Maury Dexter (born Morris Gene Poindexter; June 12, 1927 – May 28, 2017) was an American producer and director of film and TV. He worked several times for

Robert Lippert Robert Lenard Lippert (March 31, 1909 – November 16, 1976) was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in ...

and

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

Life and career

Dexter was born in

Paris, Arkansas Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville. Its population was 3,176 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Geography ...

, to William Henry and Emma (née Foster) Poindexter. He has three brothers, Foster, William Jr., and James. Dexter first entered show business as a teenaged actor in

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

short, '' Uncivil War Birds'' (1946). After a few additional movie roles, he busied himself with stage and television work until the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and military service intervened; following his discharge, he landed an acting job on ''

The Hank McCune Show ''The Hank McCune Show'' is an American television sitcom. Filmed without a studio audience, the series is notable for being the first television program to incorporate a laugh track. The series began as a local Los Angeles program in 1949. NBC ...

'' (1950) and was soon working there behind the scenes. A clerical job at filmmaker Robert L. Lippert's

Regal Films Regal Entertainment, Inc. (formerly and more commonly known as Regal Films) is a Philippine film production company based in Pasig. It was founded by Lily Monteverde on August 19, 1962. It has produced movies of all genres; and is the oldest s ...

eventually led to Dexter producing and directing gigs at that independent production company, where many of the movies were shot in seven days on $100,000 budgets. A member of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

since 1956, Dexter once directed 20 films in a year's time for 20th Century Fox. By the 1960s, he had his own production company, but the apex of his career came when he became a director for two highly successful

NBC-TV The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

series produced by actor

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

, who co-created, starred in, and produced both ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

'' (1974–83) and ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order t ...

'' (1984–89).

Death

Dexter died in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The ...

, at the age of 89.

Filmography

*'' Walk Tall'' (1960) *''

The High Powered Rifle ''The High Powered Rifle'' is a 1960 American action film produced and directed by Maury Dexter and written by Joseph Fritz. The film stars Willard Parker, Allison Hayes, Dan Simmons, John Holland, Shirley O'Hara and Terrea Lea. The film was re ...

'' (1960) *''

The Purple Hills ''The Purple Hills'' (originally titled "The Vanishing Frontier") is a 1961 American Western film directed by Maury Dexter and written by Russ Bender and Edith Cash Pearl. The film stars Gene Nelson, Kent Taylor, Danny Zapien, Medford Salway, ...

'' (1961) *''

Womanhunt ''Womanhunt'' is a 1962 American drama film directed by Maury Dexter and written by Russ Bender and Edward J. Lakso. The film stars Steven Piccaro, Lisa Lu, Berry Kroeger, Bob Okazaki, Ann Carroll, Tom Daly and Ivan Bonar. The film was release ...

'' (1962) *'' Air Patrol'' (1962) *'' The Firebrand'' (1962) *''

Young Guns of Texas ''Young Guns of Texas'' is a 1962 American Western film directed by Maury Dexter and starring James Mitchum, Alana Ladd and Jody McCrea.YOUNG GUNS OF TEXAS Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 30, Iss. 348, (Jan 1, 1963): 134. The supporting ...

'' (1962) *'' The Day Mars Invaded Earth'' (1963) *'' House of the Damned'' (1963) *'' Police Nurse'' (1963) *'' Harbor Lights'' (1963) *''

The Young Swingers ''The Young Swingers'' is a 1963 American musical comedy film directed by Maury Dexter and written by Harry Spalding. The film stars Rod Lauren, Molly Bee, Gene McDaniels, Jack Larson, Karen Gunderson and Jo Helton. The film was released in Sept ...

'' (1963) *'' Surf Party'' (1964) *''

Raiders from Beneath the Sea ''Raiders from Beneath the Sea'' is a 1964 American adventure film directed by Maury Dexter and starring Ken Scott and Merry Anders. Plot A down-on-his-luck California apartment house manager hatches a plan to rob a Catalina Island bank—and e ...

'' (1964) *''

The Naked Brigade ''The Naked Brigade'' is a 1965 Greek-American war film directed by Maury Dexter and starring Shirley Eaton, Ken Scott and Mary Chronopoulou. The screenplay concerns a British girl who becomes trapped on Crete during World War II. Plot During the ...

'' (1965) *''

Wild on the Beach ''Wild on the Beach'' is a 1965 beach party film directed by Maury Dexter and starring Frankie Randall, Sherry Jackson, Gayle Caldwell, and Jackie Miller. It is notable for the musical acts showcased onscreen, being the film debut of Sonny & ...

'' (1965) *''

Django the Condemned ''Django the Condemned'' (aka ''Django the Honorable Killer'' or ''Outlaw of Red River'') is a 1965 English-speaking Spanish Western movie starring George Montgomery (actor), George Montgomery and directed by Maury Dexter. Storyline Pat O'Brien ...

'' (1965) *'' Maryjane'' (1968) *''

The Mini-Skirt Mob ''The Mini-Skirt Mob'' is a 1968 outlaw biker film about an all-female motorcycle gang. The film was directed by Maury Dexter, and stars Diane McBain, Jeremy Slate, Sherry Jackson, Patty McCormack, Harry Dean Stanton and Sandra Marshall. Plot ...

'' (1968) *''

The Young Animals ''The Young Animals'', also known as ''Born Wild'', is a 1968 drama film directed by Maury Dexter. It was the second in a four-picture deal he did with AIP and was filmed at Tucson, Arizona. Plot WASP Bruce (David Macklin) and his gang beat up ...

'' (1968) *'' Hell's Belles'' (1969)

References

External links

* 1927 births 2017 deaths American television directors American film producers People from Paris, Arkansas Place of birth missing Film directors from Arkansas {{US-film-director-1920s-stub