Frederick Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 – September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.

Early life

De Cordova was born in New York City, New York, the son of Margaret (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Timmins) and George de Cordova, who worked in the theatre business. George de Cordova was from a Jamaican Sephardic Jewish family related to Julian de Cordova, founder of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, and Waco, Texas, founder Jacob de Cordova. In his 1988 autobiography, de Cordova described his parents as con artists who, during his early years, lived well and skipped town without paying their bills. In 1931, he received an undergraduate degree in liberal arts from Northwestern University.

Career

De Cordova's first theater credit was as a performer in ''Elmer, the Great'' (1928). After his graduation from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1933, he gained employment in the Shubert Theater organization and directed stage shows for the next ten years. He was variously a performer, stage manager, stage director, and finally, dialogue director, the last in ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1943''. He was a dialogue director in five films, including '' To Have and Have Not'' (1944). His first film directing job was '' Too Young to Know'' (1945) for Warner Brothers. He directed 23 movies. One of the better known was ''

Bedtime for Bonzo ''Bedtime for Bonzo'' is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova and starring Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, and a chimpanzee named Tamba as Bonzo. Its central character, psychology professor Peter Boyd (Reagan), tries to teach human m ...

'' (1951) starring future President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

and a chimpanzee. He also directed Rock Hudson, Errol Flynn, Tony Curtis, Audie Murphy,

Yvonne de Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...

, Bob Hope, and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

. Much of his career was at Universal Studios, where he was known for turning out entertaining pictures quickly, even with difficult actors, and on a low budget. His last film was '' Frankie and Johnny'' (1966) with Elvis Presley. He turned to directing television when there was less need for low-budget movies to serve as the second half of a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

. His skills were perfect for TV. His TV career began in 1950 with directing '' The Jack Benny Program'', on which he was played several times by actor Ross Elliott. Other programs he directed include '' The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,'' '' The Bob Cummings Show'', '' The George Gobel Show'', '' December Bride'', '' Leave It to Beaver'', '' My Three Sons'' (108 episodes), and '' The Smothers Brothers Show''. He directed and/or produced more than 500 TV series or segments. He produced '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' starting in 1970 using the name Fred de Cordova. He became producer of the show in 1970 and executive producer in 1984. In a 1981 interview, he described his job as "chief traffic cop, talent scout, No. 1 fan and critic all rolled into one". De Cordova was described as ".. a large, looming, beaming man with horn-rimmed glasses, an Acapulcan tan, and an engulfing handshake that is a contract in itself, complete with small print and an option for renewal on both sides." He was executive producer when the final Carson ''Tonight Show'' signed off on May 22, 1992. He won five Emmys for his work on the show. During tapings of the ''Tonight Show'', de Cordova would sit in a chair just beyond the guests' couch so that he could cue Carson directly and speak with him during commercial breaks. By the 1980s, Carson would occasionally speak to de Cordova during the show, although usually the moment would pass so quickly that there would be no time to give de Cordova a microphone or catch him on camera. These awkward exchanges became an object of parody. An episode of '' SCTV'' aired in 1981 featured a sketch of "The Freddie de Cordova Show". The segment was almost an exact copy of the ''Tonight Show'', except the host's desk was empty; de Cordova conducted all of his interviews from his usual perch off-camera. On the real program in 1988, as a takeoff on the installation of lights in Wrigley Field, Carson ceremonially installed a light on the edge of the set so that de Cordova could finally be seen. In June 1991, Carson's son Ricky was killed in an automobile accident; a month later, Carson paid tribute at the end of a show to his son. De Cordova was concerned that the show was going long and gave Carson the "wrap it up sign." Carson was so infuriated, from that point forward de Cordova was no longer permitted to be in the studio during the taping of the show, although he remained the show's executive producer. During guest appearances on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', comedian Will Ferrell played the role of a deluded

Robert Goulet Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...

, who believed himself to be a guest on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Ferrell's fictional Goulet made references to de Cordova, insisting that de Cordova owed him money (or, conversely, that Goulet owed de Cordova money). In 1995 and 1998, respectively, de Cordova appeared as himself on '' The Larry Sanders Show'' in the fourth-season episode, "Eight", and in the sixth-season episode, "As My Career Lay Dying". The character of 'Artie' is largely based on de Cordova. Martin Scorsese's 1982 film, '' The King of Comedy'', about a delusional fan (

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

) who kidnaps a late-night talk-show host (

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

), cast de Cordova as the show's producer.

Personal life and death

De Cordova married former actress Janet Thomas in 1963, and they remained married for the rest of his life. He died of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California on September 15, 2001 and is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Acting filmography

References

External links