Herschel Eldon Daugherty (October 27, 1910 – March 5, 1993) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 advertising, ...

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, pr ...

and occasional

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Early life and career

Born in

Clarks Hill, Indiana Clarks Hill is a town in Lauramie Township, Tippecanoe County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 611 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The post office at Clarks Hill ha ...

, to Charles Emerson and Blanche Eracene Daugherty (né Feerer),United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR6W-R5G?cc=1488411&wc=QZJG-BLC%3A1036469601%2C1037520201%2C1037703401%2C1589335314 : 9 September 2019), California > Los Angeles > Los Angeles Assembly District 72 > ED 372 > image 1 of 28; citing NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71370375/blanche-eracene-daugherty : accessed 07 January 2022), memorial page for Blanche Eracene Feerer Daugherty (14 Aug 1885–23 Aug 1973), Find a Grave Memorial ID 71370375, citing Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Lynne Ream (contributor 47484531) . Daugherty graduated from

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It was ...

in 1934 and was awarded a scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse School of the Theater, where he later served as one of its associate directors. In 1942, Daugherty was signed by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

as a dialogue director, in which capacity he served for roughly a decade before moving to TV as a full-fledged director. During that period, he also had a number of small acting roles, most of them uncredited. Speaking in 1979, he recalled, "I was in front of a camera just long enough to know I'd do best behind it. It's much easier to tell people what to do." Daugherty's own difficulties onscreen informed his approach to directing:

''I like to think I was a coach. Something like
Knute Rockne Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is used ...
. I want to make it possible for actors to play over their heads, to desire to be better than ever before. I want to give them faith in themselves, to believe in themselves. ..I never figured there was any point in being like
DeMille DeMille or De Mille is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Agnes De Mille, American dance and choreographer * Beatrice deMille, English-born American playwright and screenwriter *Cecil B. DeMille, American film director * Constance ...
or some of the others. I watched him tear a young actress apart one day. He had already destroyed her, but he kept going on and on. I realized then there's no way you can act when someone's yelling at you. I was determined that wasn't going to be my approach.''Ream, Donald; Ream, Lynne (1992).
Clarks Hill: A Pictorial History of Clarks Hill and its Surrounding Area
'. Lafayette, IN: D. and L. Ream. pp. 351, 353. .

As to just what that approach was and how it differed from DeMille, some comments made in November 1956 by

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), ''Carrie (1976 film), Carrie'' (1976), and ''Children of a Lesser God (film), Children of a Lesser God' ...

, then a soon-to-be 25-year-old, studio-promoted starlet—struggling to break free from that image and fresh on the heels of co-starring in a film under Daugherty's direction—may be helpful.

''I'm not the most experienced actress in the world. I would like to be, and I found more attention given to my acting on "The Road That Led Afar" than in most of the pictures I've played. ..In this role the directors have given me a sense of freedom in acting for the first time in my life.''

Regarding director Jean Negulesco, with whom he worked at both

and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, Daugherty recalled:

''Negulesco was a great artist, but he couldn't care less about acting. He let me handle all the actors and let me rehearse all the scenes. He told me, "You can do all the work so long as you give me the credit."''

Actor Dale Robertson, who would work with both Daugherty and Negulesco on '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951), is less charitable in his assessment of the film's nominal director:

''Jean Negulesco was an overrated director. He had a dialogue coach who went on to become a really good director... Herschel Daugherty. ..And Herschel was actually the one who was doing the directing, you know, and Negulesco was taking all the credit. .. u'd see him go over and whisper in Negulesco's ear. And then pretty soon, in a very loud voice, Negulesco would say, "I don't like this line. We're going to make it this way." And he says, "Now that makes more sense. Yes, we'll do it that way." But I never heard him come up with an original thought. It was always Herschel.''

Daugherty went on to direct various episodes of popular television shows such as ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (1955), ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'' (1955), ''Crusader'' (1955), and ''

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 ...

'', '' Rawhide'' (1959), ''

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 ...

'' (1959), ''

Thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

'' (1961–62), '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1964), ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' (1966), ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series an ...

'' (1966), '' Hawaii Five-O'' (1968), '' The Smith Family'' (1971–72), ''

Emergency! ''Emergency!'' is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing the two short-lived situa ...

'' (1972) and ''

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 ...

'' (1974). In 1957, for his work on ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

's'' "The Road That Led Afar", Daugherty, along with assistant director Richard Birnie, won the

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

; they also received an Emmy nomination, in the category of "Best Direction, Half Hour or Less." Two years later, Daugherty was nominated in essentially the same category (albeit a slightly more inclusive version), "Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series (Less Than One Hour)," for ''GE Theatre's'' critically acclaimed adaptation of

James Thurber James Grover Thurber (December 8, 1894 – November 2, 1961) was an American cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist and playwright. He was best known for his cartoons and short stories, published mainly in ''The New Yorker'' and collected ...

's short story, "One is a Wanderer." In addition, Daugherty directed Millard Lampell's "No Hiding Place," one of the most impactful episodes of the much-praised but short-lived CBS series '' East Side/West/Side'' (1963–1964). At least two notable screen debuts were made with Daugherty directing—

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

in 1958, in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

-produced semi-historical

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, '' The Light in the Forest''; and, the previous year,

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

, making his TV acting debut in '' Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars' '' adaptation of

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern literature, Southe ...

's short story, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." Daugherty's dialogue director credits include, among others, the 1947

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries bet ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

'' Possessed'', such films noir as '' Passage to Marseille'' (1944), ''

The Mask of Dimitrios ''The Mask of Dimitrios'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Jean Negulesco and written by Frank Gruber, based on the 1939 novel of the same title written by Eric Ambler (in the United States, it was published as ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'' ...

'' (1944) and '' Mildred Pierce'' (1945), the well-received stage-to-screen adaptation '' Life with Father'' (1947),Warner, Jack L. (July 19, 1947)
"A Duty; A Tremendous Pleasure"
''Boxoffice''. p. 4. Retrieved February 7, 2022. the 1946

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

'' Night and Day'' and the 1949

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

Tinseltown Tinsel Town, Tinseltown, Tinsel-Town or other variants may refer to: Film industry * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, associated with the U.S. film industry ** Cinema of the United States generally * Film Nagar ...

parody '' It's a Great Feeling'' (1949). Daugherty died on March 5, 1993, in

Encinitas, California Encinitas ( Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south ...

at the age of 82.

Filmography

Films

Television

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daugherty, Herschel 1910 births 1993 deaths American male film actors American television directors Film directors from Indiana People from Tippecanoe County, Indiana 20th-century American male actors