Based in his hometown of Cleveland, he represented the leading artists of the day, including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Sammy Kaye, Glen Gray and Count Basie, among others.
His entertainment expertise became the foundation for his service in the military, where he acted as an advance man for Tars and Spars,[2] a comedy show and recruiting vehicle starring Victor Mature, Sid Caesar, Gower Champion and Bob Fosse.
[3] In addition, Heller represented Ginger Rogers, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Helen O'Connell, Frankie Lane, Regis Philbin, The Standells, Jimmie Rodgers, The McGuire Sisters, and Lawrence Welk, among many others.
[8][9] From the 1950s through the 1970s, Liberace was the highest-paid performer in the world, and he continued to break records into the 1980s, when he made a year's gross of $1,665,331 at Radio City Music Hall.
In a 1989 feature in Details, writer Allee Willis describes him as "Seymour or Shagman or simply the Shag, a beacon of light in the long annals of Hollywood history.
In the world of management, where heads are made of concrete and life is seen through a roll of dollar bills, Shag is a prince, a saint and a true believer.
Heller booked the Famous People Players of Canada to open Liberace's show in Las Vegas in 1975, and subsequently sat on the troupe's board.
[17] Heller was also active in The Liberace Foundation, which helped talented students in Southern Nevada pursue careers in the performing and creative arts through scholarship assistance and artistic exposure.