Ivan Tors
Encyclopedia
Ivan Tors was a Hungarian
playwright
, film director
, screenwriter
, and film
and television producer
with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals. He started a Miami based film studio now known as Greenwich Studios, and later a music company.
. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps then transferred to the Office of Strategic Services
. Following the war he was contracted to MGM as a screenwriter.
In 1952 Tors made Storm over Tibet, his first film as co-writer and producer. He began his partnership with fellow Hungarian Andrew Marton
with this film.
Long interested in fact-based science fiction
(often with an underwater setting), Tors partnered with actor Richard Carlson
in the 1950s to create A-Men Films, a production company devoted to making movies about its own fictitious exploits.
Under the A-Men banner, Tors wrote and produced films such as The Magnetic Monster
(1951), Gog
(1954), Riders to the Stars
(1954) and the TV series Science Fiction Theatre
, Sea Hunt
, and The Aquanauts (starring Keith Larsen
, Jeremy Slate
, and Ron Ely and renamed Malibu Run). He created the NBC
science fiction
series The Man and the Challenge
, starring principally George Nader
and Jack Ging
and was executive producer of Ripcord
.
In the 1960s Tors left science fiction and made several films and television series spin offs involving animals such as Flipper
, Daktari
, and Cowboy in Africa
a TV spinoff of his film Africa Texas Style
. Tors was an executive producer of MGM Television
's 1967 Off to See the Wizard. He directed some films like Rhino!, Zebra in the Kitchen
(1965) and Galyon (1977). Several of Tors' television series were made by the production company Ziv TV.
His production company, Ivan Tors Films did the underwater filming for the James Bond
film Thunderball
as well as filming his own Around the World Under the Sea
for MGM and Daring Game
and Hello Down There
for Paramount. The company also co-produced a nature-themed documentary series, Jambo, for the NBC
television network from 1969 to 1971. Tors studio filmed the Soupy Sales
film debut in Birds Do It
.
Tors was married to film actress Constance Dowling
from 1955 until her death in 1969. Tors himself died 14 years later, eight days shy of his 67th birthday. He died in Mato Grosso
, Brazil where he was scouting a new TV series.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and film
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals. He started a Miami based film studio now known as Greenwich Studios, and later a music company.
Biography
Tors wrote several plays in his native country before moving to the U.S. just prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps then transferred to the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
. Following the war he was contracted to MGM as a screenwriter.
In 1952 Tors made Storm over Tibet, his first film as co-writer and producer. He began his partnership with fellow Hungarian Andrew Marton
Andrew Marton
Andrew Marton was a Hungarian-American director, producer and editor...
with this film.
Long interested in fact-based science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
(often with an underwater setting), Tors partnered with actor Richard Carlson
Richard Carlson
Richard Carlson was an American actor, television and film director, and screenwriter.-Career:Born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, Carlson graduated from the University of Minnesota with an M.A. degree, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He later appeared on the Broadway stage in the 1930s after studying...
in the 1950s to create A-Men Films, a production company devoted to making movies about its own fictitious exploits.
Under the A-Men banner, Tors wrote and produced films such as The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
(1951), Gog
Gog (film)
Gog is a 1954 science fiction film directed by Herbert L. Strock and released in 1954 by United Artists. It is notable for having been shot in color, widescreen and 3-D...
(1954), Riders to the Stars
Riders to the Stars
Riders to the Stars is an American science fiction film that was released in 1954 by Ivan Tors Productions and directed by Richard Carlson. It stars William Lundigan, Martha Hyer, Herbert Marshall, and Richard Carlson.- Plot :...
(1954) and the TV series Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre is an American science fiction anthology series that aired in syndication from April 1955 to April 1957. It was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv.-Overview:...
, Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt was an American adventure television series that was aired in syndication by Ziv Television Programs from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced...
, and The Aquanauts (starring Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen
Keith Larsen was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer who starred in three short-lived television series between 1955 and 1961.-Background:...
, Jeremy Slate
Jeremy Slate
Jeremy Slate was an American film and television actor.-Early life:He attended a military academy and joined the navy when he was 16. He was barely 18 when his destroyer assisted in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day . After the war he attended St. Lawrence University where he graduated with honors in...
