Frank C. Baxter
Encyclopedia
Francis Condie Baxter was an American
TV personality and educator. He was a professor of English
at the University of Southern California
. Baxter hosted Telephone Time
in 1957 and 1958 when ABC
picked up the program and ended the tenure of John Nesbitt
. During the 1950s, his program Shakespeare on TV won seven Emmy Award
s.
, Baxter is best remembered for his appearance as Dr. Research in almost all of the Bell Laboratory
Science Series of eight educational films produced for television in the late 1950s, and which became a staple in American classrooms from the 1960s through the 1980s. The Bell Laboratory Science Series
combined scientific footage, live actors and animation to convey scientific concepts and history in a lively, entertaining way; and the bald, bespectacled and affable Baxter served as narrator, lecturer and host. These films made Baxter (who was not a scientist) something of a scientific icon among baby boomers. Several of Baxter's science films have been released on DVD.
Baxter also appeared (as himself) in a prologue to the 1956 film The Mole People, in which he gave a brief history of theories of life beneath the surface of the earth.
In 1966, Baxter hosted a popular TV series called The Four Winds to Adventure, featuring filmmakers exploring little-known areas of the world, whether across continents, oceans, or local people and animals in a particular region.
Baxter died at age 85 in San Marino, California
. His body was cremated, and his ashes were placed in a vault in Altadena
's Mountain View Cemetery.
. Baxter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV personality and educator. He was a professor of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Baxter hosted Telephone Time
Telephone Time
Telephone Time is the title of a US TV drama series that aired from 1956 to 1958 featuring plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons...
in 1957 and 1958 when ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
picked up the program and ended the tenure of John Nesbitt
John Nesbitt (announcer)
John Nesbitt was an actor, narrator, announcer, producer and screenwriter born in Victoria, British Columbia, who died in Carmel, California...
. During the 1950s, his program Shakespeare on TV won seven Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s.
Biography
Born in Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, Baxter is best remembered for his appearance as Dr. Research in almost all of the Bell Laboratory
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
Science Series of eight educational films produced for television in the late 1950s, and which became a staple in American classrooms from the 1960s through the 1980s. The Bell Laboratory Science Series
The Bell Laboratory Science Series
The Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
combined scientific footage, live actors and animation to convey scientific concepts and history in a lively, entertaining way; and the bald, bespectacled and affable Baxter served as narrator, lecturer and host. These films made Baxter (who was not a scientist) something of a scientific icon among baby boomers. Several of Baxter's science films have been released on DVD.
Baxter also appeared (as himself) in a prologue to the 1956 film The Mole People, in which he gave a brief history of theories of life beneath the surface of the earth.
In 1966, Baxter hosted a popular TV series called The Four Winds to Adventure, featuring filmmakers exploring little-known areas of the world, whether across continents, oceans, or local people and animals in a particular region.
Baxter died at age 85 in San Marino, California
San Marino, California
San Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
. His body was cremated, and his ashes were placed in a vault in Altadena
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
's Mountain View Cemetery.
Awards
Baxter made history when he won the first Golden Gavel award by Toastmasters InternationalToastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills...
. Baxter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
.
Selected filmography
- The Mole People (1956)
- Our Mr. SunOur Mr. SunOur Mr. Sun is a one-hour American 1956 television film in Technicolor written, produced, and directed by Frank Capra. It is a documentary that explains how the Sun works and how it also plays a huge part in human life. It was first televised by CBS in 1956.The film starred Frank Baxter as "Dr...
(1956) - Hemo the MagnificentHemo the MagnificentHemo the Magnificent is a one-hour Technicolor made-for-television educational film, released in 1957 by Bell Laboratories and directed by Frank Capra, and first telecast by CBS. It details the workings of the circulatory system...
(1957) - The Strange Case of the Cosmic RaysThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1957) - Meteora: The Unchained GoddessThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1958) - Gateways to the MindThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1958) - The Alphabet ConspiracyThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1959) - Thread of LifeThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1960) - About TimeThe Bell Laboratory Science SeriesThe Bell Laboratory Science Series was a series of educational television specials made for Bell Labs by Frank Capra, Walt Disney, and others. Each special explored a single subject in detail. The host of seven of the eight films was Dr. Research, played by Frank C. Baxter...
(1962)