Jerry Hopper
Encyclopedia
Jerry Hopper was an American
film and television director, active from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s.
He was an editor at Paramount Pictures
before moving to the directors' chair for several installments of their Musical Parade series (1946–48). Hopper went on to direct feature films, such as, The Atomic City
(1952), Secret of the Incas
(1954), and The Private War of Major Benson
(1955), the later two with actor Charlton Heston
. In 1958 he directed Brandon De Wilde
and Lee Marvin
in The Missouri Traveler
.
He then moved primarily into episodic television, helming a notable number of episodes from "Bachelor Father", "Wagon Train
", "Gunsmoke
", "The Addams Family
", "Burke's Law
", "Perry Mason
", "The Fugitive
", "Gilligan's Island
", and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
", among many, many others.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film and television director, active from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s.
He was an editor at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
before moving to the directors' chair for several installments of their Musical Parade series (1946–48). Hopper went on to direct feature films, such as, The Atomic City
The Atomic City
The Atomic City is a 1952 drama film directed by Jerry Hopper, starring Gene Barry, Lydia Clarke. At Los Alamos, New Mexico, a nuclear physicist lives and works. Terrorists kidnap Barry's son and demand that the physicist turn over the H-bomb formula...
(1952), Secret of the Incas
Secret of the Incas
Secret of the Incas is a 1954 adventure film starring Charlton Heston as adventurer Harry Steele, on the trail of an ancient Incan artifact.-Cast:*Charlton Heston as Harry Steele, adventurer*Robert Young as Stanley Moorhead...
(1954), and The Private War of Major Benson
The Private War of Major Benson
The Private War of Major Benson is 1955 comedy film starring Charlton Heston, Julie Adams, Sal Mineo and Tim Hovey, about a tough-talking U.S. Army Officer who must shape up the ROTC program at Sheridan Academy, a Catholic boys' military school, or be forced out of the Army.The movie was filmed on St...
(1955), the later two with actor Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
. In 1958 he directed Brandon De Wilde
Brandon De Wilde
Andre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
and Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
in The Missouri Traveler
The Missouri Traveler
The Missouri Traveler is a 1958 American coming-of-age period piece drama film directed by Jerry Hopper starring Brandon De Wilde and Lee Marvin. It is based on the novel by John Burress. The cinematography was by Technicolor developer Winton C. Hoch with harmonica and banjo score by Jack Marshall...
.
He then moved primarily into episodic television, helming a notable number of episodes from "Bachelor Father", "Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
", "Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
", "The Addams Family
The Addams Family (TV series)
The Addams Family is an American television series based on the characters in Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons. The 30-minute series was shot in black-and-white and aired for two seasons in 64 installments on ABC from September 18, 1964, to April 8, 1966...
", "Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
", "Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
", "The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
", "Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
", and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
", among many, many others.
Filmography
- The Bull of the West (1971) (TV)
- MadronMadronMadron is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a large rural parish on the Penwith peninsula north of Penzance.Madron village is situated approximately two miles northwest of Penzance town centre....
(1970) - The VirginianThe Virginian (TV series)The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
(2 episodes, 1963–1970). TV episodes: The West vs. Colonel MacKenzie (1970) & Duel at Shiloh (1963) - Maharlika (1970) (as Jerr Hopper)
- It Takes a Thief (1 episode, 1969). TV episode: Catspaw (1969)
- Get SmartGet SmartGet Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
(2 episodes, 1968). TV episodes A Tale of Two Tails (1968) & Diamonds Are a Spy's Best Friend (1968) - Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
(15 episodes, 1965–1968). TV episodes: Attack! (1968) & Man-Beast (1968) & Terrible Leprechaun (1968) & Deadly Amphibians (1967) & Terror (1967) plus 10 more. - Mr. TerrificMister Terrific (TV series)Mister Terrific was an American TV sitcom that aired on CBS from January 9, to May 8, 1967. It starred Stephen Strimpell in the title role, and lasted 17 episodes. The show was similar to NBC's Captain Nice, which followed Mister Terrific on Monday nights during its run...
(1 episode, 1967). TV episode: Stanley and the Mountaineers (1967) - Gilligan's IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
(7 episodes, 1966–1967): TV episodes: Splashdown (1967) & All About Eva (1966) & And Then There Were None (1966) & The Kidnapper (1966) & Gilligan vs. Gilligan (1966) plus 2 more. - It's About Time (4 episodes, 1966). TV episodes: The Mother-in-Law (1966) & Androcles and Clon (1966) & Cave Movies (1966) & The Champ (1966)
- The Time TunnelThe Time TunnelThe Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
(1 episode, 1966). TV episode: Devil's Island (1966) - LaredoLaredo (TV series)Laredo is an NBC Western television series starring Neville Brand, William Smith, Peter Brown, and Philip Carey as Texas Rangers. The program premiered on September 16, 1965, and the final new episode was broadcast on April 7, 1967. The series was produced by Universal Television.-Synopsis:Laredo...
