Oscar Rudolph (April 2, 1911 – February 1, 1991) was an American film and television director, producer, and actor.

Life and career

Rudolph was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, and in 1924 moved to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

with his family. He started his Hollywood entertainment career as a bit actor at the age of 14. His first film was ''Little Annie Rooney'' (1925), which starred legendary silent film actress

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

. He appeared in a total of 36 films in mostly uncredited or bit roles from 1925 to 1947, when he appeared in his last role in the film '' Easy Come, Easy Go''. Rudolph was a director from the early 1940s to the mid 1970s. He began as an assistant director on a number of films throughout the 1940s and then made the transition to the burgeoning genre of television in the 1950s. He was supervising the second unit of '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' when stunt pilot

Paul Mantz Albert Paul Mantz (August 2, 1903 – July 8, 1965) was a noted air racing pilot, movie stunt pilot and consultant from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1960s. He gained fame on two stages: Hollywood and in air races. Early years Man ...

was killed in a crash in July 1965. Rudolph directed episodes of more than 500 television shows, including ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary an ...

'', ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the ABC television network. The series was filmed in black and white and originate ...

'', ''

The Phyllis Diller Show ''The Pruitts of Southampton'' is an American situation comedy that aired during the 1966-67 season on the ABC network. The show was based on the novel ''House Party'' (1954) by Patrick Dennis. It was ABC's attempt to turn female stand-up comi ...

'', ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totaling ...

'', ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'', and ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, after ...

''. His film credits as director included '' Rocket Man'' (1954), ''

Twist Around the Clock ''Twist Around the Clock'' is an American musical film released in 1961. It was a remake of Sam Katzman and Robert E. Kent's ''Rock Around the Clock (film), Rock Around the Clock.'' Like ''Rock Around the Clock,'' which was followed by a sequel ...

'' (1961), and ''

Don't Knock the Twist ''Don't Knock the Twist'' is a 1962 comedy musical film starring Lang Jeffries, directed by Oscar Rudolph and produced by Sam Katzman for release by Columbia Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1961 film ''Twist Around the Clock'', featuring m ...

'' (1962).

Death

Rudolph died at

Encino Hospital Medical Center The Encino Hospital Medical Center is a hospital in Encino, California. The hospital's ownership changed in June 2008 when Tenet Healthcare sold it to the current owner, Prime Healthcare Services. Previously, the hospital was one of the campus ...

Encino, California Encino (Spanish language, Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north t ...

of complications following a stroke. He was survived by his wife of 53 years, Sylvia; son

Alan Rudolph Alan Steven Rudolph (born December 18, 1943) is an American film director and screenwriter. Early life Rudolph was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Oscar Rudolph (1911–1991), a television director and actor, and his wife. He be ...

, a film director, screenwriter and producer; and a daughter.Oscar Rudolph, 79; Versatile Director of TV Series, Movies, ''Los Angeles Times'' article (latimes.com), February 11, 1991.
/ref>

Partial filmography

*''

Little Annie Rooney ''Little Annie Rooney'' is a comic strip about a young orphaned girl who traveled about with her dog, Zero. King Features Syndicate launched the strip on January 10, 1927, not long after it was apparent that the Chicago Tribune Syndicate had ...

'' (1925) *''

So This Is College ''So This Is College'' is a 1929 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Wood, written by Al Boasberg, Delmer Daves and Joseph Farnham, and starring Elliott Nugent, Robert Montgomery in his film debut, Cliff Edwards, Sally Starr and Phyl ...

'' (1929) *''

Their Own Desire ''Their Own Desire'' is a 1929 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Norma Shearer, Belle Bennett, Lewis Stone, Robert Montgomery, and Helene Millard. The film was adapted by James Forbes and Frances ...

'' (1929) *''

Divorce in the Family ''Divorce in the Family'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Charles Reisner and written by Delmer Daves. The film stars Jackie Cooper, Conrad Nagel, Lewis Stone, Lois Wilson and Jean Parker. It was released on August 27, 1932, ...

'' (1932) *''

This Day and Age This Day and Age was a band from Tonawanda, a suburb of Buffalo, New York, signed to One Eleven Records. History This Day and Age formed in 2001, and released their debut full-length, ''Start Over on Monday'', in 2002.

'' (1933) *''

College Scandal ''College Scandal'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Elliott Nugent and written by Frank Partos, Charles Brackett and Marguerite Roberts. The film stars Arline Judge, Kent Taylor, Wendy Barrie, William Frawley, Benny Baker, William Ben ...

'' (1935) *'' The Rocket Man'' (1954) *''

'' (1961) *''

'' (1962) *''

The Wild Westerners ''The Wild Westerners'' is a 1962 American Western film directed by Oscar Rudolph and starring James Philbrook, Nancy Kovack, Duane Eddy and Guy Mitchell.WILD WESTERNERS, The Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 29, Iss. 336, (Jan 1, 1962): 15 ...

'' (1962)

References

External links

* 1911 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors American television directors Television producers from Ohio American male screenwriters American male child actors Male actors from Cleveland Film directors from Ohio 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from Ohio Film producers from Ohio 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters {{tv-director-stub