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Frederick "Fred" Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 - September 15, 2001) was a motion picture and television director and producer. He was best known for his work on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Early life

In his 1988 autobiography, de Cordova described his parents as con artists who, during his early years, lived well and skipped town without paying. He received an undergraduate degree in liberal arts in 1931 from Northwestern University. http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/winter2001/classnotes/inmemoriam.htm

Theater

His first theater credit was as a performer in "Elmer the Great" (1928). After his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1933, he gained employment in the Shubert Theater organization and directed stage shows for the next ten years. He was variously a performer, stage manager, stage director, and finally dialogue director, the last in "Ziegfield Follies of 1943".

Motion pictures

He was a dialogue director in five films, including To Have and Have Not (1944). His first film directing job was “Too Young To Know" (1945) for Warner Brothers. He directed 23 movies. One of the better known was Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) starring a chimpanzee and future President Ronald Reagan. He also directed Rock Hudson, Errol Flynn, Tony Curtis, Audie Murphy, Yvonne de Carlo, Bob Hope and Humphrey Bogart. Much of his career was at Universal Studios, where he was known for turning out entertaining pictures quickly, even with difficult actors, and on a low budget.

His last film was Frankie and Johnny (1966) with Elvis Presley. 
For a complete listing of his films, see his IMDb filmography at:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0208111/

Television

He turned to directing television when there was less need for low budget movies to serve as the second half of a double feature. His skills were perfect for TV. In 1950 his TV career started with directing The Jack Benny Program, on which he appeared several times as himself, and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. Among other programs he directed are The George Gobel Program, December Bride, Leave It To Beaver, My Three Sons, and The Smothers Brothers Show. He directed and/or produced more than 500 tv series or segments. He directed The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson starting in 1970. using the name Fred de Cordova.

 He became producer of the show in 1970 and executive producer in 1984. He described his job as “..chief traffic cop, talent scout, No. 1 fan and critic all rolled into one" in a 1981 interview. de Cordova was described as “.. a large, looming, beaming man with horn-rimmed glasses, an Acapulcan tan, and an engulfing handshake that is a contract in itself, complete with small print and an option for renewal on both sides.”
 He was executive producer when the final Carson show signed off in 1992. He won five Emmys for his work on the show.

Personal life

He married former actress Janet Thomas in 1963, and they remained married for the rest of his life. He died of natural causes at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Hospital in Woodland Hills, California on September 15, 2001.

References

• Bernstein, F., "Traffic cop, talent scout, critic. Fred De Cordova keeps Carson's Tonight Show on track" People Weekly, 22:131-2. October 8, 1984
• de Cordova, Fred, "Johnny Came Lately: An Autobiography". New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. ISBN 0-671-55849-8 (hardcover); paperback reprint edition, Pocket Books, 1989, ISBN 0-671-67082-4.

Notes

External links

• Tonight Show bio

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