Gene Reynolds

Gene Reynolds

Birth : 1923-04-04, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Death : 2020-02-03

History

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gene Reynolds (born Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal, April 4, 1923 - February 3, 2020) was an American actor, television writer, director, and producer. He was one of the producers of the TV series M*A*S*H. Reynolds made his screen debut in the 1934 Our Gang short Washee Ironee, and for the next three decades made numerous appearances in films such as In Old Chicago (1937), Captains Courageous (1937), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), Boys Town (1938), They Shall Have Music (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), Adventure in Washington (1941), Eagle Squadron (1942) and The Country Girl (1954), and on television series like I Love Lucy, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Whirlybirds, and Hallmark Hall of Fame. He was contracted to MGM between 1937 and 1940. He was in the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1957, Reynolds joined forces with Frank Gruber and James Brooks to create Tales of Wells Fargo for NBC. During the program's five-year run he wrote and directed numerous episodes. Additional directing credits include multiple episodes of Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Farmer's Daughter, My Three Sons, F Troop, Hogan's Heroes, Room 222, and Many Happy Returns. As a writer, director, and producer, Reynolds was involved with two highly successful CBS series in the 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1972 and 1983, he produced 120 episodes of M*A*S*H, which he co-created with Larry Gelbart, and for which he also wrote 11 episodes and directed 24. During that same period, he produced 22 episodes of Lou Grant, for which he wrote (or co-wrote) five episodes and directed 11. Reynolds has been nominated for twenty-four Emmy Awards and won six times, including Outstanding Comedy Series for M*A*S*H and Outstanding Drama Series twice for Lou Grant, which also earned him a Humanitas Prize. He won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series twice for his work on M*A*S*H and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series once for his work on Lou Grant. Reynolds was elected President of the Directors Guild of America in 1993, a post he held for four years until 1997. He died on February 3, 2020 at age 96.