(1 episode, 1966). TV episode: The Dance of the Laughing Death (1966) - The FugitiveThe Fugitive (TV series)The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
(14 episodes, 1963–1966). TV episodes: Coralee (1966) & Conspiracy of Silence (1965) & Escape into Black (1964) & Dark Corner (1964) & Nemesis (1964) plus 9 more. - Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
(6 episodes, 1961–1966). TV episodes: The Case of the Misguided Model (1966) & The Case of the Counterfeit Crank (1962) & The Case of the Melancholy Marksman (1962) &The Case of the Tarnished Trademark (1962) & The Case of the Roving River (1961) & The Case of The Left-Handed Liar (1961) - A Man Called ShenandoahA Man Called ShenandoahA Man Called Shenandoah is a Western series that aired on ABC-TV from 1965 to 1966 by MGM Television.-Synopsis:The series starred Robert Horton as a man who was found shot and left for dead on the trail and is revived...
(1 episode, 1966). TV episode: The Last Diablo (1966) - Honey WestHoney West (TV series)Honey West is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC during the 1965-1966 television season. The series stars Anne Francis as female private detective Honey West and John Ericson as her partner Sam Bolt....
(1 episode, 1965). TV episode: A Nice Little Till to Tap (1965) - Burke's LawBurke's LawBurke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
(11 episodes, 1964–1965). TV episodes: A Little Gift for Cairo (1965) & The Man's Men (1965) & Who Killed the Card? (1965) & Who Killed the Rabbit's Husband? (1965) & Who Killed Nobody Somehow? (1965) plus 6 more - 12 O'Clock High (2 episodes, 1965). TV episodes: We're Not Coming Back (1965) & Big Brother (1965) TV episode
- Valentine's DayValentine's DaySaint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
(3 episodes, 1964). TV episodes: The Seasick Sailor (1964) & Yen Ku Horowitz (1964) & The Baritone Canary (1964) - The Addams FamilyThe Addams FamilyThe Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
(4 episodes, 1964). TV episodes: Morticia, the Matchmaker (1964) & Green-Eyed Gomez (1964) & The Addams Family Tree (1964) & Gomez, the Politician (1964) - GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
(4 episodes, 1963–1964). TV episodes: Owney Tupper Had a Daughter (1964) & The Glory and the Mud (1964) & Pa Hack's Brood (1963) & Carter Caper (1963) - Vacation Playhouse (1 episode, 1963). TV episode: Hooray for Love (1963)
- Wagon TrainWagon TrainWagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
(13 episodes, 1958–1963). TV episodes: Alias Bill Hawks (1963) & The Roger Bigelow Story (1960) & The Horace Best Story (1960) & The Dick Jarvis Story (1960) & The Alexander Portlass Story (1960) plus 8 more - Have Gun - Will Travel (3 episodes, 1962–1963). TV episodes : Unforgiving Minute (1963) & Bob Wire (1963) & Marshal of Sweetwater (1962)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1 episode, 1962). TV episode: Day of Reckoning (1962)
- The New Breed (1 episode, 1962). TV episode: Walk This Street Lightly (1962)
- Tales of Wells FargoTales of Wells FargoTales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
(2 episodes, 1957–1961). TV episodes: Casket 7.3 (1961) & A Time to Kill (1957) - Westinghouse PlayhouseWestinghouse playhouseWestinghouse Playhouse is an American sitcom that aired from January to July 1961 on NBC. Starring Nanette Fabray, the series was also known as The Nanette Fabray Show, Westinghouse Playhouse Starring Nanette Fabray and Wendell Corey, and ran under the title Yes, Yes Nanette in...
(2 episodes, 1961). TV episodes: The Mrs. Harper Story (1961) & Buddy's Formal Dinner (1961) - Blueprint for Robbery (1961)
- Bat MastersonBat MastersonWilliam Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
(1 episode, 1960). TV episode: The Last of the Night Raiders (1960) - CheyenneCheyenneCheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
(1 episode, 1960). TV episode: Counterfeit Gun (1960) - Mr. Lucky (2 episodes, 1959–1960). TV episodes: Election Bet (1960) & My Little Gray Home (1959)
- M SquadM SquadM Squad is an American police drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. Its format would later inspire the creation of spoof TV show Police Squad! Its sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during the...
(3 episodes, 1959–1960). TV episodes: Diary of a Bomber (1960) & Race to Death (1960) & Shred of Doubt (1959) - Overland TrailOverland TrailThe Overland Trail was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was most heavily used in the 1860s as an alternative route to the Oregon, California and Mormon...
(1 episode, 1960). TV episode: The O'Mara's Ladies (1960) - Westinghouse Desilu PlayhouseWestinghouse Desilu PlayhouseWestinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958 and 1960...
(1 episode, 1959). TV episode: Ballad for a Bad Man (1959) - The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
(1 episode, 1959). TV episode: The Dutch Schultz Story (1959) - Wichita TownWichita TownWichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960....
(2 episodes, 1959). TV episodes: Drifting (1959) & The Night the Cowboys Roared (1959) - Law of the PlainsmanLaw of the PlainsmanLaw of The Plainsman is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on the NBC television network from October 1, 1959, until May 5, 1960. The character of Native American U.S...
