Frederick de Cordova

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Frederick "Fred" Timmins de Cordova (born October 27, 1910 in New York City , New York , † September 15, 2001 in Woodland Hills , Los Angeles , California ) was an American director and film producer . De Cordova was known for his work on the world's first and most successful late night show , " The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ".

Life

Adolescent years

Frederick Timmins de Cordova was born in New York City on October 27, 1910, the son of Margaret (nee Timmins) and George de Cordova, who worked in the theater business. In his autobiography from 1988 de Cordova described his parents as con artists who knew how to live well in his younger years by fleeing the respective city. In 1931 he graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Liberal Arts .

Career

He earned his first spurs in the theater as an actor in "Elmer the Great" (1928). After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1933, he joined the Shubert Theater Organization and worked there as a stage manager for the next ten years. De Cordova worked there on various occasions as an actor, stage manager , stage director and finally dialogue director, most recently in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1943 . He found himself more skilled in the background than on stage.

As a dialogue director, he worked on five films including To Have and Have Not (1944). His first job as a film director was with Warner Brothers in Too Young To Know (1945), where he directed 23 films. One of his more famous films was Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) in which the star, alongside a chimpanzee , was the then actor and future US President Ronald Reagan .

De Cordova worked as a director, among others, along with Rock Hudson , Errol Flynn , Tony Curtis , Audie Murphy , Yvonne de Carlo , Rosalind Russell , Deanna Durbin , Joan Crawford , Sydney Greenstreet , Bob Hope and Humphrey Bogart at Universal and Warner Bros. Much of During his career, de Cordova worked for Universal Studios . He was known for being able to make entertaining films even with difficult actors and low production costs. His last film was Frankie and Johnny (1966) with Elvis Presley .

As the need for low budget films decreased, he turned to television and worked on the production of the second half of double feature films for which his skills were perfect. In the early 1950s, he began his television career directing The Jack Benny Program , in which he appeared several times as himself. Johnny Carson appeared in one episode and presented his new Tonight Show there. Carson stated that he worked as an usher in this very studio and learned to adopt the behavior of Jack Benny . De Cordova directed The Burns and Allen Show , The Jack Benny Program , The Donna Reed Show , December Bride , The George Gobel Show , My Three Sons , Leave It To Beaver and later Bewitched and The Smothers Brothers, among others . He has directed and / or produced more than 500 television films and parts.

In 1970 he joined The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC , using the name Fred de Cordova. He became the producer of The Tonight Show and, from 1984, executive producer . In a 1981 interview, he described his work as “the top traffic cop, talent scout, fan number 1 and critic, all rolled into one”. In 1992, he said goodbye to the show as an employee.

Private life

In 1963, de Cordova married former actress Janet Thomas and stayed with her for the rest of his life.

He died of natural causes at the age of 90 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, USA . His grave is in the " Holy Cross Cemetery " in Culver City , Los Angeles County , California, USA, where many personalities have found their final resting place.

Awards

Frederick de Cordova was nominated for 16 Emmys for his work on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and won six of them.

Trivia

During the recording of the Tonight Show , de Cordova sat on a chair directly behind the guest couch in order to be able to give Carson a hint for his commitment and to speak to him during the commercial breaks.

Carson spoke to de Cordova occasionally during the show in the 1980s, but it happened so quickly that there was no time to hand him a microphone or to capture him on camera.

Johnny Carson said of him: “He was a remarkable person and a dear friend. I will miss him".

Jay Leno was one of the advisory capacities of the Night Show until de Cordova's death .

He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Phi Kappa Sigma.

