various prior positions at the company, including being the first compiler of the "True Facts" section of the magazine; working as "the doorman at the Village Gate where National Lampoon's Lemmings played and for which he handled underground/rock press and radio PR"; acting as "company manager for their second stage show, The National Lampoon Show"; and heading a rockabilly band that backed a 1977 stage iteration of the show.)

In March 1989, Simmons sold his ten-percent share in National Lampoon, Inc. to film producers Daniel Grodnik and Tim Matheson for six dollars a share (more than $761,400), resigned as chairman of the board, and departed the company along with his son Michael Simmons.

Simmons's film credits included being the producer of National Lampoon's Animal House and the National Lampoon's Vacation film series.

He wrote seven books, including If You Don't Buy This Book, We'll Kill This Dog!, published in 1994. His last one, Fat, Drunk, and Stupid: The Making of Animal House, was published by St. Martin's Press in 2012.

In the 2018 film, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, about the rise and fall of National Lampoon, Simmons was played by comedian Matt Walsh.

On April 29, 2020, Simmons died at the age of 93 in Los Angeles from a brief illness.

Publications

Simmons' and Leonard Mogel's publishing venture, Twenty First Century Communications, Inc. (renamed National Lampoon, Inc. in 1979) operated from 1967 to 1990 (although Simmons and Mogel sold their shares and left National Lampoon, Inc. March 1989). Gerald L. "Jerry" Taylor was National Lampoon's publisher from October 1971 to at least the end of 1974; he later became publisher of Harper's Bazaar.

  • Cheetah (Oct 1967–May 1968)
  • Weight Watchers magazine (Jan 1968–1975; publication taken over by Family Media)
  • National Lampoon magazine (Apr 1970–Oct 1990; publication taken over by J2 Communications) — also regularly published National Lampoon "special editions" which were sold simultaneously on newsstands. Some of the special editions were "best-of" omnibus collections; others were entirely original. Additional projects included a calendar, a songbook, a collection of transfer designs for T-shirts, and a number of books.
  • Liberty (Summer 1971–Summer 1973; publication taken over by Liberty Library Corporation)
  • Heavy Metal magazine (under the imprint HM Communications, Inc.) (Apr 1977–Oct 1990; publication taken over by J2 Communications)

Books

Notes

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References

References

  1. (January 17, 2013). "SKETCHES FROM THE NATIONAL LAMPOON World Premiere to Play Hayworth Theatre, 2/7-3/17".
  2. Genzlinger, Neil. (May 1, 2020). "Matty Simmons, a Force Behind 'Animal House,' Is Dead at 93". The New York Times.
  3. Durham, Tim. (May 5, 2020). "Remembering Animal House Producer Matty Simmons: Saturday Evening Post writer Tim Durham remembers family friend Matty Simmons.". [[The Saturday Evening Post]].
  4. . (). ["Diners Club Review"](http://casinosbanking.com/diners-club-overview.htm).
  5. Simmons, Matty. (1995). "The Credit Card Catastrophe: The 20th Century Phenomenon that Changed the World". Barricade Books.
  6. (1955). "On the House: Decorations by Fabrès". [[Coward-McCann]].
  7. Calta, Louis. (January 18, 1968). "New Magazine Aims to Help the Overweight; Weight Watchers, a Journal for Obese, on Newstands". [[The New York Times]].
  8. Prial, Frank J.. (April 7, 1972). "7 Dynamite Sticks Bring Bomb Squad To Magazine Office". The New York Times.
  9. (2017-02-13). "The Man Who Sold the World on Credit Cards". NerdWallet.
  10. (Aug 14, 1978). "Show Business: The Lampoon Goes Hollywood".
  11. (Feb 1977). "New Graphic Fantasy Magazine". Locus.
  12. Greenberger, Robert. (Jan 1982). "Clearing the Clouds Away". [[Starlog Group]].
  13. Tapper, Jake. (July 3, 2005). "''National Lampoon'' Grows Up By Dumbing Down". [[The New York Times]].
  14. Krassner, Paul. (Nov 6, 2015). "The Rise and Fall of the National Lampoon". [[CounterPunch]].
  15. Staff writer. (17 March 1989). "An Actor Acquires Control of National Lampoon Inc.". [[The New York Times]].
  16. Delugach, Al. (17 March 1989). "Film Producers Matheson and Grodnik Buy Control of National Lampoon Inc.". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  17. (2012-05-10). "Fat, Drunk, and Stupid: The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House". PopMatters.
  18. {{IMDb title. 5566790. A Futile and Stupid Gesture
  19. (April 30, 2020). "Matty Simmons, co-founder of "National Lampoon" has passed away at 93".
  20. Dougherty, Philip H.. (12 September 1979). "Advertising". [[New York Times]].
  21. (May 24, 1976). "People". The New York Times.
  22. Dougherty, Philip H.. (Dec 26, 1974). "Advertising". The New York Times.
  23. (Feb 28, 2021). "Gerald Taylor".
  24. Cail, Dave "Lostboy". "History (up to 2023)".
  25. Cail, Dave "Lostboy". "- History - (up to 2023): National Lampoon".

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1926-births2020-deathsamerican-chief-executivesfilm-producers-from-new-york-(state)american-businesspeople-in-financeamerican-magazine-publishers-(people)american-newspaper-reporters-and-correspondentsbusinesspeople-from-brooklyntelevision-producers-from-new-york-cityjournalists-from-new-york-citynational-lampoon-peoplewriters-from-brooklynunited-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-iicity-college-of-new-york-alumni