Berton "Bert" Jerome Schneider (May 5, 1933 – December 12, 2011) was an American film and television producer.
[2] In 1965, Schneider formed a partnership with the film director Bob Rafelson, creating Raybert Productions.
The film bombed in its initial release due to poor distribution and the lack of a target audience for 1968.
"[6] In recent years, the film has received above average reviews from critics and fans alike as an interesting 1960s period piece.
Following Five Easy Pieces, Schneider and Rafelson added a partner, Stephen Blauner, and Raybert turned into BBS Productions.
After receiving thousands of angry telegrams backstage, Frank Sinatra appeared later in the show to read a disclaimer that disavowed Schneider's statement, which in turn provoked angry responses from actors Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty.
The Big Cigar, a biographical drama thriller miniseries developed by Jim Hecht, based on the 2012 Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman,[16][17] follows Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton escaping the FBI to Cuba with the help of Schneider.