Judy Crichton (November 25, 1929 – October 14, 2007 Hevesi, Dennis

''The New York Times'', October 17, 2007) was an American television news and documentary producer. As a teenager she assisted her father with the first television coverage of a presidential election in 1944. Crichton later worked for

DuMont Television Network The DuMont Television Network (also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont Television, simply DuMont/Du Mont, or (incorrectly) Dumont ) was one of America's pioneer commercial television networks, rivaling NBC and CBS for the distinction of being ...

as a researcher, writer, and associate producer of the game show ''What's the Story?'', featuring

Jimmy Cannon Jimmy Cannon (April 10, 1909 – December 5, 1973) was a sports journalist inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for his coverage of the sport. Early career Born in New York City, Cannon started at the New York Daily News when he ...

, and

Harriet Van Horne Harriet Van Horne (May 17, 1920 – January 15, 1998) was an American newspaper columnist and radio/television critic. She was a writer for many years at the ''New York World-Telegram'' and its successors.Severo, Richard (January 17, 1998)Harrie ...

. She was a producer for ''

I've Got A Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

'' from 1952 - 1968. During this period, she wrote and produced a radio series for

Betty Furness Elizabeth Mary Furness (January 3, 1916 – April 2, 1994) was an American actress, consumer advocate, and current affairs commentator. Early years Furness was born in Manhattan, the daughter of wealthy business executive George Choate Furness ...

called ''Dimensions of a Woman's World''. Crichton was the principal organizer and producer of New York City's first

Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...

in April 1970. In 1971, she and

Chester Feldman Chester Feldman (January 8, 1926 – May 25, 1997) was an American producer of game shows born in The Bronx, New York, who was also associated with Mark Goodson Productions. Biography Before beginning his career in television, Feldman served in ...

produced a documentary of the making of the Broadway cast album of ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

''. In 1974, she became the first woman producer for ''

CBS Reports ''CBS Reports'' is the umbrella title used for documentaries by CBS News which aired starting in 1959 through the 1990s. The series sometimes aired as a wheel series rotating with '' 60 Minutes'' (or other similar CBS News series), as a series of i ...

'' , and won three Emmy Awards for "The Nuclear Battlefield". Crichton moved to

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

to work as a producer and writer for ''ABC Close-Up'', won a

DuPont Award DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

for ''Oh, Tell the World What Happened'', and a

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

for Close-Up's piece on

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. In 1986, she led the first Western journalism team to report from

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since its revolution in 1975; the reports aired on ''

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...

'' and ''

ABC World News Tonight ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program of ABC News, the news division ...

''. Crichton was the executive producer of ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'' from 1987-1996. During her tenure, the series won 6

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

s; 2 DuPont Award Awards); 5 Writers Guild Awards; 5

OAH "Oah" is a song by Belarusian-Norway, Norwegian singer–songwriter Alexander Rybak. It is the first single released from his second album ''No Boundaries (Alexander Rybak album), No Boundaries''. It was released on 8 June 2010. Background Ryba ...

Awards; and 7

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s. She was awarded the

National Humanities Medal The National Humanities Medal is an American award that annually recognizes several individuals, groups, or institutions for work that has "deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens' engagement with the human ...

by then-President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 2000.

Personal life

Crichton was married to Robert Crichton until his death in 1993. The couple had 4 children.

Death

Judy Crichton died of leukemia on October 14, 2007.

References

* ''A Conversation with Judy Crichton''

* ''Talking History with Judy Crichton'',

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...

, GBH magazine, October 1990

External links

Missing In Action - The Women Behind Television's Golden Age documentary site - WomenBehindTV.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crichton, Judy 1929 births 2007 deaths American documentary filmmakers Television producers from New York City American women television producers Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Writers from New York City Writers from New Rochelle, New York National Humanities Medal recipients American women documentary filmmakers 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women