Stanley Prager (January 8, 1917 – January 18, 1972) was an American actor and a television and theatre director.

Life and career

Born in New York City, Prager began his career as the stage manager for the Broadway production ''

The Skin of Our Teeth ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' is a play by Thornton Wilder that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on October 15, 1942, at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, before moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on November 18, ...

'' in 1942. He spent the remainder of the decade acting in mostly

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

s, with occasional roles in better films such as ''

A Bell for Adano ''A Bell for Adano'' (1945) is a film directed by Henry King and starring John Hodiak and Gene Tierney. It was adapted from the 1944 novel of the same title by John Hersey, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1945. In his review of t ...

'', ''

Gun Crazy ''Gun Crazy'' (also known as ''Deadly Is the Female'') is a 1950 American crime film noir starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall in a story about the crime-spree of a gun-toting husband and wife. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and produced ...

'', ''

In the Meantime, Darling ''In the Meantime, Darling'' is a 1944 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Arthur Kober and Michael Uris focuses on a wealthy war bride (Jeanne Crain) who is forced to adjust to living in spartan condit ...

'', and ''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy- drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, and John Lund. The screenplay by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by D ...

''. After his name appeared on the

Hollywood blacklist The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying emplo ...

, Prager returned to Broadway as a performer in ''

Two on the Aisle ''Two on the Aisle'' is a musical revue with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The project marked Comden and Green's return to Broadway following their successful reign at MGM (where they penned the class ...

'', '' Two's Company'', ''

Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...

'', and ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ...

''. He switched gears and began directing with

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

's ''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' in 1961. Additional theatre directing credits include ''

Bravo Giovanni ''Bravo Giovanni'' is a musical with a book by A. J. Russell, lyrics by Ronny Graham, and music by Milton Schafer. It is based upon Howard Shaw's 1959 novel, ''The Crime of Giovanni Venturi''. The musical was conceived as a vehicle for opera sta ...

'', ''

Minnie's Boys ''Minnie's Boys'' is a musical with a book by Arthur Marx (Groucho Marx's son) and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of the Marx Brothers and their relatio ...

'', '' Don't Drink the Water'', and ''

70, Girls, 70 ''70, Girls, 70'' is a musical with a book by Fred Ebb and Norman L. Martin adapted by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Ebb, and music by John Kander. The musical is based on the 1958 play ''Breath of Spring'' by Peter Coke, which was adapted for the ...

''. Prager's television directing credits include ''The Love Song of Barney Kempinski'' for ''

ABC Stage 67 ''ABC Stage 67'' is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly American television shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries and original musicals. It premiered on ABC on September 14, 1966, with Murray Schisgal's ''The Love ...

'', ''

Car 54, Where Are You? ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963. Filmed in black and white, the series starred Joe E. Ross as Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne as Francis Muldoon, two mismatched New York City p ...

'', and ''

The Patty Duke Show ''The Patty Duke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Sidney Sheldon and William Asher. The series ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, to April 27, 1966. The series was developed as a vehicle for teenage star Patty Duke, who h ...

''. For producer Sidney Pink, Prager directed two films in Europe: ''

Madigan's Millions ''Madigan's Millions'' ( It: ''Un dollaro per 7 vigliacchi'', Sp: ''El Millón de Madigan'') is a 1968 Italian-Spanish comedy crime film directed by Stanley Prager and produced by Sidney W. Pink. The movie was shot in 1966 but was not released ...

'' the first film to star

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

, and ''

Bang Bang Kid ''Bang Bang Kid'' is a 1967 Western film produced by Sidney W. Pink and starring Tom Bosley. The film was distributed in America by Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution compan ...

'' starring Tom Bosley and

Guy Madison Guy Madison (born Robert Ozell Moseley; January 19, 1922 – February 6, 1996) was an American film, television, and radio actor. He is best known for playing Wild Bill Hickok in the Western television series ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hicko ...

. Prager married actress

Georgann Johnson Georgann Johnson (born Georgia Anne Johnson, August 15, 1926 – June 4, 2018) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was also known as Georgiann Johnson and Georgianne Johnson. Early years Johnson was born in Decorah, Iow ...

on July 31, 1954; they remained together until his death on January 18, 1972. The couple had four children, including former teen actresses Anne and Sally Prager. Stanley Prager died of a heart attack at the family home in Los Angeles.

Filmography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prager, Stanley American theatre directors American television directors Male actors from New York City 1917 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American male actors Hollywood blacklist