Profile

Gene Reynolds

Movies

M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television
Self
Join the individuals who made M*A*S*H as they celebrate one of the most beloved, enduringly popular, often quoted and influential comedies ever created.
The Real M*A*S*H
Himself
The Real MASH traces the original stories and people that inspired the fictional feature film and TV series about Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals in the Korean War. Both pushed buttons on cultural and social frontiers but real life MASH units were actually more like renegade units onto themselves and early indicators of the social turmoil and tensions that were to unfold later in the USA. Interviews with MASH actors, including Jamie Farr, Loretta Swit and Gary Burghoff, co-creator Gene Reynolds, surgeons, doctors, nurses, pilots and enlisted men who served in the war blend with dramatic recreations, archival film and rare photographs to tell the true stories behind the MASH entertainment franchise.
Victor Fleming: Master Craftsman
Himself
A documentary on the life and career of Victor Fleming, director of such iconic movies as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.
Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust
Self
Daniel Anker’s 90-minute documentary takes on over 60 years of a very complex subject: Hollywood’s complicated, often contradictory relationship with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The questions it raises go right the very nature of how film functions in our culture, and while hardly exhaustive, Anker’s film makes for a good, thought provoking starting point.
M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Reunion
Himself
The M*A*S*H 30th Anniversary Reunion Special is a retrospective documentary on the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H that aired on the FOX TV network on May 17, 2002. The progam features interviews with past cast members, producers, and writers who contributed to the series, which originally aired on CBS-TV from September 17, 1972 to February 28, 1983.
Memories Of M*A*S*H
Producer
Hosted by one-time M*A*S*H guest star Shelley Long, “Memories of M*A*S*H” included brand-new interviews with the cast as well as producers, creators and guest-stars. The 90-minute retrospective aired on November 25th, 1991 on CBS as part of its “Classic Weekend II,” which also included “The Bob Newhart 19th Anniversary Special” and “The Best of Ed Sullivan II.” Dozens of clips from over over sixty different episodes were shown. It was the brain-child of Michael Hirsh (also responsible for “Making M*A*S*H”) and coincided with the 20th anniversary of M*A*S*H.
Memories Of M*A*S*H
Self
Hosted by one-time M*A*S*H guest star Shelley Long, “Memories of M*A*S*H” included brand-new interviews with the cast as well as producers, creators and guest-stars. The 90-minute retrospective aired on November 25th, 1991 on CBS as part of its “Classic Weekend II,” which also included “The Bob Newhart 19th Anniversary Special” and “The Best of Ed Sullivan II.” Dozens of clips from over over sixty different episodes were shown. It was the brain-child of Michael Hirsh (also responsible for “Making M*A*S*H”) and coincided with the 20th anniversary of M*A*S*H.
The Whereabouts of Jenny
Director
Jimmy O'Meara loves his daughter more than anything in the world. But when his ex-wife gets involved with a man who's involved with criminals, his world is turned upside down. They have entered the Witness Protection Program and the government attorney who is in charge of the program is being highly uncooperative with Mr. O'Meara's request that he be granted access to his daughter. This starts an intense legal battle.
Doing Life
Director
Tony Danza stars in this prison drama about Jerome "Jerry" Rosenburg, a self-professed "jailhouse lawyer" who defends himself against the homicide charge that has put him on death row. This tense movie, made in Canada, has the feel of a biographical documentary.
In Defense of Kids
Director
When a female lawyer finds a girl hiding in the back of her car, it starts her thinking, and she decides to give up her job to open up a refuge for neglected children.
Diane
Montecuculli
Asked by Francis I to tutor his son, Diane de Poitiers becomes the future King Henry II's mistress in 1500s France.
The Country Girl
Larry
An ex-theater actor is given one more chance to star in a musical yet his alcoholism may prevent it from happening.
Down Three Dark Streets
Vince Angelino
An FBI Agent takes on the three unrelated cases of a dead agent to track down his killer.
99 River Street
Chuck
A former boxer --now taxi driver-- gets mixed up with jewel thieves.
The Big Cat
Wid Hawks, Gil' Son
A city boy arrives in his late mother's birthplace to discover the locals have been pestered by a cougar.
Jungle Patrol
Lt. Marion Minor
Eight fighter pilots hold off constant Japanese attacks during the construction of an airstrip in New Guinea.
Dead End Kids Go To War
Eddie Holden
The Dead End Kids join the war effort in this feature-length version of the Universal serial Junior G-Men of the Air. The fiendish Black Dragon Society, led by the sinister Baron (perennial B-movie villain Lionel Atwill) plots to pave the way for an Axis invasion of the U.S.A. by destroying America's defenses. When their plans are discovered by the Dead End Kids, the gang is too suspicious of "the coppers" to ask for help. The FBI send in their Junior G-Men to stop the spies, but when one of the Dead Enders is kidnapped, the two groups must work together to smash the Black Dragons once and for all!
Junior G-Men of the Air
Eddie Holden
A group of street kids battle a terrorist gang led by a Japanese spy.
Eagle Squadron
The kid
An American joins the British Royal Air Force just before Pearl Harbor is attacked, and falls in love with a beautiful English girl.
The Tuttles of Tahiti
Ru
After a long absense from the island, Chester Tuttle returns to Tahiti to find that little has changed. His large family, particularly his scheming Uncle Jonas, would rather dance and romance than earn a living. When Jonas loses the family plantation in a cockfight, Chester saves the day by towing in a large ship abandoned at sea and claiming the salvage. But opening a joint bank account in the name of the Tuttle clan may not have been a wise decision.
Adventure in Washington
Marty Driscoll
A troubled youth is offered the opportunity to serve as a Senate page in Washington, DC.
