Dave McNary, a veteran reporter who tirelessly covered the film and labor Variety for more than 20 years, he died on Saturday in Pasadena, California. He was 69 years old.
McNary suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized since December 19, according to his wife, Sharon McNary, a veteran journalist and KPCC-FM infrastructure correspondent.
McNary has had a career of over 40 years in journalism, much of which he spent as a business reporter in the entertainment industry. He worked for UPI, Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News and others before joining Variety at the end of 1999.
He was a prolific reporter who archived dozens of stories a week, mostly focusing on independent film, box office, production in Southern California, as well as SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America. He was known throughout the Hollywood guild community simply as “Dave” and it was recognized that he understood the inner workings of unions better than many guild officials.
“Dave leaves a lasting legacy. He wrote about the industry and labor relations for a generation and, although we loved to discuss with him, we consider him part of the family, ”said David White, national executive director of SAG-AFTRA. Variety. “Our hearts are with his beloved wife, Sharon, and his family. He will be sorely missed. “
Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA, called McNary “a good man” and highlighted his dedication to covering labor issues. In recent months, McNary has focused on covering the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the industry, particularly in California.
“Dave was a good man and his passing is a loss. He was one of the few who really understood our industry and the changes it’s going through, ”said Carteris Variety. He really cared about the people who worked and the entertainment, because it was more than just a story for him. He will be missed. “
In style and content, McNary was a reporter every inch, even the fedora hats he preferred and the reporters notebook that was always in his pocket. He doggedly covered the action in the halls of the American Film Market in Santa Monica for many years. He was thrilled to be sent to France to cover the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In late 2007 and early 2008, he was Varietythe lead reporter for the 100-day Writers Guild of America strike that wiped out the industry.
McNary had a busy second comedy career. For three decades, he hosted a stand-up comedy showcase on Sundays at the famous Ice House in Pasadena, where he auditioned and booked several comics that followed careers in the industry. In the 1970s, he worked with the Groundlings and acting coach Gary Austin. He was part of a comedy troupe dubbed Procrastinators, who made appearances on “The Gong Show” making presentations such as the surf song “Wipeout” on belly bongos or “Rawhide” on wooden horses.
Born David Nathan McNary in Berkeley, California, he grew up in San Rafael and Woodland as the eldest of five children. During the high school years, the family lived in Barcelona, Spain, which made McNary fluent in Spanish. As a young man, he got involved with the Boy Scouts and reached the highest Scout post.
After returning to California, McNary wrote for his high school newspaper and went to UCLA. He graduated in history and also rose through the ranks to become editor of the Daily Bruin newspaper. He remained an enthusiastic supporter of Bruin and continued to speak at events for Daily Bruin alumni.
Before settling at UPI, where he met his wife in the early 1990s, McNary worked for the Yuba City Daily Independent Herald, City News Service and Pasadena Star-News.
He was an enthusiastic fan of the San Francisco Giants – so much so that he anonymously wrote the GiantsWin.com blog – and enjoyed visiting his family in Northern California. He liked to joke that he was working in the “Tahoe office”, but even during the holidays, McNary’s daily volume of stories rarely diminished. For several years, he played basketball in an industry league with players many decades younger.
A longtime cinema lover and longtime resident of Pasadena, he could be found every Saturday night at Pasadena’s Playhouse 7 theater or elsewhere. Comedies were his favorites, although he saw it all, and he often consumed popcorn for dinner when he was at the cinema, which he proclaimed to be the “dinner of champions”.
He loved his dog Winnie and enjoyed his dog park excursions, which continued during the pandemic. The New Year’s Eve parties he hosted with Sharon, his wife for 21 years, were legendary, bringing together the worlds of comedy, journalism and triathlon with a theme focused on current news and decorations.
In addition to his wife, McNary’s survivors include four sisters, Nancy McNary Leach, Barbara McNary Spindler, Jane McNary O’Meara and Patti McNary.
The family asks that donations be made on behalf of McNary to the Pasadena Humane Society, with a request for conversion to a shelter that doesn’t kill, or the Daily Bruin Alumni Network for scholarships to help make journalism more inclusive.