About

Known credits:
82
Birthday:
1925-09-20
Place of birth:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website:
N/A

Paul Wendkos

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Paul Wendkos (September 20, 1922; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 12, 2009; Malibu, California) was an American television and film director.

Following wartime service in the US Navy and attending Columbia University on the GI Bill Wendkos made his first feature, a documentary on a school for the blind called Dark Interlude in 1953.

Wendkos's first feature film was The Burglar . Wendkos's fluid camera technique caught the attention of the head of Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn who not only wished to distribute the film, but put Wendkos on a contract.

A variety of films followed for Columbia beginning with the hard-hitting crime drama The Case Against Brooklyn, two suspenseful war dramas Tarawa Beachhead and Battle of the Coral Sea, the youth-oriented Gidget and two sequels Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Gidget Goes to Rome as well as Because They're Young.

Wendkos also directed many episodes of Playhouse 90, Alcoa Theatre, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Route 66, The Rifleman, Mr. Novak, Honey West, The Big Valley, I Spy, The Invaders and Hawaii Five-O. With I Spy, Wendkos filmed several interesting episodes but was deemed too "arty" by the producers and let go.

In 1968 Wendkos signed a five picture contract with Mirisch Productions beginning with the war films Attack on the Iron Coast and Hell Boats followed by Westerns set in Mexico but filmed in SpainGuns of the Magnificent Seven and Cannon for Cordoba. He also made the first feature film for Quinn Martin, The Mephisto Waltz.

From 1970 until his retirement in 1999, Wendkos specialized in made-for-television movies. One of these was The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988), based on a TWA hijacking in 1985, picked up five Emmy nominations, including one for Wendkos.

Wendkos was cited by film critic Andrew Sarris in his book The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968. He is also cited, along with many other directors, in The American Vein: Directors and Directions in Television by Christopher Wicking and Tise Vahimagi, Talisman Books (England), 1979, and E.P. Dutton (United States), 1979; Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 79-52675.

Wendkos married Ruth Bernat on March 1, 1953 and had one son, Jordan Elkan Wendkos. Ruth died in June, 1978. Wendkos married Lin Bolen, Former NBC VP & Producer in 1983 and they lived together happily in Malibu, California until his death. He is survived by his son, Jordan, granddaughter, Justine Wendkos, and his wife Lin Bolen Wendkos.

Wendkos was ill for several years following a stroke. He died on November 12, 2009 in Malibu, California.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Wendkos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Directing
1999 Different Directing Director N/A
N/A
1998 A Wing and a Prayer Directing Director 58
Average
1998 Nobody Lives Forever Directing Director N/A
N/A
1997 A Match Made in Heaven Directing Director 59
Average
1993 Message from Nam Directing Director 58
Average
1993 Bloodlines: Murder in the Family Directing Director 59
Average
1992 Trial: The Price of Passion Directing Director N/A
N/A
1991 Guilty Until Proven Innocent Directing Director 58
Average
1991 White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd Directing Director 58
Average
1991 The Chase Directing Director 58
Average
1990 The Cops Are Robbers Directing Director 59
Average
1990 Blind Faith Directing Director 68
Fair
1989 Cross of Fire Directing Director 69
Fair
1989 From the Dead of Night Directing Director 59
Average
1988 The Great Escape II: The Untold Story Directing Director 58
Average
1988 The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Right to Die Directing Director 59
Average
1987 Six Against the Rock Directing Director 58
Average
1987 Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife Directing Director 59
Average
1987 Sister Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies Directing Director N/A
N/A
1986 Rage of Angels: The Story Continues Directing Director 59
Average
1986 Rage of Angels: The Story Continues Directing Director 70
Good
1985 Picking Up the Pieces Directing Director 59
Average
1985 The Bad Seed Directing Director 59
Average
1985 The Execution Directing Director 59
Average
1984 Scorned and Swindled Directing Director 58
Average
1984 Celebrity Directing Director 68
Fair
1983 The Awakening of Candra Directing Director N/A
N/A
1983 Intimate Agony Directing Director 58
Average
1983 Cocaine: One Man's Seduction Directing Director 59
Average
1982 Farrell: For the People Directing Director N/A
N/A
1981 Golden Gate Directing Director N/A
N/A
1981 The Five of Me Directing Director 59
Average
1980 A Cry for Love Directing Director N/A
N/A
1980 The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd Directing Director 58
Average
1979 Act of Violence Directing Director 59
Average
1979 The Ordeal of Patty Hearst Directing Director 59
Average
1978 A Woman Called Moses Directing Director 69
Fair
1978 Betrayal Directing Director N/A
N/A
1977 Good Against Evil Directing Director 58
Average
1977 Secrets Directing Director N/A
N/A
1977 The Death of Richie Directing Director 59
Average
1976 Special Delivery Directing Director 58
Average
1975 Death Among Friends Directing Director 58
Average
1975 The Legend of Lizzie Borden Directing Director 59
Average
1974 The Underground Man Directing Director N/A
N/A
1973 Terror on the Beach Directing Director 58
Average
1973 Honor Thy Father Directing Director 58
Average
1972 The Strangers in 7A Directing Director 59
Average
1972 Footsteps Directing Director N/A
N/A
1972 Haunts of the Very Rich Directing Director 58
Average
1972 The Family Rico Directing Director 58
Average
1972 The Delphi Bureau Directing Director N/A
N/A
1971 A Death of Innocence Directing Director 59
Average
1971 A Little Game Directing Director 58
Average
1971 A Tattered Web Directing Director 59
Average
1971 The Mephisto Waltz Directing Director 59
Average
1971 Travis Logan, D.A. Directing Director 58
Average
1970 Cannon for Cordoba Directing Director 58
Average
1970 The Brotherhood of the Bell Directing Director 59
Average
1970 Hell Boats Directing Director 59
Average
1969 Guns of the Magnificent Seven Directing Director 57
Average
1969 Fear No Evil Directing Director 59
Average
1968 Cocoon Directing Director N/A
N/A
1968 Attack on the Iron Coast Directing Director 58
Average
1966 Johnny Tiger Directing Director N/A
N/A
1963 Gidget Goes to Rome Directing Director 58
Average
1961 Five Fingers : The Temple of the Swinging Doll Directing Director N/A
N/A
1961 Gidget Goes Hawaiian Directing Director 58
Average
1961 Angel Baby Directing Director 58
Average
1960 Because They're Young Directing Director 58
Average
1959 Battle of the Coral Sea Directing Director 58
Average
1959 Face of a Fugitive Directing Director 58
Average
1959 Gidget Directing Director 59
Average
1958 Tarawa Beachhead Directing Director 58
Average
1958 Bitter Heritage Directing Director N/A
N/A
1958 The Case Against Brooklyn Directing Director 58
Average
1957 The Burglar Directing Director 58
Average

Production
1991 The Chase Production Producer 58
Average
1977 79 Park Avenue Production Producer 68
Fair
1976 Stalk the Wild Child Production Producer N/A
N/A

Editing
1957 The Burglar Editing Editor 58
Average