Joseph Pevney (September 15, 1911 – May 18, 2008) was an American film and television director.

Biography

Born in New York City, Pevney made his debut in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

as a boy soprano in 1924. Although he hated vaudeville, he loved the theatre and developed a career as a stage actor, appearing in such plays as '' Home of the Brave'', ''The World We Make'', ''Key Largo'', ''Golden Boy'', and ''Nature Son''. A short career as a film actor followed, his most significant appearance being in the classic boxing film '' Body and Soul'' (1947) with

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle; March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

, in which he played the role of Shorty Pulaski. Before turning to film, he served in the

Signal Corps A signal corps is a military branch, responsible for military communications (''signals''). Many countries maintain a signal corps, which is typically subordinate to a country's army. Military communication usually consists of radio, telephone, ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, then did more time on stage. Beginning with ''

Shakedown Shakedown or Shake Down may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational ...

'' (1950), Pevney became a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

, with a directing career that spanned over 80 productions from 1950 to 1984. Among his films were

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's '' The Strange Door'' (1951) with

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

and

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

, '' Meet Danny Wilson'' (1952) with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, ''

Desert Legion ''Desert Legion'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Alan Ladd. Plot Ladd stars as a soldier in the French Foreign Legion who stumbles across a lost city in the desert mountains of Algeria in North Africa. C ...

'' (1953) with

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...

, '' 3 Ring Circus'' (1954) with

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

, '' Female on the Beach'' (1955) with

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

and

Jeff Chandler Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...

, ''

Tammy and the Bachelor ''Tammy and the Bachelor'' is a 1957 American romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Debbie Reynolds as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen as Peter Brent. It is the first of the four ...

'' (1957) with

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and entrepreneur. Her acting career spanned almost 70 years. Reynolds performed on stage and television and in films into her 80s. She was nom ...

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Come and Get It (1936 film), Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky (film), Kentucky'' (19 ...

, and

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...

, '' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957) with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

as Lon Chaney, '' Cash McCall'' (1959) with

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

and

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress. She began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award f ...

, '' The Crowded Sky'' (1960) with

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir and later in Western films. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigio ...

, and

Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

such as '' The Plunderers'' (1960). Pevney also directed multiple episodes of noted television series, including ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'', '' The Paper Chase'', and '' Trapper John, M.D.''. He tied with Marc Daniels for directing the largest number of original ''Star Trek'' episodes (14 in total), including "

The Devil in the Dark "The Devil in the Dark" is the twenty-fifth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and directed by Joseph Pevney, the episode first aired on March 9, 1967. In this ...

, "

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...

's "

The City on the Edge of Forever "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, first season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Origin ...

", " Amok Time", "

Journey to Babel "Journey to Babel" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on November 17, 1967. In the episod ...

", and "

The Trouble with Tribbles "The Trouble with Tribbles" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by David Gerrold and directed by Joseph Pevney, it was first broadcast on December 29, 1967. In ...

". ''Star Trek'' NBC executive Herb Solow and executive co-producer

Robert Justman Robert Harris "Bob" Justman (July 13, 1926 – May 28, 2008) was an American television producer, director, and production manager. He worked on many American TV series including '' Lassie'', '' The Life of Riley'', '' Adventures of Superma ...

write, in their 1996 book ''Star Trek The Real Story'', of Pevney:

Joseph Pevney was an ex-actor turned director. Some former actors become good directors; some become hack directors. Pevney was the former, but more than just "good."

He continued directing TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s. The last he stayed with was ''Trapper John, M.D.'' running between 1979 and 1986, followed by retirement. Pevney was married three times. His first wife was the actress Mitzi Green, with whom he had four children. His second wife, whom he married in 1989, was Philippa Goodwin-Pevney (née Hilber, 1918–1996). He married Margo Yvette Collins in 2002. On May 18, 2008, Pevney died at his home in Palm Desert, California, at age 96.

Selected filmography

As actor: * ''

Nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

'' (1946) as Fingers * '' Body and Soul'' (1947) as Shorty Polaski * ''

The Street with No Name ''The Street with No Name'' is a 1948 American film noir directed by William Keighley. A follow-up to ''The House on 92nd Street'' (1945), it tells the story of an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI agent, Gene Cordell (Mark Stevens ...

'' (1948) as Matty * '' Thieves' Highway'' (1949) as Pete * '' Outside the Wall'' (1950) as Gus Wormser * ''

'' (1950) as Keller, the reporter (uncredited, final film role) As director: * ''

'' (1950) * '' Undercover Girl'' (1950) * '' The Iron Man'' (1951) * '' The Lady from Texas'' (1951) * '' The Strange Door'' (1951) * '' Air Cadet'' (1951) * '' Flesh and Fury'' (1952) * '' Meet Danny Wilson'' (1952) * '' Because of You'' (1952) * '' Just Across the Street'' (1952) * ''

'' (1953) * '' Back to God's Country'' (1953) * '' It Happens Every Thursday'' (1953) * '' Yankee Pasha'' (1954) * ''

Playgirl ''Playgirl'' is an American magazine that has historically featured pictorials of nude and semi-nude men alongside general interest, lifestyle, celebrity journalism, and original fiction. For most of its history, the magazine printed monthly a ...

'' (1954) * '' 3 Ring Circus'' (1954) * '' Six Bridges to Cross'' (1955) * '' Foxfire'' (1955) * '' Female on the Beach'' (1955) * '' Away All Boats'' (1956) * '' Congo Crossing'' (1956) * '' Man of a Thousand Faces'' (1957) * '' The Midnight Story'' (1957) * ''

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

'' (1957) * ''

'' (1957) * '' Torpedo Run'' (1958) * '' Twilight for the Gods'' (1958) * '' Cash McCall'' (1959) * '' The Crowded Sky'' (1960) * '' The Plunderers'' (1960) * '' Portrait of a Mobster'' (1961) * '' The Night of the Grizzly'' (1966) * '' Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women'' (1979)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pevney, Joseph 1911 births 2008 deaths American male film actors American television directors Film directors from New York City Hugo Award winners American vaudeville performers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male actors Burials at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery 21st-century American Jews