Obituaries

Murray was born on December 30, 1926 in New York City to David and Gussie Perlstein. He had an older sister Lil who was 14 when he was born and Gussie’s daughter from a previous marriage. He also had a sister, Jessie, who was 14 months younger. When Murray was 14, the family drove to Los Angeles so that David could find a better job and not have to work 6 days a week. Unfortunately for all, David died in the Veteran’s Hospital in Los Angeles of a bleeding ulcer only 18 months after they arrived.

After his father’s death, Murray had a hard time staying in school and dropped out before the end of 9th grade. He was only 16 when he met Sydell, the love of his life. Three weeks after he turned 18, Murray joined the navy and shipped out on the USS New Jersey to fight against the Japanese. When the war ended, he returned home in June of 1946 and married Sydell on October 19, 1946. In 1950, son David was born and daughter Leslie was born on Christmas Day of 1952.

He got a job as a film shipper for RKO studios and then MGM studios. He later was able to buy a car wash and then trade that for a car polishing business in Hollywood. A few years later, he used his film shipping experience to get a job working with a school friend in the adult film industry. He became associate producer and then a producer of x rated films. One of his films, won the Erotica Film award for best picture in 1986,
Murray was proud of many accomplishments. First, of course, was his 75 year marriage to Sydell, who he loved passionately. He also loved the Dodgers. He became a friend of Tommy Lasorda, bringing him VHS tapes for on the road games. One of his great memories was his trip with son-n-law Bob to see Tommy’s induction into the Hall Of Fame. The trip was topped off with a day at Saratoga Horse Race Track in New York. Horse racing was another passion. Many of us were privileged to get Tommy’s complimentary Dodger tickets or spend a day at the races getting tips from Murray. Murray was also proud of his many trips to Hawaii, Europe, and Israel and of his 4 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. For a man with only a 9th great education, he had a lot to be proud of.