The Penalty
'Roosty'
In this crime drama, a ruthless gangster's son is soon following in his father's footsteps. When his daddy kills an FBI agent and a cabby, the boy sees it all. Fortunately the courts intervene and send the lad off to live with a family of farmers.
The Penalty
Russell 'Roosty' Nelson
In this crime drama, a ruthless gangster's son is soon following in his father's footsteps. When his daddy kills an FBI agent and a cabby, the boy sees it all. Fortunately the courts intervene and send the lad off to live with a family of farmers.
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
Jimmy McMahon
All set to graduate from high school , Andy Hardy flunks his English exam -- in spite of the fact that Aunt Milly is his teacher, and that the Judge has gone to all the trouble of getting him his very own private secretary.
Santa Fe Trail
Jason Brown
As a penalty for fighting fellow classmates days before graduating from West Point, J.E.B. Stuart, George Armstrong Custer and four friends are assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, stationed at Fort Leavenworth. While there they aid in the capture and execution of the abolitionist, John Brown following the Battle of Harper's Ferry.
Gallant Sons
Johnny Davis
When a teenager's father is accused of murder, the boy and his high-school classmates set out to find the real killer.
The Mortal Storm
Rudi
The Roth family leads a quiet life in a small village in the German Alps during the early 1930s. When the Nazis come to power, the family is divided and Martin Brietner, a family friend is caught up in the turmoil.
Edison, the Man
Jimmy Price
In flashback, fifty years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Edison tells his story starting at age twenty-two with his arrival in New York. He's on his way with the invention of an early form of the stock market ticker.
The Blue Bird
Studious Boy
An ungrateful girl and her little brother are transported in their dreams by a fairy to a wonderland, tasked with finding the mythical blue bird of happiness, meeting friends and foes along the way.
Bad Little Angel
Thomas 'Tommy' Wilks
A bible-guided Victorian orphan befriends a bootblack in a strange town.
They Shall Have Music
Frankie
The future is bleak for a troubled boy from a broken home in the slums. He runs away when his step father breaks his violin, ending up sleeping in the basement of a music school for poor children.
The Flying Irishman
Young Douglas Corrigan
This is the story of the historic 1938 flight of Douglas 'Wrong Way' Corrigan. Mr. Corrigan starred in this film, which chronicled his infamous flight. On July 17, 1938, Mr. Corrigan loaded 320 gallons of gasoline (40 hours worth) into the tiny, single engine plane. While expressing his intent to fly west to Long Beach, CA, Mr. Corrigan flew out of Floyd Bennett Field heading east over the Atlantic. Instrumentation in the plane included two compasses (both malfunctioned) and a turn-and-bank indicator. The cabin door was held shut with baling wire. Nearly 29 hours later, he landed in Baldonnel near Dublin. He forever claimed to be surprised at arriving in Ireland rather than California. He returned to the US as a hero, with a ticker tape parade in New York and received numerous medals and awards.
The Spirit of Culver
Carruthers
Tom Allen, an orphan accustomed to waiting in bread lines is awarded a scholarship to the Culver Military Academy. Talked into attending so that he can have free room and board, Allen initially resists the rigid discipline but later softens as he makes friends and sees the value to the hard work and discipline.
Boys Town
Tony Ponessa
Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.
The Crowd Roars
Tommy McCoy, as a boy
A young boxer gets caught between a no-good father and a crime boss when he starts dating the boss's daughter, although she doesn't know what daddy does for a living.
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Jimmy MacMahon Jr.
Andy Hardy becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time.
In Old Chicago
Dion O'Leary (as a boy)
The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.
Of Human Hearts
Jason Wilkins as a Child
This is a story about family relationships, set in the time before and during the American Civil War. Ethan Wilkins is a poor and honest man who ministers to the human soul, while his son Jason yearns to be a doctor, helping people in the earthly realm. It is a rich story about striving for excellence, the tension of father-son rebellion, and the love of a mother that can never die.
Madame X
Raymond Fleuriot, Age 12-14
An alcoholic woman was charged and tried for murder and a young defense attorney, unaware that she is his mother, takes the assignment to defend her in court.
The Californian
Ramon as a Child
Native son returns from school in Spain to California in 1855 and finds corrupt politicians stealing land from old California families. He becomes a sort of Robin Hood in order to fight them.
Captains Courageous
Boy in Print Shop (uncredited)
Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a transatlantic steamship and is rescued by a fishing vessel on the Grand Banks. Harvey fails to persuade them to take him ashore, nor convince the crew of his wealth. The captain offers him a low-paid job, until they return to port, as part of the crew that turns him into a mature, considerate young man.
Thank You, Jeeves!
Bobby Smith
Jeeves tries to keep his young master out of trouble.
Sins of Man
Karl Freyman as a Boy
Austrian church bell ringer Freyman loves music and wants his two sons (both played by Ameche) to love it too. The first goes to America and the second is born deaf-mute but gains hearing during WWI bombing.
The Calling of Dan Matthews
Tommy's Friend (uncredited)
Dan Matthews (Richard Arlen), a young parson, is in love with Hope Strong (Charlotte Wynters), the daughter of James B. Strong ('FRederick Burton'), a man who controls the town with his real estate and business interests. Strong is an upstanding citizen who has fallen into the hands of a clever racketeer, Jeff Hardy (Douglass Dumbrille), who acts as Strong's manager of some innocent-appearing amusement places that are really secret dens of vice.
Washee Ironee
Football Player
Rich boy Waldo gets his clothes dirty playing football with the gang just before he has to go to his mother's society party. The gang tries to help him clean up.