ORIGINAL VERSION

EDITED VERSION

Introduction

Marvin Zindler, one of Texas' and the Nation's most respected journalist. Other than Ed Sullivan, the only one with a life time contract with ABC-TV.

Marvin Zindler, who broke the mold into which he was born, a well-to-do family entrenched in both business and politics. Marvin Zindler was again called a dismal student in school, a playboy, but naturally talented in many areas.

Marvin Zindler, a haberdasher embarrassed at working with his own specialized line of ladies ready-to-wear garments at which he failed miserably despite some forays into inventive and even perspective, if not deceptive, advertising.

Marvin Zindler, who says he was fired from his first TV job for being "too ugly." The TV manager viewed an interview Marvin had done with Humphrey Bogart. The TV manager left orders Marvin was not to appear on camera again. He said, "I was too damn ugly." Marvin Zindler became a public personality described as "a combination of Ralph Nader and Jack Ruby."

Marvin Zindler, the peoples' advocate, an ombudsman, a philanthropist who likes to say, "It's hell to be poor."

Marvin Zindler, a world traveler who has brought medical missions to the corner of the globe.

Marvin Zindler, who won an Emmy in 1995 for the best short news series entitled, "To Russia With Love," a social, economic and medical documentary at the fall of the Iron Curtain when he and Dr. Joe Agris were the first Americans to enter many areas of Russia that had been closed to everyone for more than seven decades.

Marvin Zindler, the president of a corporation which failed miserably.

Marvin Zindler, a renegade from childhood, a prize fighter who won almost all of his 100 bouts. The prize being public recognition and self-identity more than money.

Marvin Zindler, an amateur cop who loved his job, worked hard and was a success.

Marvin Zindler, a disc jockey. He worked diligently and sharpened his show business instincts.

Marvin Zindler, whose eccentricities in clothes put Phyllis Diller to shame.

Marvin Zindler, a free lance photographer for a Houston newspaper. this allowed him to combine his show biz instincts and police experience with a penchant for action and sensationalism. He put his photos and stories in the headlines on a daily basis. If there wasn't a story, Marvin created the story. He was very inventive provided you had a stomach for them!

Marvin Zindler, a deputy sheriff for more than 10 years who existed in a love-hate relationship with the Sheriff's Department because of his unorthodox dress and independent attitude, but he always could be heard saying, "Some of the happiest years of my life."

Marvin Zindler, who sculpted his own face and career with more than thirty individual cosmetic surgical procedures. Marvin holds the record for cosmetic procedures with friend and surgeon Dr. Joe Agris at the Houston Texas Medical Center.

Marvin Zindler, a professional cop who established the first Consumer Advocacy Division with a police department in the U.S. With his esoteric dress and flamboyant personality, Marvin was detested by many of his fellow officers. When a new sheriff too office, Marvin got his walking papers.

Marvin Zindler, the ugly duckling, now the beautiful, flamboyant swan with the largest known series of cosmetic surgical operations over the past twenty years has strikingly changed his face. Not only is he handsomer now than ever, but he also looks twenty-five years younger, thanks to his close friend and talented cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Joseph Agris of Houston, Texas.

Marvin Zindler, one of the most smashing TV deities of all time who forms most of his striking story ideas during solitary, think-sessions while taking his daily enema. Marvin is shockingly candid about extremity personal matters. "People can't say I'm full of shit," he says laughingly, "because I've taken an enema without fail, every morning of my life of more than 50 years."

Marvin Zindler is fiercely aggressive, yet childishly shy. He is forgiving and also frighteningly vengeful. The hardest thing for me to decide in respect to some of Marvin's more unusual stories is whether he is being simply zealous or outright vindictive.

Marvin Zindler. There has never been anyone like him nor will there be in the future. Marvin is a Texas legend, a National legend, a legend in his own time. Marvin Zindler. Eyewitness News.

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This original version contains many of the key elements for an interesting introduction, and it certainly captures some of Mr. Zindler's most remarkable traits. However, buried within the manuscript was an anecdote about a photo taken of Marvin in high school. We felt this anecdote truly captured his essence, so we pulled it out of the text and placed it at the beginning of the introduction.

We smoothed and enhanced the rest of the text, choosing to omit the segment about Marvin on his "think tank" (although this fact had previously been published in several media accounts).

The result, which appears to the right, was a warmer and, we felt, more fitting, introduction to Dr. Joseph Agris' affectionate biography of a popular TV personality and Texas "eccentric."

SAVE ME THE EFFORT OF SCROLLING.
TAKE ME TO THE EDITED VERSION NOW.

Introduction

A photograph in an old Zindler family album shows young Marvin, resplendent in a drum major outfit, baton in hand. The photographer has captured the entire marching band of Houston’s Lamar High School just as they have stepped forward, all at the same time, on the right foot. Well, make that almost all; Marvin, snappily and very conspicuously leading the column, has stepped out with his left foot. Scrawled at the bottom of the photo, in Marvin’s handwriting, is this caption, "Look, everybody is out of step but me!"

The world has always been "out of step" with Marvin Zindler, who marches, and always has marched, to the beat of his own drum.

