Biography

He devised the ad campaign for Saturday Night Fever (1977). It worked so well, producer Robert Stigwood hired him to help produce Grease (1978), which was even more of a success.

His reputation for lavish parties and lavish production numbers led the producers of the 61st Annual Academy Awards to hire him to produce the show based on his promise that he would turn the show around from the dry, dull show it had been in previous years. Carr took to the task like a kid in a candy store and his big idea was to have a reunion of dozens of Hollywood's biggest stars from the past up to the present with a staged visual time-line mixing classic and contemporary. Promising "The antithesis of tacky" it turned out to be a disaster culminating in the infamous paring of "Snow White" (actress Eileen Bowman) and Rob Lowe singing "Proud Mary". The show became a laughing stock and has gone down in history one of the worst moments in academy and television history. Adding misery to misery, the Walt Disney Company sued for illegal use of "Snow White". Carr's reputation never recovered, he never worked in Hollywood again and, at the time of his death, he was working in an office in Brentwood, California.

Early in his career, he worked behind the scenes at Playboy with Hugh Hefner. He became known as a great planner of promotional events and parties.

Before becoming a successful producer, he managed the careers of Ann-Margret, Peter Sellers, Marvin Hamlisch, Melina Mercouri, Tony Curtis, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Dyan Cannon, Paul Anka, Peggy Lee, Marlo Thomas and Cass Elliot.

In his career as a manager, he only turned down representing two clients, Barry Manilow and Julio Iglesias.