(1 episode, 1959). TV episode: Full Circle (1959) - MarkhamMarkham (television series)Markham is a CBS drama television series starring Ray Milland, which aired during the 1958-1959 and 1959-1960 seasons following Gunsmoke on Saturday nights Markham is a CBS drama television series starring Ray Milland, which aired during the 1958-1959 and 1959-1960 seasons following Gunsmoke on...
(1 episode, 1959). TV episode: The Glass Diamond (1959) - The RiflemanThe RiflemanThe Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
(4 episodes, 1958–1959). TV episodes: The Angry Man (1959) & The Deadeye Kid (1959) & The Gaucho (1958) & End of a Young Gun (1958) - Zane Grey Theater (2 episodes, 1958–1959). TV episodes: Deadfall (1959) & Legacy of a Legend (1958)
- Naked CityNaked City (TV series)Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
(1 episode, 1958). TV episode: Meridian (1958) - Bachelor Father (15 episodes, 1957–1958). TV episodes: Uncle Bentley and the Matchmaker (1958) & Waiting Up for Kelly (1958) & Bentley and the Social Worker (1958) & Uncle Bentley Loans Out Peter (1958) & Bentley and His Junior Image (1958) plus 10 more
- Jefferson DrumJefferson DrumJefferson Drum is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards and Eugene Martin on the NBC network that aired from April 25 to December 11, 1958.-Overview:...
(1 episode, 1958). TV episode: Law and Order (1958) - How to Marry a MillionaireHow to Marry a MillionaireHow to Marry a Millionaire is a 1953 romantic comedy film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by Jean Negulesco and produced and written by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays The Greeks Had a Word for It by Zoe Akins and Loco by Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert. The music score...
(1 episode, 1958). TV episode: A Call to Arms (1958) - The Missouri TravelerThe Missouri TravelerThe Missouri Traveler is a 1958 American coming-of-age period piece drama film directed by Jerry Hopper starring Brandon De Wilde and Lee Marvin. It is based on the novel by John Burress. The cinematography was by Technicolor developer Winton C. Hoch with harmonica and banjo score by Jack Marshall...
(1958) - Leave It to BeaverLeave It to BeaverLeave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
(1 episode, 1957). TV episode: It's a Small World (1957) - Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1 episode, 1957). TV episode: The Wildcatter (1957)
- Everything But the Truth (1956)
- The SharkfightersThe SharkfightersThe Sharkfighters is a 1956 American film about U.S. Navy scientists working to invent a shark repellent to help protect military personnel at sea. Directed by Jerry Hopper, it starred Victor Mature, James Olson, and Claude Akins-Plot:In 1943, U.S...
(1956) - The Toy Tiger (1956)
- Never Say Goodbye (1956)
- The Square Jungle (1955)
- The Private War of Major BensonThe Private War of Major BensonThe Private War of Major Benson is 1955 comedy film starring Charlton Heston, Julie Adams, Sal Mineo and Tim Hovey, about a tough-talking U.S. Army Officer who must shape up the ROTC program at Sheridan Academy, a Catholic boys' military school, or be forced out of the Army.The movie was filmed on St...
(1955) - One Desire (1955)
- Smoke SignalSmoke signalThe smoke signal is one of the oldest forms of communication in recorded history. It is a form of visual communication used over long distance.-History and usage:...
(1955) - Naked AlibiNaked AlibiNaked Alibi is a 1954 black-and-white film starring Sterling Hayden. Portions of the film, considered film noir, were shot in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.-Plot:...
(1954) - Secret of the IncasSecret of the IncasSecret of the Incas is a 1954 adventure film starring Charlton Heston as adventurer Harry Steele, on the trail of an ancient Incan artifact.-Cast:*Charlton Heston as Harry Steele, adventurer*Robert Young as Stanley Moorhead...
(1954) - Alaska SeasAlaska SeasAlaska Seas is a 1954 crime drama film directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Robert Ryan and Brian Keith.-Plot:Matt Kelly is released from jail and skips town in his boat without paying outstanding storage fees. Back in his home town he is hired by his old friend Jim Kimmerly , the head of the...
(1954) - Pony ExpressPony ExpressThe Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
(1953) - Hurricane Smith (1952)
- The Atomic CityThe Atomic CityThe Atomic City is a 1952 drama film directed by Jerry Hopper, starring Gene Barry, Lydia Clarke. At Los Alamos, New Mexico, a nuclear physicist lives and works. Terrorists kidnap Barry's son and demand that the physicist turn over the H-bomb formula...
(1952) - The Cinematographer (1951) (uncredited)
- History Brought to Life (1950) (uncredited)
- Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1948)
- Smooth Sailing (1947)
- Sweet and Low (1947)
- Golden SlippersGolden Slippers"Golden Slippers" is a spiritual popularized in the years following the American Civil War by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. The song is also known by its opening line, "What Kind of Shoes You Gwine To Wear". The song became the basis for a minstrel show parody song, "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers", which...
(1946)