{{Short description|American screenwriter (1938–2025)}}
'''Rifael Ronald Markowitz''' (1938 – September 17, 2025) was a Canadian-American television and theatre producer,<ref name=folly>"One man's unbridled folly: In a 'little jewel box of a theatre,' Torontonian Riff Markowitz has wowed a million-and-a-half visitors with corny jokes and a cancan line-up of knock-out octogenarians." ''The Globe and Mail'', April 18, 1998.</ref> later the managing director, MC and co-founder of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies,<ref>"Long live our lust for lingerie". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 25, 2006.</ref> which performed at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California, for 23 seasons until closing in 2014.
==Life and career== Markowitz was born in 1938 in New York City, but grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.<ref name=folly/>
He ran away from home at the age of 15 to join the circus and work as a clown for a year. He then secured a job as a radio announcer on CJKL in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.<ref name=folly/> He later moved into television with CHCH-TV in Hamilton, producing several of the station's early forays into television syndication, including ''The Randy Dandy Show'', which he created in 1961,<ref name=starjan72>"How a publicity hunting TV mini-tycoon turns shy". ''Toronto Star'', January 8, 1972.</ref> ''The Hilarious House of Frightenstein'',<ref name=starjan72/> which he co-created with his brother Mitch in 1971, and ''Party Game''.<ref name=starjan72/><ref name="obit"/>
Markowitz was also an on-air television personality, both as the titular Randy Dandy in ''The Randy Dandy Show'', and as announcer "Gardiner Westbound" on ''Party Game''.
He was also a producer on ''The Wolfman Jack Show'',<ref>"Wolfman's show slick and flashy but definitely not Canadian". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 6, 1976.</ref><ref name=folly/> and a co-founder of early Canadian pay television movie channel First Choice in 1983.<ref name=folly/>
Markowitz moved to Los Angeles where he produced musical variety and comedy specials for HBO in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including specials featuring Neil Simon, Tony Curtis, Red Skelton, and George Burns.<ref name="obit"/>
In 1983, he co-created and executive produced the mystery anthology series ''The Hitchhiker'' for HBO.<ref name="obit"/>
He moved to Palm Springs in 1991 intending to retire, but his continuing interest in theatre led to the offer to restore a vaudeville theatre, which became home to The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Biller|first=Steven|author2=Kleinschmidt, Janice|title=The Influencers|journal=Palm Springs Life|date=October 2007|url=http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/October-2007/The-Influencers/|access-date=2013-06-14|archive-date=2016-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602153003/http://www.palmspringslife.com/Palm-Springs-Life/October-2007/The-Influencers/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Markowitz died after a short illness on September 17, 2025, at the age of 86.<ref name="obit">{{cite news |title=Riff Markowitz, co-founder of Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, dies at 86 |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/people/2025/09/17/co-founder-of-fabulous-palm-springs-follies-riff-markowitz-dies-at-86/86206069007/ |access-date=September 18, 2025 |work=Desert Sun |date=September 17, 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0548737}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Markowitz, Riff}} Category:1938 births Category:2025 deaths Category:American clowns Category:American male television writers Category:Television writers from California Category:American television directors Category:American theatre directors Category:Canadian male television writers Category:Canadian radio hosts Category:Canadian television writers Category:Canadian television personalities Category:Canadian television producers Category:Canadian television directors Category:Canadian theatre directors Category:Canadian clowns Category:Screenwriters from New York City Category:Screenwriters from Toronto Category:Television producers from California Category:Canadian television show creators Category:American television show creators Category:Writers from Palm Springs, California