Many photos have been taken of Marvin since that long-ago football game at Lamar High. Even if there were no photographic record, however, his white-hairpieced, blue-spectacled image has been etched indelibly into the public mind. But there are many sides to Marvin Zindler, not all of them familiar to the public that adores (or reviles) him.

There is the Marvin who broke the mold into which he was born: a well-to-do family entrenched in both business and politics. Marvin was a renegade from childhood, a young man who, according to his father’s constant complaints, was a playboy and ne’er-do-well. There is the Marvin who was a prize fighter for awhile, winning almost all of his 100 bouts — with his true prize being public recognition and self-identity more than money.

There’s the Marvin who was in law enforcement, as an amateur cop who loved his job, and as a deputy sheriff for more than 10 years, existing in a love-hate relationship with the department because of his unorthodox dress and independent (to put it mildly) attitude.

There is Marvin the failed haberdasher, who, to his father’s everlasting dismay, was a dud at the family business. It wasn’t for lack of trying, and Marvin tried many things, including some experiments with inventive (some would say deceptive) advertising. Years later, of course, he would emerge as a soldier in the war against that very type of advertising.

There is Marvin the radio star, who worked diligently and sharpened his show business instincts long before television appeared on the media landscape. There’s Marvin, freelance photographer for a Houston newspaper, a stint which allowed him to combine his show business instincts, his police experience, and his penchant for action and sensationalism.

And there is, of course, Marvin Zindler the TV star, who, other than the late Ed Sullivan, has been the only performer ever to secure a lifetime contract with ABC-TV. More than a showman, he has become one of Texas’ and the nation’s most respected journalists. In fact, he won an Emmy in 1995 for Best Short News Series entitled, "To Russia With Love" — a social, economic, and medical documentary on the fall of the Iron Curtain. Despite this, his television career got off to a rocky start, as he was fired from his first TV job for being "too ugly."

There is Marvin Zindler, master of self-reinvention, who not only changed careers several times, but changed his face with more than 30 cosmetic procedures. No longer the owner of "a great face for radio," as the saying goes, he is now quite handsome and distinguished looking. And there is Marvin Zindler, dapper dresser, whose clothing choices on his more ostentatious days might have even embarrassed Phyllis Diller.

There is Marvin Zindler the activist: the "White Knight, "the people’s advocate," the inveterate altruist, whose favorite saying is, "It’s hell to be poor!" There is Marvin the famous (or infamous, depending upon your point of view) muckraker, who unleashes his wrath on everything from "slime in the ice machine" to slime in the political machine. And there is Marvin the tireless world traveler, who has led medical and goodwill missions to all corners of the globe.

When it comes right down to it, there is no single way to describe Marvin Zindler. Many things are true about him: that he is fiercely aggressive when fighting for a cause, yet almost childishly shy in person…that he is forgiving, and yet almost frighteningly vengeful when he feels he or someone else has been wronged…that he is flamboyant and egotistical, and yet profoundly good-hearted. In the end, the only completely accurate description is "unique." There has never been anyone like Marvin Zindler, and there never will be again. He is truly a Texas legend, though I am not sure that even the word "legend" really does him justice.

As Marvin’s cosmetic surgeon for many years, I have sculpted his face on many occasions, and as his long-time friend, I am now attempting to paint his portrait, in words and photographs.

Like Marvin himself, this book is a little unconventional, as biographies go. Rather than being a strictly chronological presentation of the events of his life, the book is arranged more or less thematically. For example, Marvin’s media career — from his early days in radio to his current gig as one of Houston television’s most colorful stars — is covered in a separate section from his forays into law enforcement and politics. His brief stint in the military, and his many attempts at making it in the retailing business, are in another section. Tales of his world travels appear in another, and family matters — his late wife, Gertrude Kugler Zindler, and the Zindler brood — are covered in another section. His famous cosmetic surgeries, as well as other more serious medical issues, are in yet another section.

Naturally, the Chicken Ranch saga has its own section, as does one of Marvin’s most important and productive investigative pieces, the great Hermann Hospital Estate scandal of ’85. During much of his early adulthood and into midlife, Marvin was pursuing multiple career avenues simultaneously, living several lives at once, as it were: he was into radio, politics, law enforcement, newspaper reporting and photography, even a little early TV news. For many years he was still putting in time at his father’s shop while engaged in one or more of the above activities, and, of course, he was also being a husband to Gertrude and father to a growing family. I felt I could more easily do justice to this multifaceted man by devoting a separate portion of the book to each facet. Nevertheless, within each section I have made every attempt to keep the reader oriented in time.

Though I’ve attempted to mold the book to fit his life, I don’t know if the essence of someone like Marvin Zindler can truly be captured between the covers of a book — but it is my hope that this effort will help more people better know the white knight who lives behind the trademark blue-tinted glasses and the media hype. Of course, the thousands of people who have been the beneficiaries of his good works already have a pretty good idea. While much of the world may be out of step with Marvin, Marvin himself is very much in step with the needs of those who are least able to help themselves. As a result, he has many fans. Perhaps it is my wish that this book will help win him more, or, at the very least, that it will help a great many more people learn to truly appreciate the heart behind Houston television’s most famous call to arms:

"Maaaaaaaaaaarvin Zindler, Eyewitness News!"