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Ted Sherdeman
Ted Sherdeman
Ted Sherdeman
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Ted Sherdeman (21 June 1909 – 22 August 1987) was an American radio producer, television writer and screenwriter. He was known for the films The Eddie Cantor Story (1953), Away All Boats (1956), St. Louis Blues (1958), A Dog of Flanders (1960) and Misty (1961); and the TV series Wagon Train (1958–1965), Hazel (1963–1966), My Favorite Martian (1964), The Flying Nun (1968), Bewitched (1965). He died on 22 August 1987 in Santa Ana, California at age 78.[1]

Key Information

With director James Clark, with whom worked together on Dog of Flanders for Associated Producers Inc, later formed their own company, Gemtaur Productions.[2] They also worked together in The Big Show, which was made with API.[3][4]

Songs by Sinatra (1945–1947) was a 30-minute program aired on CBS on 12 September 1945, at 9 p.m, featuring Frank Sinatra.[5] In December 1946 the director of the programm Mann Holiner was succeeded by Sherdeman.[6]

Filmography

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Screenwriter

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Producer

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References

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Ted Sherdeman

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Ted Sherdeman was an American screenwriter, television writer, and producer known for his contributions to mid-20th-century film and television, most notably the 1954 science fiction horror classic Them! and a range of family-oriented features and popular TV series episodes. Born on June 21, 1909, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Sherdeman began his career in radio before moving into Hollywood screenwriting in the 1940s and 1950s, where he penned scripts for films including Scandal Sheet (1952), The McConnell Story (1955), Hell to Eternity (1960), Misty (1961), Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964), And Now Miguel (1966), and Latitude Zero (1969). He also worked as a producer on projects such as Riding Shotgun (1954) and The Big Show (1961). In television, Sherdeman wrote multiple episodes for series including Wagon Train, Hazel, Bewitched, Family Affair, and The Flying Nun during the 1950s through 1960s. His work often spanned genres, from dramatic and war stories to family adventures and science fiction, reflecting his versatility across media. Sherdeman was married to Anne Stone beginning in 1939 and resided in California for much of his professional life. He died on August 22, 1987, in Santa Ana, California.

Early Life

Birth and Background

Ted Sherdeman was born on June 21, 1909, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Details about his early family life, education, or childhood remain largely undocumented in available public records.

Radio Career

Professional Beginnings in Radio

Ted Sherdeman began his professional career in radio, working as a producer and writer. His involvement in radio production built foundational skills in storytelling and media production. Materials from his personal papers collection reflect these early radio activities as a key part of his professional development. Following his radio career, he transitioned to screenwriting for Columbia Pictures in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

Film Career

Transition to Screenwriting

Ted Sherdeman transitioned from his radio career to screenwriting in 1950, when he began his motion picture work as a writer for Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. That year, he co-wrote the screenplay for the Warner Bros. war film Breakthrough, expanding an original story by Joseph Breen Jr. alongside Bernard Girard. He also contributed to Columbia Pictures, where a Hollywood Reporter item from August 1950 noted him rewriting George Bruce's script for the project that became Scandal Sheet. Released in January 1952, Scandal Sheet earned Sherdeman screenplay credit alongside Eugene Ling and James Poe, adapting Samuel Fuller's 1944 novel The Dark Page. In these early years, Sherdeman primarily worked as a screenwriter, though he later took on occasional producer roles in his film career. His subsequent work included the screenplay for the notable 1954 science fiction film Them!.

Notable Film Works

Ted Sherdeman is best remembered for his screenplay for Them! (1954), a landmark science fiction horror film directed by Gordon Douglas that depicts giant ants mutated by atomic radiation emerging as a deadly threat in the New Mexico desert. The screenplay effectively captured Cold War anxieties about nuclear testing, and the film is widely regarded as one of the finest creature features of the 1950s atomic age, influencing subsequent monster movies with its blend of suspense, scientific detail, and social commentary. Among his earlier credits, Sherdeman wrote the screenplay for the biographical musical The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). He also contributed to Scandal Sheet (1952), a film noir drama adapted from a novel about tabloid journalism. Sherdeman's subsequent works included the screenplay for Away All Boats (1956), a World War II naval drama centered on an attack transport ship and its crew. In 1958, he wrote the screenplay for St. Louis Blues, a musical biopic chronicling the life of composer W. C. Handy. He adapted the classic children's novel for A Dog of Flanders in 1960, a family-oriented story about a young boy's bond with his loyal dog. Sherdeman both wrote and produced Misty (1961), an adaptation of Marguerite Henry's novel about a wild pony on Chincoteague Island, which became a beloved family film. Later, he wrote the screenplay for Latitude Zero (1969), a science fiction adventure involving an advanced underwater civilization.

Television Career

Contributions to Television Series

Ted Sherdeman contributed scripts to several notable television series of the 1950s and 1960s, building on his earlier screenwriting experience. He wrote multiple episodes for the Western anthology Wagon Train from 1958 to 1965, including the 1958 installment "Around the Horn." His work also included contributions to the family comedy Hazel between 1963 and 1966, as well as an episode of the science-fiction sitcom My Favorite Martian in 1964. Sherdeman penned two episodes for the fantasy series Bewitched in 1965: "There's No Witch Like an Old Witch" and "My Grandson, the Warlock." He also wrote for Family Affair between 1967 and 1968 (2 episodes) and for the comedy The Flying Nun in 1968. These credits reflect his versatility in adapting to different genres across episodic television during that era.

Later Years and Death

Final Years and Passing

Ted Sherdeman spent his later years in Santa Ana, California. He died on August 22, 1987, at the age of 78 in a convalescent home in Santa Ana. No further details about the circumstances of his death or his activities during retirement are widely documented in contemporary reports.

Legacy

Ted Sherdeman is remembered for his contributions to mid-20th-century American cinema and television, particularly in the science fiction and family entertainment genres during the 1950s and 1960s. His screenplay for Them! (1954) stands out as a landmark in creature-feature science fiction, helping to popularize the "nuclear monster" trope that reflected Cold War-era anxieties about atomic radiation and has been noted for influencing subsequent films in the genre. Sherdeman also left a mark through his scripts for family-oriented adventure films, including adaptations that brought wholesome, emotional stories of loyalty and perseverance to audiences. These works complemented his broader role in Hollywood and television production during a period of significant industry transition. His professional and personal papers, covering the years 1930 to 1987 and including correspondence, diaries, biographical materials, and scripts, are preserved in archival collections, providing a resource for studying his career and the era's entertainment history.
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