William L. Hendricks

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William "Bill" L. Hendricks (born May 3, 1904 in Grande Prairie , † March 29, 1992 in Burbank , California ) was an American officer and producer of animation , short and documentary films .

Charitable work as an officer

Hendricks attended St. John's College and then worked in the service of Warner Bros. as an advertising manager for their movie theaters on the west coast. Soon he also took over their management. While serving as colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Hendricks, inspired by an idea from his wife Diane, started the charitable project Toys for Tots in 1947 to collect toys for children in need across the United States . Immediately afterwards, Hendricks got involved in another charitable institution, the so-called Friendship Train , with which the USA transported goods from private US donors to the war-torn countries of France and Italy. Colonel Bill Hendricks was also involved in the smooth running of the French response Merci Train , in which freight train loads of gifts were delivered to the USA in 1949 as thanks for the liberation from the German occupation.

Acting in film

Hendrick's film career began in the early 1960s. In 1961 he produced the propaganda-oriented Marine Corps commercial A Force in Readiness , for which Hendricks received an honorary Oscar the following year . The pathetic justification read: “ For his outstanding patriotic service in the conception, writing and production of the Marine Corps film, A Force in Readiness, which has brought honor to the Academy and the motion picture industry. “Another year later, in 1963, Hendricks received an Academy Award nomination for the production of the short documentary The John Glenn Story .

From 1967 to 1969, Henricks served Warner Bros. as studio manager of the animation department. In this role, he made a number of Looney Tunes productions, including several Bugs Bunny short film programs. When he retired, Hendricks was awarded the Legion of Merit for his Toys for Tots program in 1969 . Hendricks continued to oversee their animated film program on behalf of Warner Bros. until 1977, most recently with the two Bugs Bunny specials Bugs Bunny Easter Specials and Bugs Bunny in Space .

Since 1988 Bill L. Hendricks was widowed and the marriage remained childless.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Toys for Tots - history of origins
  2. ↑ Translation: "For his extraordinarily patriotic service in the conception, screenwriting and production of the Marine Corps film A Force in Readiness, with which he honored the academy and the film industry."

literature

  • International Motion Picture Almanac 1965, Quigley Publishing Company, New York 1964, p. 126 f.
personal data
SURNAME Hendricks, William L.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hendricks, Bill L. (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American officer and producer of animation, short and documentary films
DATE OF BIRTH May 3, 1904
PLACE OF BIRTH Grande Prairie
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 1992
Place of death Burbank , California