Henry Peter Tewksbury (March 21, 1923 – February 20, 2003) was an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

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 ...

Biography

Born in Cleveland, he attended

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

but left to serve as a US Army captain in the Pacific during WWII. Following the war he, then worked for radio KTIP in

Porterville, California Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Since its incorporation in 1902, the city's population has grown as it annexed n ...

where he did almost every job at the station during a five-year stint. He also founded the Porterville Barn Theater in 1947 and becoming its director, and his reputation spread to Hollywood.

Television

When ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by ...

'' moved from radio to TV in 1954, he was hired to direct where he was awarded an

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 ...

about five years into the run of the program. He also produced and directed episodes of the

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

series '' The People’s Choice''. In 1960 he directed ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chroni ...

''. He left after the first season and together with a writer of the show's episodes, James Leighton, created, produced and directed '' It's a Man's World'', a TV series aired from September 1962 to January 1963 that attracted a loyal following, but not sponsors.

Motion pictures

He directed '' Sunday in New York'' with

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Jane Fonda, various accolades including two ...

in 1963,

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 ...

's ''

Emil and the Detectives ''Emil and the Detectives'' () is a 1929 novel set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. It was Kästner's first major success and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. The ...

'' in 1964 and a pair of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

movies ("''Stay Away'' Joe" and "''Trouble with Girls"''. Tewksbury collaborated with J.D. Salinger on a film adaptation of the author's " For Esmé—with Love and Squalor", which was never produced after a casting dispute between the two men. Tewksbury directed several

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dis ...

s that morphed into

made for TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s; many were directed by a ''My Three Sons'' writer, A.J. Carothers.

Henry the Cheeseman

He moved between Vermont and California, where he managed a ranch near

Cambria, California Cambria () is a seaside village in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along California State Route 1 (Highway 1). The name Cambria, chosen in 1869, is the Latin name for Wales. ...

. In Vermont, he worked as a farmer, a miller of wheat and the founding teacher of an alternative school in an abandoned one-room schoolhouse before becoming a cheese expert where he authored ''The Cheeses of Vermont: A Gourmet Guide to Vermont's Artisanal Cheesemakers'' and became known as "Henry the Cheeseman", a legendary figure at the Brattleboro Food Co-op.

Film Credits

* '' Sunday in New York'' (1963) * ''

'' (1964) * ''

Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! ''Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!'' is a 1967 American comedy film directed by Peter Tewksbury and starring Sandra Dee, George Hamilton and Celeste Holm. Plot Heather Halloran, pursued by three men who want to marry her, is about to give birth ...

'' (1967) * ''

Stay Away, Joe ''Stay Away, Joe'' is a 1968 American comedy western film with musical interludes, set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith, Katy Jurado and Joan Blondell. Directed by Peter Tewksbury, the film is based on the 1953 satir ...

'' (1968) * '' The Trouble with Girls (And How To Get Into It)'' (1969)

Notes

External links

* * – discusses Tewksbury's connection to Salinger 1923 births 2003 deaths American television directors American film directors Artists from Cleveland {{US-film-director-1920s-stub