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Jerry Hopper
Jerry Hopper
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Harold Hankins Hopper (July 29, 1907[1] – December 17, 1988), known professionally as Jerry Hopper, was an American film and television director, active from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s.

Key Information

Early life

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Jerry Hopper was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma.[2]

Career

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Hopper started as an office assistant at Paramount Pictures before becoming a radio scriptwriter and an editor before moving to the directors' chair for several installments of their Musical Parade series (1946–48).[3] Hopper went on to direct feature films, such as, The Atomic City (1952), Pony Express (1953), Secret of the Incas (1954), and The Private War of Major Benson (1955), the latter three with actor Charlton Heston. In 1958 he directed Brandon deWilde and Lee Marvin in The Missouri Traveler.

He then moved primarily into episodic television, having directed Colt .45, 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 others.

Personal life

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Hopper married actress Marsha Hunt on November 23, 1938.[4][5] They divorced in 1943.[6][7] He married Winifred Joyce Robinson in 1949.[8] He later was married to actress Dorothy Ellis. Hopper had four sons and two daughters.[2]

During World War II he became a combat photographer for the Army and was injured during the Battle of Leyte and received a Purple Heart.[3]

He died of heart disease on December 17, 1988, in San Clemente, California, at age 81.[2]

Filmography

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  • Madron (1970)
  • The Virginian (2 episodes, 1963–1970). TV episodes: The West vs. Colonel MacKenzie (1970) & Duel at Shiloh (1963). Both were combined and released as The Bull of the West in 1971.
  • Maharlika (1970) (as Jerr Hopper)
  • It Takes a Thief (1 episode, 1969). TV episode: Catspaw (1969)
  • Get Smart (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 Sea (15 episodes, 1965–1968). TV episodes: Attack! (1968) & Man-Beast (1968) & Terrible Leprechaun (1968) & Deadly Amphibians (1967) & Terror (1967) plus 10 more.
  • Mr. Terrific (1 episode, 1967). TV episode: Stanley and the Mountaineers (1967)
  • Gilligan's Island (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 Tunnel (1 episode, 1966). TV episode: Devil's Island (1966)
  • Laredo (1 episode, 1966). TV episode: The Dance of the Laughing Death (1966)
  • The Fugitive (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 Mason (8 episodes, 1961–1966). TV episodes: The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper (1966) & The Case of the Avenging Angel (1966) & 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 Shenandoah (1 episode, 1966). TV episode: The Last Diablo (1966)
  • Honey West (1 episode, 1965). TV episode: A Nice Little Till to Tap (1965)
  • Burke's Law (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 Day (3 episodes, 1964). TV episodes: The Seasick Sailor (1964) & Yen Ku Horowitz (1964) & The Baritone Canary (1964)
  • The Addams Family (4 episodes, 1964). TV episodes: Morticia, the Matchmaker (1964) & Green-Eyed Gomez (1964) & The Addams Family Tree (1964) & Gomez, the Politician (1964)
  • Gunsmoke (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 Train (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 ( 4episodes, 1962–1963). TV episodes : trial at tabelrock 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 Fargo (2 episodes, 1957–1961). TV episodes: Casket 7.3 (1961) & A Time to Kill (1957)
  • Westinghouse Playhouse (2 episodes, 1961). TV episodes: The Mrs. Harper Story (1961) & Buddy's Formal Dinner (1961)
  • Blueprint for Robbery (1961)
  • Bat Masterson (1 episode, 1960). TV episode: The Last of the Night Raiders (1960)
  • Cheyenne (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 Squad (3 episodes, 1959–1960). TV episodes: Diary of a Bomber (1960) & Race to Death (1960) & Shred of Doubt (1959)
  • Overland Trail (1 episode, 1960). TV episode: The O'Mara's Ladies (1960)
  • Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1 episode, 1959). TV episode: Ballad for a Bad Man (1959)
  • The Untouchables (1 episode, 1959). TV episode: The Dutch Schultz Story (1959)
  • Wichita Town (2 episodes, 1959). TV episodes: Drifting (1959) & The Night the Cowboys Roared (1959)
  • Law of the Plainsman (1 episode, 1959). TV episode: Full Circle (1959)
  • Markham (1 episode, 1959). TV episode: The Glass Diamond (1959)
  • The Rifleman (4 episodes, 1958–1959). TV episodes: The Angry Man (1959) & The Deadeye Kid (1959) & The Gaucho (1958) & End of a Young Gun (1958)
  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (2 episodes, 1958–1959). TV episodes: Deadfall (1959) & Legacy of a Legend (1958)
  • Naked City (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 Drum (1 episode, 1958). TV episode: Law and Order (1958)
  • How to Marry a Millionaire (1 episode, 1958). TV episode: A Call to Arms (1958)
  • The Missouri Traveler (1958)
  • Leave It to Beaver (1 episode, 1957). TV episode: It's a Small World (1957)
  • The Jane Wyman Show (1 episode, 1957). TV episode: The Wildcatter (1957)
  • Everything But the Truth (1956)
  • The Sharkfighters (1956)
  • The Toy Tiger (1956)
  • Never Say Goodbye (1956)
  • The Square Jungle (1955)
  • The Private War of Major Benson (1955)
  • One Desire (1955)
  • Smoke Signal (1955)
  • Naked Alibi (1954)
  • Secret of the Incas (1954)
  • Alaska Seas (1954)
  • Pony Express (1953)
  • Hurricane Smith (1952)
  • The Atomic City (1952)
  • The Cinematographer (1951) (uncredited)
  • History Brought to Life (1950) (uncredited)
  • Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1948)
  • Smooth Sailing (1947)
  • Sweet and Low (1947)
  • Golden Slippers (1946)

