Theodore Ian 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 centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'', and ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'' as well as blockbuster films such as '' Hang 'Em High'', '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' and '' Magnum Force''.

Early life and career

Born in Brooklyn, New York, 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 theater, where Post began his lengthy association in the director's chair. Upon returning home from his service with the U.S. Army's Special Services division in Italy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 in 1950. He persuaded his friend

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

to do likewise.

Directorial career

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 television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'', '' Rawhide'', ''

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

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

'' and 178 episodes of '' Peyton Place''. He also directed TV films (including the original '' Cagney & Lacey'' film-of-the-week). He also directed feature films, including the second installment of the ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'' film series, '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' (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. Born in Oklahoma, Norris first gained fame when he won the amateur Middleweight Karate champion title in 1968, which he held for six consecutive years. H ...

, and two

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...

films, '' Hang 'Em High'', 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 life

Post married the former Thelma Fiefel in 1940. They had two children, one of whom is the law scholar and professor Robert Post. 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) * '' Hang 'Em High'' (1968) * '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'' (1970) * '' The Baby'' (1973) * '' The Harrad Experiment'' (1973) * '' Magnum Force'' (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 Fox. ...

'' (1975) * '' Good Guys Wear Black'' (1978) * '' Go Tell the Spartans'' (1978) * '' Nightkill'' (1980) * '' The Human Shield'' (1991) * '' 4 Faces'' (1999)

TV movies

* '' The Great Merlini'' (1951, pilot) * '' Espionage: Far East'' (1961) * '' Night Slaves'' (1970) * '' Dr. Cook's Garden'' (1971) * '' Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate'' (1971) * '' Yuma'' (1971) * '' Five Desperate Women'' (1971) * '' The Bravos'' (1972) * '' Sandcastles'' (1972) * '' The Girls in the Office'' (1979) * '' Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker'' (1979) * '' Cagney & Lacey'' (1981) * ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) 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 ...

'' (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 United States Steel Ho ...

'' (1952) * '' The Ford Television Theatre'' (1953) * ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playh ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

Medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

'' (1955) * '' Zane Grey Theatre'' (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 broadca ...

'' (1956) * '' The 20th Century Fox Hour'' (1956) * '' Sneak Preview'' (1956) * '' Perry Mason'' (1957) * ''

Richard Diamond, Private Detective ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960. Radio Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective' ...

'' (1957) * ''

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

'' (1957) * '' Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' (1958) * ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series 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 show ...

'' (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 causality, 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 se ...

'' (1960) * '' Alcoa Premiere'' (1961) * '' The Defenders'' (1961) * '' Route 66'' (1961) * '' The Virginian'' (1962) * '' Combat!'' (1962) * ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' (1962) * '' Thriller'' (1961–1962) * ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' is 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 Public transport bus service, 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 shelter (building), shelters ...

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

'' (1960–1964) * '' Bracken's World'' (1969) * '' Monty Nash'' (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 police ...

'' (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 (film), Westworld,'' which was written and directed by Michael Crichton. Although the DVD box cover mentions that it follows the film's events, it ignored ...

'' (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 21st-century American Jews American Jewish University American television directors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Film directors from New York City Jewish American military personnel Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) Mass media people from Brooklyn United States Army personnel of World War II Western (genre) film directors