, and Ron Ely and renamed Malibu Run). He created the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge is a 36-segment half-hour television adventure/science fiction series which ran new episodes on NBC from September 12, 1959, to June 11, 1960. It starred George Nader as Dr. Glenn Barton, a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, an agency that conducted...
, starring principally George Nader
George Nader
George Nader was an American film and television actor of Lebanese descent. He appeared in a variety of films from 1950 through 1974, including Phone Call from a Stranger , Congo Crossing , and The Female Animal...
and Jack Ging
Jack Ging
Jack Lee Ging is an American actor best known for his role as General Harlan 'Bull' Fullbright in the NBC television series The A-Team.-Early life:...
and was executive producer of Ripcord
Ripcord (TV series)
Ripcord is an American syndicated television series that ran for 76 episodes from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation by the same name.-Overview:...
.
In the 1960s Tors left science fiction and made several films and television series spin offs involving animals such as Flipper
Flipper (1964 TV series)
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
, Daktari
Daktari
Daktari is an American children's drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series, an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television, stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour in East...
, and Cowboy in Africa
Cowboy in Africa
Cowboy in Africa is an ABC television series produced in 1967-1968 by Ivan Tors and starring Chuck Connors. A 1966 television pilot turned into a movie and released to cinemas starring Hugh O'Brian as Jim Sinclair was called Africa - Texas Style.-Plot:...
a TV spinoff of his film Africa Texas Style
Africa Texas Style
Africa Texas Style is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Andrew Marton and starring John Mills, Hugh O'Brian and Nigel Green. Two American cowboys are hired by a British rancher to oversee his estate in Kenya.-Cast:* Hugh O'Brian- Jim Sinclair...
. Tors was an executive producer of MGM Television
MGM Television
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
's 1967 Off to See the Wizard. He directed some films like Rhino!, Zebra in the Kitchen
Zebra in the Kitchen
Zebra in the Kitchen is a 1965 American family comedy film, produced and directed by Ivan Tors. The film stars Jay North in his first leading feature film role, Martin Milner, Andy Devine, and Joyce Meadows, and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy's love and compassion for the animals he finds...
(1965) and Galyon (1977). Several of Tors' television series were made by the production company Ziv TV.
His production company, Ivan Tors Films did the underwater filming for the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
as well as filming his own Around the World Under the Sea
Around the World Under the Sea
Around the World Under the Sea is a 1966 science fiction film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Lloyd Bridges, with Marshall Thompson, Shirley Eaton, Gary Merrill, and David McCallum...
for MGM and Daring Game
Daring Game (film)
Daring Game is a 1968 film starring Lloyd Bridges and Nico Minardos filmed at the Ivan Tors studio in Miami and in the Bahamas. The working title was The Unkillables.-Plot:...
and Hello Down There
Hello Down There
Hello Down There is a 1969 musical comedy film made by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Jack Arnold and Ricou Browning and produced by George Sherman and Ivan Tors from a screenplay by John McGreevey and Frank Telford. It starred Tony Randall and Janet Leigh...
for Paramount. The company also co-produced a nature-themed documentary series, Jambo, for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network from 1969 to 1971. Tors studio filmed the Soupy Sales
Soupy Sales
Soupy Sales was an American comedian, actor, radio-TV personality and host, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television show, Lunch with Soupy Sales; a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his...
film debut in Birds Do It
Birds Do It
Birds Do It is a 1966 comedy movie that was made by Columbia Pictures and filmed at the Ivan Tors Studios in Miami. It stars Soupy Sales in his film debut as a leading man, Tab Hunter, Arthur O'Connell, Edward Andrews and Beverly Adams...
.
Tors was married to film actress Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life and career:...
from 1955 until her death in 1969. Tors himself died 14 years later, eight days shy of his 67th birthday. He died in Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest in area, located in the western part of the country.Neighboring states are Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará, Tocantins, Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul. It also borders Bolivia to the southwest...
, Brazil where he was scouting a new TV series.