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Jerry Hopper (July 29, 1907 – December 17, 1988) was an American film and television director active from the mid-1940s through the early 1970s, renowned for his contributions to both feature films and episodic television during Hollywood's of . Born Harold Hankins Hopper in , he began his Hollywood career in the early 1930s as an office assistant at , advancing to film editor by 1935 after moving west from his home state. During , Hopper served as a combat photographer with the U.S. Army, earning a for his actions during the landing in the . Transitioning to directing in the late 1940s, Hopper helmed around 20 feature films, primarily for Paramount and Universal-International in the 1950s, including the Cold War thriller The Atomic City (1952), the adventure film Secret of the Incas (1954) starring Charlton Heston, and the comedy The Private War of Major Benson (1955), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Story. Other notable films include Never Say Goodbye (1956) with Rock Hudson, Toy Tiger (1956) featuring Jeff Chandler, The Missouri Traveler (1958), and his final theatrical release Madron (1970), a Western starring Richard Boone and Leslie Caron. In television, Hopper directed more than 600 episodes across dozens of series, establishing himself as a prolific figure in the medium's expansion. His credits encompass family sitcoms like Bachelor Father, , and ; legal dramas such as ; Westerns including , , and The Virginian; and suspense series like The Fugitive, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, , and It Takes a Thief. He also directed episodes of , contributing to its macabre humor in the 1960s. Hopper's work often emphasized character-driven narratives in , , and genres, reflecting the era's shift toward television dominance in storytelling. He died of in , at age 81, survived by his wife, former actress Dorothy Ellis, along with four sons, two daughters, 15 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Early life

Birth and family background

Jerry Hopper, born Harold Hankins Hopper, entered the world on July 29, 1907, in Guthrie, . He was the only child of Thomas J. Hopper, a rancher originally from who had settled in , and Della E. Hankins Hopper, who hailed from . His father, born in 1864, worked the land in the region's developing agricultural economy, while his mother, born around 1869, passed away in 1915 in , , when young Hopper was just eight years old. Hopper's early years unfolded in Guthrie, a town born from the 1889 and serving as Oklahoma's territorial capital until 1910. This central Logan County hub thrived as a trade center and railroad nexus in the early , with a population that swelled amid the state's oil and agricultural booms, though it retained a character marked by and community growth. Following his mother's death, Hopper lived briefly as a boarder in , by 1920, before returning to Oklahoma, where he resided in Oklahoma City by 1930 and worked as a clerk for Telephone. Within his family, Hopper shared ties to the emerging entertainment world; he was the cousin of actress , born in nearby , in 1904, whose career in film may have provided early exposure to and amid the era's limited media landscape of radio and silent pictures. By the 1930s, these formative experiences in preceded his relocation to .

