I.B. Kornblum, 101; Composer, Lawyer and Union Organizer

Isadore Benjamin “I.B.” Kornblum, a multifaceted composer, entertainment lawyer and union organizer, has died. He was 101.

Kornblum died Saturday night in the Beverly Hills home where he had lived for 65 years, said his son, David.

An accomplished pianist, Kornblum began writing musical scores when he was a student at Los Angeles High School, UC Berkeley and Boalt Hall, the UC law school. After graduating he went to New York, where he wrote three popular Broadway musicals: “Chin Toy,” “Twinkle Toes” and “Blue Eyes.”

Returning to Los Angeles, Kornblum simultaneously practiced law with such clients as the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles County Music Center, organized entertainers’ unions such as the American Federation of Radio Artists and formed a production company that produced 18 motion pictures for 20th Century Fox. He also continued to write and produce small musicals and to play the piano.

Kornblum was the West Coast organizer for several unions of entertainment personnel and helped unite them into what eventually evolved as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). He also helped create what is now the Motion Picture and Television Fund, which operates a retirement home and hospital for entertainers.

Married briefly to singer and silent film actress Carmel Myers, Kornblum was married for 62 years to his second wife, Ann, who died in 1988.

In addition to his son, an entertainment lawyer, Kornblum is survived by a daughter, music manager Dorothy Douglas.