Filmography

Feature films
  • 1945: Too Young to Know
  • 1945: A Man of Action (San Antonio)
  • 1946: Her Kind of Man
  • 1947: Always Together
  • 1947: Love and Learn
  • 1947: That Way with Women
  • 1948: Countess for three days (The Countess of Monte Cristo)
  • 1948: For the Love of Mary
  • 1948: Wallflower
  • 1949: The Gal Who Took the West
  • 1949: Illegal Entry
  • 1950: The Desert Hawk
  • 1950: The Pirate Bride (Buccaneer's Girl)
  • 1950: In love, engaged, married (Peggy)
  • 1951: Little Egypt
  • 1951: Bedtime for Bonzo
  • 1951: Katie Did It
  • 1952: False Flag (Yankee Buccaneer)
  • 1952: Bonzo Goes to College
  • 1952: Finders Keepers
  • 1952: Here Come the Nelsons
  • 1953: Column South (Column South)
  • 1954: The Bing Crosby Show (TV movie)
  • 1956: Blithe Spirit (TV movie)
  • 1965: Sweden - Just for love (I'll Take Sweden)
  • 1965: Mr. Belvedere (TV movie)
  • 1966: Frankie and Johnny (Frankie and Johnny)
  • 1971: After the Honeymoon (TV movie)
TV Shows
  • 1954: December Bride (unknown number of episodes)
  • 1954: The George Gobel Show (episodes unknown)
  • 1955: The Bob Cummings Show (an episode)
  • 1955–1964: The Jack Benny program (62 episodes)
  • 1956: Conflict (one episode)
  • 1956: Ford Star Jubilee (a series)
  • 1956: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (an episode)
  • 1957: Mr. Adams and Eve (episodes unknown)
  • 1962: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (episodes unknown)
  • 1964–1965: Katy (The Farmer's Daughter) (three episodes)
  • 1965: The Smothers Brothers Show (three episodes)
  • 1965: Amos Burke (Burke's Law) (an episode)
  • 1967-1970: My Three Sons (My Three Sons) (72 episodes)
  • 1969: To Rome with Love (an episode)
  • 1970: Doris Day in ... (The Doris Day Show) (four episodes)
as a producer
  • 1950: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (TV series, as producer, episodes unknown)
  • 1954: December Bride (TV series, as a producer, number of episodes unknown)
  • 1954: The George Gobel Show (TV series, as producer, number of episodes unknown)
  • 1957: Mr. Adams and Eve (producer) (an episode)
  • 1960–1964: The Jack Benny Programm (producer) (39 episodes)
  • 1965: The Smothers Brothers Show (producer) (an episode)
  • 1970–1979: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (producer, three episodes, executive producer, one episode)
  • 1972: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 10th Anniversary (TV movie, as producer)
  • 1980: Johnny Carson's 18th Anniversary Special (TV movie, as executive producer)
  • 1981: A Love Letter to Jack Benny (TV movie, as producer)
  • 1981: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 19th Anniversary Special (TV movie, as producer)
  • 1982: Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 20th Anniversary (TV movie, as producer)
  • 1983: Johnny Carson's 21st Anniversary (TV movie, as executive producer)
  • 1984: Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 22nd Anniversary (TV movie, as executive producer)
  • 1987: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 25th Anniversary Special (TV movie, as executive producer)
  • 1993: Legend to Legend Night: A Celebrity Cavalcade (TV movie, as executive producer)
as a dialogue director
as a performer

Stage work

Working on the stage as a general stage manager , director or producer for the Shubert Theater Organization .

  • 1935: At Home Abroad , at the Winter Garden Theater, New York City
  • 1936: The Show Is On , at the Winter Garden Theater, New York City
  • 1936: Ziegfeld Follies , at the Winter Garden Theater, New York City
  • 1937: Between the Devil , at the Imperial Theater, New York City
  • 1938: Hellzapoppin , at the 46th Street Theater, New York City
  • 1939: Straw Hat Revue , at the Ambassador Theater, New York City
  • 1940: Keep Off the Grass , Broadhurst Theater, New York City
  • 1941: High Kickers , at the Broadhurst Theater, New York City
  • 1943: Ziegfeld Follies , at the Winter Garden Theater, New York City

literature

  • Bernstein, F., “Traffic cop, talent scout, critic. Fred De Cordova keeps Carson's Tonight Show on track “People Weekly, 22: 131-2. October 8, 1984
  • de Cordova, Fred, "Johnny Came Lately: An Autobiography". New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. ISBN 0-671-55849-8 (Hardcover); Paperback Reprint Edition, Paperback, 1989, ISBN 0-671-67082-4 .
  • QUILAN, David, The Illustrated Guide to Film Directors, London: BT Batsford Ltd., 1983
  • FILHO, Rubens Ewald, Dicionário de Cineastas, São Paulo: Companhia Editora Nacional, 2002

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Frederick De Cordova Biography (1910-2001). Retrieved June 30, 2009
  2. ↑ Winter 2001 Class notes ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved June 30, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.northwestern.edu
  3. ^ A b Douglas Martin: Fred De Cordova, TV Producer, Dies at 90 , The New York Times. September 18, 2001, p. C1. 
  4. ↑ Frederick De Cordova . Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  5. Jump up ↑ Ronald Bergan: Frederick De Cordova: Film director famed for embarrassing Ronald Reagan with a chimp , The Guardian. Retrieved June 30, 2009. 
  6. ↑ Hal Erickson: Frederick de Cordova . In: Biography , The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009. 
  7. ↑ Frankie and Johnny . IMDb. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  8. ↑ a b c Biography for Frederick De Cordova . IMDb. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  9. ^ The Johnny Carson Show website says: (He started in 1970) . Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  10. ↑ FREDERICK DE CORDOVA Died Sept. 15 2001 . In: Entertainment Insiders . Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 30, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.einsiders.com
  11. ↑ The Johnny Carson Show website says: (In his entire career he has been nominated for 16 Emmys, winning six.) . Retrieved June 30, 2009.
  12. ↑ The Johnny Carson Show website says: ("He was a remarkable person and a dear friend. I shall miss him" - Johnny Carson) . Retrieved June 30, 2009.
personal data
SURNAME Cordova, Frederick de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Cordova, Fred; DeCordova, Fred; Cordova, Fredrick de; Cordova, Fred de; Timmins de Cordova, Frederick; (Freddie)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American theater director, film director, television director, film producer, and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH October 27, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , New York , United States
DATE OF DEATH September 15, 2001
Place of death Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) , Los Angeles , California , United States