Ivan Tors

Ivan Tors (born Iván Törzs; June 12, 1916 – June 4, 1983) was a Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater sequences, and stories involving animals. He started a Miami-based film studio now known as Greenwich Studios, and later a music company.

Biography

Tors was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary. He wrote several plays in his native country before moving to the United States just prior to World War II. He arrived with his brother Ervin in July 1939 on the SS ''Hansa'' and had come to study at Fordham University in New York City. He subsequently enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps then transferred to the Office of Strategic Services. Following the war, he was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a screenwriter.

In 1952, he made '' Storm over Tibet'', his first film as co-writer and producer. He began his partnership with his fellow Hungarian Andrew Marton with this film, reusing much of Marton's footage from '' Demon of the Himalayas''.

Long interested in fact-based science fiction, often with an underwater setting, Tors partnered with actor Richard Carlson in the 1950s to create A-Men Films, a production company devoted to making films about its own fictitious exploits.

Under the A-Men banner, Tors wrote and produced '' The Magnetic Monster'' (1953) reusing footage from the 1934 German film ''Gold''. This was the first film in what became his "Office of Scientific Investigation" (OSI) trilogy that was followed by '' Riders to the Stars'' (1954) and '' Gog'' (1954), both the same year. The following year came the syndicated television series '' Science Fiction Theater'' (1955–1957).

He also created the first-run syndicated underwater action and adventure series '' Sea Hunt'' (1958–1961), starring Lloyd Bridges, and '' The Aquanauts'' (1960–1961), starring Keith Larsen, Jeremy Slate, and Ron Ely, which was later renamed ''Malibu Run''. He also created NBC's science fiction series '' The Man and the Challenge'', starring George Nader and Jack Ging and was the executive producer of the first-run syndicated skydiving action and adventure series '' Ripcord'', starring Larry Pennell and Ken Curtis.

Tors also produced two Korean War films, '' Battle Taxi'' (1955) and '' Underwater Warrior'' (1958).

In the 1960s, Tors left science fiction and concentrated on making films and television series involving animals. He typically would make a film first and then develop a television series based on that film. His animal films included '' Flipper'' (1963), '' Flipper's New Adventure'' (1964), '' Zebra in the Kitchen'' (1965), '' Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion'' (1965), '' Gentle Giant'' (1967), and '' Africa Texas Style'' (1967). He also directed '' Rhino!'' (1964), and '' Galyon'' (1977).

Tors appeared as himself on the February 14, 1966 episode of the CBS game show ''To Tell the Truth''. He received two votes.

His animal-themed television adventure series included '' Flipper'', '' Daktari'', '' Gentle Ben'', '' Cowboy in Africa'', and '' Jambo'', a documentary series set in Africa. He was also the executive producer of MGM Television's 1967 TV series '' Off to See the Wizard'' for ABC.

His production company, Ivan Tors Films, did the underwater filming for the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' as well as filming his own '' Around the World Under the Sea'' for MGM and '' Daring Game'' and '' Hello Down There'' for Paramount. Tors' studio also filmed Soupy Sales' film debut in ''Birds Do It''.

Personal life

Tors was married to film actress Constance Dowling from 1955 until her death in 1969. Tors died 14 years later, eight days before his 67th birthday. He died in Mato Grosso, Brazil, where he was scouting a new television series.Ivan Tors, producer of animal movies and marine-oriented television series such as ''Flipper'' and ''Sea Hunt,'' died of a heart attack June 4 while engaged in pre-production work in Brazil (''New York Times'', June 7, 1983).

Legacy

In 1989, the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences posthumously awarded Tors a NOGI Award in Arts.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tors, Ivan
1916 births
1983 deaths
Hungarian male screenwriters
20th-century Hungarian dramatists and playwrights
Hungarian male screenwriters
Hungarian film producers
Hungarian television producers
Hungarian television show creators
Hal Roach Studios filmmakers
People of the Office of Strategic Services
20th-century Hungarian screenwriters