Frederick Willard Zens (June 26, 1920 – March 27, 2013) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter and soundtrack composer who worked on mainly low budget films from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Biography and filmography

Following service as a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

in the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in the

European Theatre of Operations The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

, the

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

-born Major Zens earned his master's degree in film from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC).Movie Master Will Zens Retires to Westlake
/ref> He made his first film '' Capture That Capsule'' in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

. Zens did not make another film until '' The Starfighters'' filmed at

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

that chronicled the

F-104 The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the "Century Series" of fi ...

aircraft with

Bob Dornan Robert Kenneth Dornan (born April 3, 1933) is an American politician and actor from California. A Republican, Dornan served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1983 and from 1985 to 1997. He has become well known for public ...

in the lead role. Zens and Dornan next collaborated on a

Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

film ''

To the Shores of Hell ''To the Shores of Hell'' is a 1966 Vietnam war film shot in Technicolor and Techniscope that was directed by Will Zens and starring Marshall Thompson, Richard Arlen, Dick O'Neill and Robert Dornan that was distributed by Crown Internationa ...

'' made the following year. In 1967 Zens made ''

The Road to Nashville ''The Road to Nashville'' is a 1967 American musical film directed by Will Zens and starring Marty Robbins and Connie Smith."The Road to Nashville". ''Films in Review'', Volume 30. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, 1979. Plot A Hol ...

'' and ''

Hell on Wheels Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...

'' but made no more films until ''

Hot Summer in Barefoot County ''Hot Summer in Barefoot County'' is a 1974 comedy film directed by Will Zens and produced & distributed by Preacherman Corporation. The plot involves an undercover agent who is sent to a small southern town in order to uncover an underground mo ...

'' (1974) and '' Trucker's Woman'' (1975), with his final film, ''The Fix'' in 1985.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zens, Will 1920 births 2013 deaths Filmmakers from Milwaukee USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Film directors from Wisconsin American male screenwriters Writers from Milwaukee Screenwriters from Wisconsin Film producers from Wisconsin