Theodore I. Post (March 31, 1918 – August 20, 2013) was an American director of film and television. Highly prolific, Post directed numerous episodes of well-known television series including '' Rawhide'', ''

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 ...

'', and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

'' as well as blockbuster films such as ''

Hang 'Em High ''Hang 'Em High'' is a 1968 American DeLuxe Color revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as ...

'', ''

Beneath the Planet of the Apes ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original ''Planet of the Apes'' series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. The film stars Ja ...

'' and '' Magnum Force''.

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Post started his career in 1938 working as an usher at Loew's Pitkin Theater. He abandoned plans to become an actor after training with Tamara Daykarhanova, and turned to directing

summer theatre Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, with ...

, where Post began his lengthy association in the director's chair. Upon returning home from his service with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

Special Services in Italy during

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 ...

, he resumed his experience in theater and when the new medium of television was born, his career took off. Post taught acting and drama at New York's

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

in 1950. He persuaded his friend

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976 ...

to do likewise.

Television series

Success in the theater led to directorial work in television from the early 1950s, beginning with '' The Ford Television Theatre''. Post directed episodes of many series, including ''

'', '' Perry Mason'', ''

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'', ''

'', '' Combat!'', ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC fr ...

'' and 178 episodes of '' Peyton Place''. He also directed TV films (including the original ''

Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'' film-of-the-week).

Films

He also directed feature films, including the second installment of the ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' film series, ''

'' (1970), '' Go Tell the Spartans'' (1978), '' Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978), starring

Chuck Norris Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris (born March 10, 1940) is an American martial artist and actor. He is a black belt in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu jitsu and judo. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championshi ...

, and two

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

films, ''

'', the movie which launched Clint Eastwood's career as a leading man in American pictures. and '' Magnum Force''. Post directed the 2001–02 Festival of the Arts at the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University).

Personal/Family life

Post married the former Thelma Fiefel in 1940. They had two children, one of whom is the law scholar and professor Robert Post.

Death

Post died at the UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, California on August 20, 2013.

Selected filmography

Film

* '' The Peacemaker'' (1956) * '' The Legend of Tom Dooley'' (1959) * ''

'' (1968) * ''

'' (1970) * '' Magnum Force'' (1973) * '' The Harrad Experiment'' (1973) * '' The Baby'' (1973) * ''

Whiffs ''Whiffs'' is a 1975 comedy film directed by Ted Post and starring Elliott Gould, Eddie Albert, Harry Guardino, Godfrey Cambridge, and Jennifer O'Neill. It was produced by Brut Productions and released theatrically in the U.S. by 20th Century Fo ...

'' (1975) * '' Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978) * '' Go Tell the Spartans'' (1978) * '' Nightkill'' (1980) * ''

The Human Shield ''The Human Shield'' is a 1991 low-budget American film from B-movie film studio Cannon Films. It was directed by Ted Post and written by Mann Rubin and stars Michael Dudikoff and Tommy Hinkley. It is about a former government agent who must sa ...

'' (1991) * '' 4 Faces'' (1999)

TV movies

* '' The Great Merlini'' (1951, pilot) * '' Espionage: Far East'' (1961) * ''

Night Slaves ''Night Slaves'' is a 1970 American television science fiction horror film directed by Ted Post and starring James Franciscus and Lee Grant. It was based on a 1965 novel by science fiction writer Jerry Sohl, best known for writing episodes of '' T ...

'' (1970) * '' Dr. Cook's Garden'' (1971) * ''

Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate ''Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate'' is a 1971 American made-for-television mystery film directed by Ted Post, starring Myrna Loy, Helen Hayes, Mildred Natwick, Sylvia Sidney, John Beradino and Vince Edwards, with the screenplay adapted ...

'' (1971) * '' Yuma'' (1971) * ''

Five Desperate Women ''Five Desperate Women'' is a 1971 American TV film directed by Ted Post. It was an ABC Movie of the Week. Plot A violent inmate, whose face is not shown, escapes from a state mental facility. He makes his way to a private beach, drowns a man rela ...

'' (1971) * ''

The Bravos ''The Bravos'' is a 1972 American Western television film directed by Ted Post and starring George Peppard.L. Q. Jones Signed to Costar in 'Bravos' Los Angeles Times 14 Jan 1971: f16. Plot The commander of an isolated frontier cavalry post trie ...

'' (1972) * '' Sandcastles'' (1972) * '' The Girls in the Office'' (1979) * ''

Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal d ...

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1981, pilot) * ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

'' (1986)

Television

* ''

Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with '' The U.S. Steel Hour''. It fi ...

'' (1952) * '' The Ford Television Theatre'' (1953) * '' Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' (1953) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

Medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...

'' (1955) * ''

Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...

'' (1956) * ''

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...

'' (1956) * ''

The 20th Century Fox Hour ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' is an American drama anthology series televised in the United States on CBS from 1955 to 1957. Some of the shows in this series were restored, remastered and shown on the Fox Movie Channel in 2002 under the title ' ...

'' (1956) * '' Perry Mason'' (1957) * '' Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' (1957) * ''

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

'' (1957) * ''

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on the Columbia Broadcasting System between 1958 and 1960. Three of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s televisio ...

'' (1958) * ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The sho ...

'' (1958) * '' Law of the Plainsman'' (1959) * '' The Westerner'' (1960) * ''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'' (1960) * '' Startime'' (1960) (''The Young Juggler'') * ''

'' (1960) * ''

Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...

'' (1960) * ''

Alcoa Premiere ''Alcoa Premiere'' (also known as ''Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire'') is an American anthology drama series that aired from October 1961 to July 1963 on ABC. The series was hosted by Fred Astaire, who also starred in several of the episodes ...

'' (1961) * '' The Defenders'' (1961) * '' Route 66'' (1961) * '' The Virginian'' (1962) * '' Combat!'' (1962) * ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (1962) * ''

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 ...

'' (1961–1962) * ''

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 ...

'' (1962) * ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

'' (1962) * '' Rawhide'' (1960–1962) * '' Peyton Place'' (1964) * ''

'' (1960–1964) * ''

Bracken's World ''Bracken's World'' is an American drama television series that aired on NBC from September 19, 1969, to December 25, 1970. The series was created and produced by Dorothy Kingsley. The Lettermen performed the second-season theme song "Worlds" ...

'' (1969) * ''

Monty Nash ''Monty Nash'' is an American drama series that aired in syndication from September 14 until December 14, 1971. It was based on a series of spy novels by Richard Telfair that were published from 1959 to 1961. Synopsis The series centered on Mont ...

'' (1971) * ''

Baretta ''Baretta'' is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a revised and milder version of a 1973–1974 ABC series, '' Toma'', starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey pol ...

'' (1975) * ''

Ark II ''Ark II'' is an American live-action science fiction television series, aimed at children, that aired on CBS from September 11 to December 18, 1976, (with reruns continuing through November 13, 1977 and reruns returning from September 16, 1978, ...

'' (1976) * ''

'' (1976) * '' Future Cop'' (1977) * ''

Beyond Westworld ''Beyond Westworld'' is a 1980 American television series based on the 1973 film ''Westworld,'' which was written and directed by Michael Crichton. It ignored the 1976 film sequel ''Futureworld''. Synopsis Security Chief John Moore of the Delos C ...

'' (1980) * '' B.A.D. Cats'' (1980)

Short films

* '' The Return of Phileas Fogg'' (1957)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Post, Ted 1918 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American Jews American Jewish University American television directors People from Brooklyn Western (genre) film directors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Film directors from New York City 21st-century American Jews