Virgil William Vogel (November 29, 1919 – January 1, 1996) was an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. His career spanned nearly sixty years, directing episodes of ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

'', ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'', ''

The Big Valley ''The Big Valley'' is an American Western drama television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969 on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California, from 1884 to 1888. The one-hour e ...

'', and '' Mission: Impossible'', among other series. He was earlier a

film editor Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology. The film edit ...

.He also directed the pilot episode of STREET HAWK. He and star of that show , both being pilots, enjoyed many adventures, with Virgil as pilot in command and Rex as co pilot. Virgil was recipient of the Air Medal for 50 missions commanding the B-29 over the skies Japan. Rex relates, “We worked till late on Friday’s but always were up a six, to play tennis, then fly our military style ‘missions’, followed by dinner and drinks. He had the energy of a man half his age, and it was a challenge to keep up him!” I miss and admire and am proud to have been accepted as a co pilot and friend, I miss the man and adventures shared.”

Career

Vogel was born in Peoria,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He began his career working for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, editing a number of films namely '' Mystery Submarine'' (1950), ''

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' is a 1951 American science fiction comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring the team of Abbott and Costello alongside Nancy Guild. The film depicts the misadventures of Lou Francis and Bu ...

'' (1951), ''

The Man from the Alamo ''The Man from the Alamo'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Glenn Ford, Julie Adams and Chill Wills.Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, ...

'' (1953) and '' Touch of Evil'' (1958) directed by

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

. In 1956 Vogel made his directorial debut with the science fiction film ''

The Mole People ''The Mole People'' is a 1956 American science fiction adventure film distributed by Universal International, which was produced by William Alland, directed by Virgil W. Vogel, and stars John Agar, Hugh Beaumont, and Cynthia Patrick. The story ...

''. He also directed the regional comedy film ''The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm'' and the science fiction adventure film ''

The Land Unknown ''The Land Unknown'' is a 1957 science fiction CinemaScope adventure film about a naval expedition trapped in an Antarctic jungle. The story was allegedly inspired by the discovery of unusually warm water in Antarctica in 1947. It stars Jock M ...

'', both released in 1957. In 1959 he directed the Swedish-American science fiction-horror film ''Rymdinvasion i Lappland'' (''

Space Invasion of Lapland ''Invasion of the Animal People'' (''Rymdinvasion i Lappland'' in Sweden and ''Terror in the Midnight Sun'' internationally) is a 1959 Swedish-American black-and-white science fiction-monster film released to Swedish cinemas on August 19, 1959. T ...

'') that was shortened and then reedited with new footage when released in the U.S. as ''Invasion of the Animal People''. For the remainder of his career, he focused primarily on television, directing episodes of ''

'', ''

M Squad ''M Squad'' is an American crime drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. It was produced by Lee Marvin's Latimer Productions and Revue Studios. Its main sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...

'', ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', '' The Streets of San Francisco'', ''

Most Wanted Most Wanted may refer to: Law enforcement A most wanted list used by a law enforcement agency to alert the public, such as: *FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives *FBI Most Wanted Terrorists *ICE Most Wanted *List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords *Lis ...

'', '' Police Story'', '' The White Shadow'', ''

Centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

'', '' Knight Rider'', '' Airwolf'', ''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...

'', ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'', among other series.

Personal life and death

Vogel is the nephew of

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Lee Garmes Lee Garmes, A.S.C. (May 27, 1898 – August 31, 1978) was an American cinematographer. During his career, he worked with directors Howard Hawks, Max Ophüls, Josef von Sternberg, Alfred Hitchcock, King Vidor, Nicholas Ray and Henry Hathaway, whom ...

.Biography for Virgil W. Vogel at the Internet Movie Database
/ref> On January 1, 1996, he died of unspecified causes in Tarzana,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, at the age of 76.

References

External links

*
Virgil W. Vogel
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogel, Virgil W. 1919 births 1996 deaths American television directors Science fiction film directors Writers from Peoria, Illinois Artists from Peoria, Illinois Film directors from Illinois American film editors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)