Telford, Frank

Frank Telford was born on February 2, 1915. He earned a BA in speech at Wayne University and earned his MA (1938) by producing a radio adaptation of Dickens' A tale of two cities. He got his start in entertainment during WWII as a writer/combat correspondent for NBC and Life magazine. In 1941, Telford received a grant from the government to produce the weekly radio program You can't do business with Hitler. Through the 1940s Telford was active in writing, producing, and directing numerous radio programs including Crime acts, Mollie mystery theatre, Schlitz playhouse, and The whistler. Telford moved to television in 1954 as director of The stranger, a weekly program that aired on the DuMont Television Network. In 1959, he produced the television series The Virginians, and The wide country. Additionally, he worked for NBC on the television series, The outlaws and The Americans, for which he won a Golden Mike Award in 1961. In 1968, Telford made the transition to motion pictures, writing and producing the film, The bamboo saucer and later co-authoring the screenplay for Hello down there (1969). The 1970s and 1980s proved to be Telford's most prolific period of writing for television. During this time Telford wrote scripts for a number of popular television series including Chips, Gemini man, Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Mannix, Murphy Brown, Police woman, and The young rebels. He also served as the executive story editor for Joe Forrester and Wonder woman. Telford died of cancer in Los Angeles, Calif. on May 19, 1987.

From the description of Papers, ca. 1938-ca. 1984. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 173821441

Biographical Note

Frank Telford was born on February 2, 1915. He earned a BA in speech at Wayne University and produced a radio adaptation of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities to earn an MA (1938). He got his start in entertainment during WWII as a writer/combat correspondent for NBC and Life Magazine. In 1941, Telford received a grant from the government to produce the weekly radio program You Can't Do Business With Hitler. Through the 1940s Telford was active in writing, producing, and directing numerous radio programs including Crime Acts, Mollie Mystery Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse, and The Whistler.

Telford moved to television in 1954 as director of The Stranger, a weekly program that aired on the Dumont Television Network. In 1959, he produced the television series The Virginians, and The Wide Country. Additionally, he worked for NBC on the television series The Outlaws and The Americans, for which he won a Golden Mike Award in 1961. In 1968, Telford made the transition to motion pictures, writing and producing the film The Bamboo Saucer and later co-authoring the screenplay for Hello Down There (1969).

The 1970s and 1980s proved to be Telford's most prolific period of writing for television. During this time Telford wrote scripts for a number of popular television series including Chips, Gemini Man, Hawaii Five-O, Ironside, Mannix, Murphy Brown, Police Woman, and The Young Rebels. He also served as the executive story editor for Joe Forrester and Wonder Woman. Telford died of cancer in Los Angeles, CA on May 19, 1987.

From the guide to the Frank Telford Papers, ca. 1938-ca. 1984, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Performing Arts Special Collections)