David "Dave" Swift (July 27, 1919 – December 31, 2001) was an American screenwriter,

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

, director, and producer. He is best known for writing and directing the 1967 film, ''

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

''. Swift also worked as an animator and filmmaker at The Walt Disney Studios where he adapted the story of '' Pollyanna'' for the screen and wrote and directed '' The Parent Trap'' (1961).

Life and career

Born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

, Swift's father owned a factory that made sausage casings. After

the depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...

, he dropped out of school at the age of 17 and boarded a freight train to California to pursue his goal of working for

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

. After arriving in

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 ...

, Swift worked several odd jobs to earn money including working as an usher at the Warner Bros. theater. In between work, he attended art school and also attended

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

at night. He began his career at The Walt Disney Studio as an office boy and rose to be an assistant animator under

Ward Kimball Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002) was an American animator employed by Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was part of Walt Disney's main team of animators, known collectively as Disney's Nine Old Men. His films have been honore ...

in 1938. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

service with the

8th Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces ...

, Swift became a radio and television writer. He attracted acclaim as the creator of ''

Mister Peepers ''Mister Peepers'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from July 3, 1952, to June 12, 1955. Overview Wally Cox starred as Robinson J. Peepers, Jefferson City's junior high school science teacher. Others in the cast included Tony Randall a ...

''. Swift rejoined Disney as the writer, director and producer of '' Pollyanna'', followed by '' The Parent Trap'' (1961). After making ''

Love Is a Ball ''Love Is a Ball'' (released in the UK as ''All This And Money Too'') is a 1963 romantic comedy film starring Glenn Ford, Hope Lange, and Charles Boyer. It is based on the novel ''The Grand Duke and Mr. Pimm'' by Lindsay Hardy. Plot Etienne Pi ...

'', Swift was then contracted to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

for '' The Interns'', ''

Under the Yum Yum Tree ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' is a 1963 American sex comedy film directed by David Swift and starring Jack Lemmon, Carol Lynley, Dean Jones, and Edie Adams, with Imogene Coca, Paul Lynde, and Robert Lansing in supporting roles. The film received ...

'' and ''

Good Neighbor Sam ''Good Neighbor Sam'' is a 1964 American Eastman Color screwball comedy film co-written and directed by David Swift, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Jack Finney. The film stars Jack Lemmon, Romy Schneider, Dorothy Provine, Michael ...

'', the latter two with

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadi ...

. He also created the TV shows '' Grindl'', ''

Camp Runamuck ''Camp Runamuck'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC during the 1965–66 television season. The series was created and executive produced by David Swift, and aired for 26 episodes. Synopsis The series related the wacky goings-on at the t ...

'', and '' Arnie''. Swift returned to Disney to write '' Candleshoe'' in 1977. During the 1980s, he worked as a writer and director for television. His final project was the screenplay for the 1998 remake of ''The Parent Trap'', starring

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

, Natasha Richardson and

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...

. In 1951, Swift married actress Maggie McNamara. They later divorced. He married model Micheline Swift in 1957 to whom he remained married until his death. The couple had two daughters, Michele and Wendon.

Death

On December 31, 2001, Swift died of heart failure at

St. John's Health Center Providence Saint John's Health Center, formerly St. Johns Hospital and Health Center, is a private not-for-profit, Roman Catholic hospital in Santa Monica, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

at the age of 82.

References

External links

*
Papers of David Swift
at the Special Collections & University Archives at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, David 1919 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American male actors American animators American animated film directors American animated film producers American male film actors Film producers from California American male television actors American male screenwriters American television directors Television producers from California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Hollywood High School alumni Male actors from Minneapolis United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Writers from Minneapolis Film directors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from Minnesota Screenwriters from California Film producers from Minnesota 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Film directors from Minnesota