Walter J. Doniger (July 1, 1917, in

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– November 24, 2011, in

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) was an American film and television director. A graduate of the Harvard School of Business, early in his career he was a screenwriter.

Career

In the early 1940s, Doniger started as a scriptwriter with Universal Films. 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 worked on training films for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. His knowledge of military matters was reflected in some of his later work for television and films. After the war, Doniger worked as a screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote some of the scripts for the NBC-TV series ''

Your Show Time ''Your Show Time'' is an American anthology drama series that debuted on NBC Television on the East Coast in September 1948 and then on both the East and the West Coast, as a network show, on January 21, 1949. The show was produced by Marsha ...

'' (1949). He specialized in hard-boiled action pictures, including prison dramas ('' Duffy of San Quentin'', 1954, and ''

The Steel Cage ''The Steel Cage'' is a 1954 American film noir drama film directed by Walter Doniger, written by Oliver Crawford, Walter Doniger, Scott Littleton, Berman Swarttz and Guy Trosper, and starring Paul Kelly, Maureen O'Sullivan, Walter Slezak, ...

'', 1954), as well as war pictures ('' Cease Fire!'', 1953). The latter was one of the first 3-D war films. He directed sports films, including '' Safe at Home!'' (1962, starring

New York Yankee The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one ...

greats

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

and Roger Maris), and the made-for-TV movie '' Mad Bull'' (1977). In 1957, Doniger established a production company, Bettina Productions Ltd. By this time he had gravitated towards working primarily for episodic television, particularly as director of western series, such as ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' (1956–57); ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the seco ...

'' (1957–58), '' Maverick'', (1957), and ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

'' (1958–60). He also directed episodes of ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

'', '' Men Into Space'', '' Dick Powell Theatre'', ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...

'', '' Bracken's World'', '' Rod Serling's Night Gallery'', and '' Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law'', among others. During the 1960s, Doniger directed 64 episodes of the popular soap opera '' Peyton Place''. After leaving ''Peyton Place'', Doniger worked at Universal and eventually returned to action subjects, where he was most at home. He directed several episodes of the popular crime series '' McCloud''. His abrasive style occasionally brought him into conflict with producers and stars.

Later life

In 2008, Doniger donated some of his television scripts and records to the Cinematic Arts Library of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Filmography

*'' Cease Fire!'' (1953)

References

External links

*
Obituary of Walter Doniger
'' Variety'', Nov. 27, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Doniger, Walter Film directors from New York City American television directors 1917 births 2011 deaths Harvard Business School alumni American male screenwriters