Hubbry Logo
Gordon HesslerGordon HesslerMain
Open search
Gordon Hessler
Community hub
Gordon Hessler
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Gordon Hessler
Gordon Hessler
Gordon Hessler
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Gordon Hessler (12 December 1925 – 19 January 2014) was a German-born British film and television director, screenwriter, and producer.[1]

Key Information

Biography

[edit]

Early years

[edit]

Born in Berlin, Germany,[2] he was raised in England and studied at the University of Reading. While a teenager, he moved to the United States and directed a series of short films and documentaries.[3]

Television

[edit]

Universal Studios hired Hessler as a story reader for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series.[3] He became story editor for two seasons (1960–1962) for that series, then served as the associate producer for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour from 1962 until its cancellation in 1965.[2] He also directed episodes of that series.

Hessler then directed his first feature, a low budget thriller The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (1965), aka Catacombs.

He returned to television producing Run for Your Life (1966) and directing episodes of Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre.[4][5]

He directed The Last Shot You Hear with filming started in 1967 but it was not released until 1969, which was the last film from Robert L. Lippert.[6]

AIP

[edit]

American International Pictures asked Hessler to step in to produce and direct The Oblong Box (1969), starring Vincent Price, when Michael Reeves became unavailable.[7] It was written by Christopher Wicking with whom Hessler would make four more movies.[8]

AIP liked Hessler's work and called him in to do some uncredited directing on De Sade (1969), then reteamed him with Price and Wicking in Scream and Scream Again (1970), this time co starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.[9]

Hessler did a third with Price and Wicking for AIP, Cry of the Banshee (1970).[3] Price was meant to be in Hessler's (and Wicking's) next film, a version of Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), but clashed with AIP so Jason Robards played the lead instead.[10] In an article in Sight and Sound it was said Hessler "has an almost instantly recognisable visual style, perhaps dating from his documentary days, which gives all his films a suggestion of the surreal. His fluid camera... stalks and encircles the characters like a sadistic probe, and the result is somehow both evocative and unnerving."[11]

Hessler directed a thriller Embassy (1972), then Medusa (1973) with George Hamilton, the last movie he made written by Wicking.[12]

Hessler did a TV movie with Bette Davis, Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) then made the Ray Harryhausen adventure The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974).

Television

[edit]

Despite the success of Sinbad Hessler focused on television movies: Skyway to Death (1974), Hitchhike! (1974), A Cry in the Wilderness (1974), and Betrayal (1974).

He also directed episodes of Lucas Tanner, Amy Prentiss, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Kung Fu, Switch, The Blue Knight, Spencer's Pilots, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Wonder Woman, CHiPs, and Hawaii Five-O.

He directed Secrets of Three Hungry Wives (1978), Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park, Puzzle (1978), The Secret War of Jackie's Girls (1980), Tales of the Haunted (1981), California Cowboys (1983), Pray for Death (1985), The Misfit Brigade (1987) and Rage of Honor (1988) as well as episode of Shannon, The Master, Tales of the Unexpected and The Equalizer.

Later career

[edit]

Hessler wrote and directed The Girl in a Swing (1988) starring Meg Tilly, an adaptation of Richard Adams's novel.[2] His later films include Out on Bail (1989) and Journey of Honor (1990).

Hessler died in his sleep on 19 January 2014.[13]

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Gordon Hessler

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Gordon Hessler was a German-born British film and television director, screenwriter, and producer known for his work on the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, as well as for directing a series of notable horror films in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Born in Berlin, Germany, on December 12, 1926, to an English mother and Danish father, Hessler was educated in the United Kingdom and emigrated to the United States in 1950. He began his career in documentary filmmaking and editing before joining MCA/Universal in 1958, where he served as a story editor and later producer on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He directed episodes for those series and made his feature directorial debut with Catacombs (also known as The Woman Who Wouldn't Die) in 1965. In the late 1960s, Hessler transitioned to freelance directing and collaborated with American International Pictures on several horror films, including The Oblong Box (1969), Scream and Scream Again (1970), Cry of the Banshee (1970), and Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), often featuring genre stars such as Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing. He also directed the Ray Harryhausen fantasy adventure The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973). Hessler continued to work extensively in American television throughout the 1970s and beyond, directing episodes of series such as Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Hawaii Five-O, CHiPs, and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, along with made-for-TV movies including Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) starring Bette Davis and The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977). He remained active in the industry into the late 1980s and passed away on January 19, 2014, in London, England.