Relocation and initial career steps

In the early 1930s, Jerry Hopper relocated from his native to , drawn by opportunities in the burgeoning . Shortly after arriving in the West, he became intrigued by while working odd jobs in Hollywood. Upon joining as an shortly after his arrival, Hopper gained firsthand exposure to processes and studio operations, allowing him to observe the workflow of writers, editors, and directors up close. By 1935, he had advanced to the role of film editor. Over the mid-1930s, Hopper contributed to the assembly of various projects in at Paramount, though specific credits from his early editing work remain undocumented in major film databases. His progression reflected the typical path for ambitious studio employees seeking to climb the ranks in pre- Hollywood.

Military service

World War II enlistment and roles

In the early years of the ' involvement in , Jerry Hopper left his position as a film editor at Paramount Studios to enlist in the U.S. Army. This decision interrupted his burgeoning Hollywood career, reflecting the widespread mobilization of civilians with technical skills into military service. Upon enlistment, Hopper was assigned as a combat photographer, a role that leveraged his pre-war experience in film editing and production. photographers in the Army were tasked with capturing visual records of operations to support intelligence, training, and historical documentation, often under hazardous conditions. Hopper's duties involved both still photography and motion picture ing to chronicle troop movements, equipment, and activities. Hopper's early assignments included training periods focused on photographic techniques and equipment handling adapted for combat environments, preparing him for frontline deployments. These initial roles emphasized the rapid documentation of military actions, contributing essential visual materials for command decisions and postwar analysis.

Combat experiences and honors

During , Jerry Hopper served as a combat photographer with the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater, documenting frontline operations amid intense conditions. Hopper's most notable combat involvement came during the in October 1944, a critical amphibious assault in the aimed at liberating the island from Japanese control. He was wounded by enemy fire while supporting the initial landing forces on Leyte's shores, an experience that underscored the dangers faced by military photographers embedded with troops. For the injuries he sustained in this action, Hopper received , recognizing his bravery and sacrifice in the face of hostile fire. No additional military decorations beyond this honor are documented in his service record.

Career

Early Hollywood positions

Following his discharge from the U.S. at the end of , Jerry Hopper returned to in Hollywood, where he had previously worked as an editor during and early 1940s. His military service as a combat photographer had honed his visual storytelling skills, providing a foundation for his postwar career advancement within the studio. At Paramount, Hopper quickly transitioned from editorial roles to more creative positions, capitalizing on the studio's demand for efficient short-form content in the recovering . From 1946 to 1948, Hopper directed multiple installments of Paramount's Musical Parade series, a collection of two-reel musical featurettes designed to showcase talent and provide . These productions, typically running 20-25 minutes, blended narrative sketches with musical performances and were produced under the studio's unit. Key examples include Golden Slippers (1946), which featured a plot intertwined with musical numbers starring Mary Edwards and ; Smooth Sailing (1947), a nautical-themed with Alice Tyrrell and Paul Lees; Sweet and Low (1947), involving a romantic storyline with Richard Webb and ; and Jingle, Jangle, Jingle (1948), centered on a race with performances by the Page Cavanaugh Trio. Hopper's work on these shorts demonstrated his ability to manage tight budgets, integrate music and dialogue seamlessly, and deliver polished results, earning him recognition within Paramount's production hierarchy. In the late , Hopper's experience with the Musical Parade series facilitated his shift toward higher-profile assignments, bridging his editorial background to opportunities in feature-length directing. While specific mentorships are not well-documented, his collaborations with Paramount's musical and talents during the shorts likely built key industry connections, positioning him for his first by 1952. This progression underscored the studio's internal promotion pathways for versatile technicians like Hopper, who leveraged postwar momentum to establish himself as a reliable director.

