Marvin Kitman, a television critic for 35 years with Newsday and a prominent author best remembered for his examination of George Washington’s financial situation, died today at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 93 and died from cancer, according to his son, Jamie Kitman.
Kitman began writing for Long Island, NY’s Newsday in December 1969. Over the next 35 years, he produced 5,786 columns. In 1982, Kitman was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. His last column was published on April 1, 2005.
Beyond television criticism, Kitman wrote several books, including the well-reviewed George Washington’s Expense Account, in which he was listed as Washington’s coauthor under the name Marvin Kitman, Pfc. (Ret.)
A work of nonfiction, it itemized the iconic general’s personal use and military outlays.
He also wrote “The Number One Best Seller: The True Adventures of Marvin Kitman,” published in 1966. His last was “Gullible’s Travels: A Comical History of the Trump Era,” published in 2020.
In 2007, he stunned many by writing “The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O’Reilly” (2007), a turnaround for a liberal writer who started his career on a leftist publication.
Survivors include wife Carolyne Sibushnick, his son, Jamie, daughters Suzy Kitman and A.J. Knight, and three grandchildren.