Early life

Career

Alfred Hitchcock association

Gordon Hessler joined Universal Studios in June 1958 when MCA acquired the studio, initially working as an assistant to story editor Mae Livingston and assisting various producers on series development. After about a year, he was assigned to the Shamley Productions unit responsible for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, where he worked under producers Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd. As story editor for the series, Hessler primarily evaluated short stories for potential adaptation, functioning essentially as a reader of source material. In 1961, Hessler made his first directing credit on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents with "Final Arrangements." He continued in story-related roles until the series transitioned to the longer format of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1962, at which point he began receiving regular screen credits. Hessler served as associate producer on numerous episodes during the first two seasons of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Following Joan Harrison's departure in 1963, he was promoted to producer on the series for its remaining seasons, though he remained in a junior position subordinate to Norman Lloyd and other studio producers. After The Alfred Hitchcock Hour concluded in 1965, Hessler stayed under contract at Universal and produced the first season of Run for Your Life under Roy Huggins. He also produced and directed segments for Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre during its 1966–1967 season, including directing the English-flavored suspense episode "Blind Man’s Bluff" and producing "The Fatal Mistake." During a hiatus in the penultimate season of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Hessler directed his first feature film in England, the low-budget horror picture The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (also known as Catacombs). Hessler left Universal in 1967 to freelance, later stating that he disliked the studio system and preferred independent work.

Feature film directing

Gordon Hessler transitioned to directing theatrical feature films in the mid-to-late 1960s, initially with modest thrillers before establishing a notable presence in horror through collaborations with American International Pictures (AIP). He frequently worked with screenwriter Christopher Wicking on several AIP projects, contributing to a series of distinctive and challenging horror entries that engaged with gothic traditions while reflecting contemporary social tensions. His AIP tenure began with The Oblong Box (1969), where he stepped in to direct after the original filmmaker Michael Reeves fell ill and died, delivering a gothic tale starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. This was followed by Scream and Scream Again (1970), a science-fiction-infused horror film uniting Price, Lee, and Peter Cushing; Cry of the Banshee (1970), reuniting Hessler with Price; and Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971), featuring Jason Robards. These four films, the first three starring Price, achieved relatively strong distribution and box-office performance for low-budget genre works of the era. Beyond the AIP horror cycle, Hessler directed other features during this period, including Embassy (1972) and Medusa (1973), before shifting genres with the fantasy adventure The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), a Charles H. Schneer production distinguished by Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion visual effects. In later decades, Hessler returned sporadically to theatrical directing with action and drama films, including Pray for Death (1985), The Misfit Brigade (1987), Rage of Honor (1988), Out on Bail (1989), and Journey of Honor (1990, also known as Shogun Warrior). He also wrote and directed the romantic-erotic thriller The Girl in a Swing (1988), adapting Richard Adams' novel with a smooth style incorporating Hitchcockian suspense elements.

Television directing and producing

Gordon Hessler maintained a prolific freelance career in television throughout the 1970s and 1980s, directing a substantial number of made-for-TV movies and episodic installments across various network series. His television work often emphasized suspense, horror, and thriller elements, and he expressed a strong preference for freelancing over the constraints of the studio system. Among his notable made-for-TV movies are Scream, Pretty Peggy (1973) starring Bette Davis, The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977) starring Karen Black and scripted by Richard Matheson, and KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978), a distinctive crossover project that has attained cult status. He also directed Skyway to Death (1974), Hitchhike! (1974), A Cry in the Wilderness (1974), Betrayal (1974), Little Women (1978), Secrets of Three Hungry Wives (1978), Puzzle (1978), The Secret War of Jackie's Girls (1980), Tales of the Haunted (1981), and California Cowboys (1983). In episodic television, Hessler helmed episodes of numerous series, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, where his installment "The Spanish Moss Murders" is frequently cited as the show's standout episode. He directed episodes of Kung Fu, Switch, The Blue Knight, Spencer's Pilots, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Wonder Woman, Hawaii Five-O, Lucas Tanner, Amy Prentiss, Shannon, The Master, Tales of the Unexpected, and The Equalizer. Hessler directed more episodes of CHiPs than any other director and also contributed to Rich Man, Poor Man. Hessler was born in Berlin, Germany, to an English mother and a Danish father. His father died when he was three years old. He was educated in the United Kingdom and moved to the United States as a teenager. He married Yvonne Bonnafous in 1957; they remained married until his death in 2014. No children are documented in available sources.

Death

Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.