Feature film directing

Jerry Hopper made his directorial debut with the 1952 Paramount thriller , a depicting the kidnapping of a young boy whose father is a working on atomic research at Los Alamos; the plot revolves around and the FBI's tense pursuit through Los Alamos and Pasadena to prevent the disclosure of atomic secrets. Produced on a modest budget, the film earned praise for its taut suspense and efficient pacing, marking Hopper's transition from editing and military documentaries to feature directing. Hopper's output in the 1950s included several Westerns and adventure films, often featuring moral dilemmas amid action-oriented narratives. In Pony Express (1953), he directed as Cody, who teams with to establish a vital mail route across the frontier while battling Native American resistance and separatists opposed to U.S. expansion. The film, though critiqued for its leisurely tempo, highlighted themes of national unity and perseverance in a divided America. Similarly, The Missouri Traveler (1958), a coming-of-age set in early 1900s , follows a 15-year-old runaway orphan (Brandon de Wilde) striving for independence as a farmer, aided by a gruff neighbor () and a editor; it explores ethical choices between and community support. Adventure entries like (1954) showcased Hopper's skill with exotic locales, as portrays a treasure hunter in seeking a jeweled Inca artifact amid rival claimants and ancient ruins, blending action with interpersonal conflicts over greed and redemption. The Private War of Major Benson (1955), a light military comedy, stars as a stern Army major reassigned to a lax ROTC academy run by nuns, where he grapples with softening his rigid discipline to inspire young cadets, touching on themes of authority versus compassion. Critics noted Hopper's competent handling of ensemble dynamics and moral tensions in these B-pictures, though his work was generally seen as professionally solid rather than innovatively artistic. Hopper's final feature, the 1970 Western Madron, filmed in Israel's Desert, pairs a grizzled (Richard Boone) with a surviving (Leslie Caron) fleeing Apache attackers, as they navigate survival and clashing worldviews in a tale of unlikely and ethical . Across his approximately 20 feature films, primarily for Paramount and Universal in the 1950s, Hopper emphasized straightforward action, , and characters facing moral crossroads, earning a reputation for reliable, unpretentious storytelling that prioritized narrative drive over stylistic flair.

Television directing

Hopper transitioned to television directing in the mid-1950s following his feature film work, beginning with episodes of Western series such as Colt .45 (1957–1960) and (1957–1965), where he helmed multiple installments including "The Vincent Eaglewood Story" (1959) and "The Horace Best Story" (1960) for the latter. In the 1960s, he continued with Westerns like (1955–1975), directing four episodes such as "Carter Caper" (1963) and "Owney Tupper Had a Daughter" (1964), and expanded into legal dramas with (1957–1966), contributing eight episodes including "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (1962) and "The Case of the Avenging Angel" (1966). Hopper also directed comedy series like (1964–1966), handling episodes such as "Green-Eyed Gomez" (1964) and "Morticia, the Matchmaker" (1964) that highlighted the show's eccentric ensemble dynamics, and (1964–1967), where he oversaw seven episodes including "Gilligan vs. Gilligan" (1966) and "The Kidnapper" (1966) featuring castaway antics. In the spy comedy genre, he directed two episodes of (1965–1970), such as "A Tale of Two Tails" (1968), and tackled with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968), contributing around 15 episodes including action-oriented ones like "Day of Evil" (1966) and "Time Lock" (1967). From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, Hopper directed over 600 television episodes across various genres, his efficient approach well-suited to the medium's demanding production schedules and often emphasizing ensemble interactions or tense action sequences in popular series.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Jerry Hopper's first marriage was to actress Marsha Hunt on November 23, 1938, a union that connected him deeply to Hollywood's acting community during his early days as a studio editor at . The couple divorced on July 30, 1945, amid Hopper's rising responsibilities in the film industry and the disruptions of service. In 1949, Hopper married Winifred Joyce Robinson on June 22 in , , a partnership that lasted until their in 1963 and produced six children. This marriage occurred as Hopper transitioned from editing to directing, balancing family life with the intensifying demands of and television production in post-war Hollywood. Hopper's third marriage was to former actress Dorothy Ellis in 1984, which endured until his death and provided companionship in his later years after decades of professional travel and on-set commitments. Overall, his relationships reflected the challenges of sustaining personal ties in the high-pressure environment of the entertainment industry, where collaborations with performers like Hunt often blurred professional and romantic spheres. Hopper fathered a total of six children across his marriages.

Family and later years

Hopper was the father of six children from his second marriage—four sons and two daughters—with whom he maintained family ties throughout his life, though none pursued notable careers in entertainment. In his later years, he resided in , where he enjoyed a quieter existence away from Hollywood. After retiring from directing in the early following his final television project in 1972, Hopper led a low-profile life focused on family and personal pursuits, with no public records of significant hobbies or activities. His health gradually declined due to heart problems, culminating in his death from heart problems on December 17, 1988, at age 81 in a San Clemente hospital. He was survived by his wife, former actress Dorothy Ellis, whom he had married in 1984, along with his six children, 15 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. No details of a or service are publicly documented.

Filmography

Feature films

Jerry Hopper directed 17 feature films between 1952 and 1970, with the majority produced by during the 1950s, often in collaboration with stars like and . These works spanned genres including thrillers, westerns, adventures, and comedies, typically as B-movies emphasizing action and character-driven narratives.
YearTitleGenreLead ActorsNotes
1952Thriller, Paramount production; Hopper's directorial debut, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
1952Hurricane SmithAdventure, Paramount release; filmed in Technicolor, focusing on South Seas adventure.
1953Western, Paramount; historical drama about the Pony Express founding, co-starring .
1954[Alaska Seas](/page/Alaska Seas)Adventure, Paramount; story of crab fishing and smuggling in , with .
1954, Universal-International; thriller involving a corrupt cop.
1954Adventure, Thomas MitchellParamount; shot on location in , influencing later films like .
1955One DesireDrama, Universal-International; period piece about a gambler's rise in early 20th-century .
1955The Private War of Major BensonComedy, Universal-International; Hopper's sole box-office hit, about a military instructor at a Catholic boys' school.
1955Smoke SignalWestern, Universal-International; Apache War of 1875 storyline with .
1955The Square JungleDrama, Universal-International; boxing tale of a clerk turned prizefighter, featuring .
1956Everything but the TruthComedy, Paramount; domestic farce involving a family's secrets.
1956Never Say GoodbyeDrama, Universal-International; romantic drama about a doctor reuniting with his family after WWII.
1956The SharkfightersAdventure, ; underwater drama based on true events, filmed in the .
1956The Toy TigerComedy, Paramount; lighthearted story of an inventor's family antics.
1958The Missouri TravelerDrama, Buena Vista; coming-of-age tale during the .
1961Blueprint for RobberyCrime, Robert Strauss; lesser-known set in 1930s .
1970MadronWestern, International co-production (/); biblical-era western in the desert, Hopper's final feature.

Television episodes

Hopper directed over 600 television episodes across a wide range of series from the late through the , contributing to many iconic Westerns, dramas, and comedies. His work often focused on episodic storytelling in popular and formats. The following catalogs his major television directing credits, grouped by series, with approximate episode counts and select notable titles where available.
SeriesYearsNumber of EpisodesNotable Episodes
1958–196324"The Selena Hartnell Story" (1961), "Alias Bill Hawks" (1963)
1963–19644"Carter Caper" (1963), "Owney Tupper Had a Daughter" (1964)
The Fugitive1963–196614"Ticket to Alaska" (1963), "Rat in a Corner" (1964)
1961–19669"The Case of the Left-Handed Liar" (1961), "The Case of the Avenging Angel" (1966)
The Virginian1963–19702"Duel at Shiloh" (1963), "The West vs. Colonel MacKenzie" (1970)
1966–19677"Gilligan vs. Gilligan" (1966), "" (1967)
Hopper's contributions extended to other series such as (multiple episodes in the 1950s–1960s), (4 episodes in 1964–1965), and (1 episode in 1965), among dozens more.

References

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