Frederick Francis Sears (July 7, 1913 â€" November 30, 1957) was an
American film actor and director.Sears, formerly based in Boston as a
dramatic director and instructor, was hired as a dialogue director by
Columbia Pictures in 1946. He began playing incidental roles in
Columbia's productions. The actors in Columbia's stock company were
expected to perform in any kind of film, from adventures to musicals,
to two-reel comedy shorts, to westerns and serials. Sears gradually
received larger supporting roles (as "Fred Sears"), notably in the
popular Blondie series and the long-running Charles Starrett western
series. By 1949 Sears was so well established in the close-knit
Starrett unit that he was allowed to direct, and he continued to helm
the Starrett westerns (as "Fred F. Sears") until the studio retired
the series in 1952. Toward the end of the series's run, the films were
being made so cheaply that the scripts would incorporate lengthy
excerpts from older films. In Bonanza Town (1951), director Sears also
had to appear as an actor, to match footage from his performance in
West of Dodge City (1947).Sears's budget-stretching skills attracted
the attention of Columbia staff producer Sam Katzman. Katzman was a
notoriously cheap producer, making topical films so quickly that they
could be playing in theaters while the topic was still hot. Katzman
recruited Sears for the 1952 serial Blackhawk, and after Sears was
relieved of the Charles Starrett features, Katzman offered Sears
full-time work in his unit. For the next five years Fred Sears worked
steadily as a contract director, having no particular style or
specialty of his own but capable of working in various genres. His
most famous films are probably the Bill Haley musicals Rock Around the
Clock and Don't Knock the Rock, and the science-fiction features Earth
vs. the Flying Saucers and The Giant Claw.Sears might have continued
indefinitely with Sam Katzman but he died of a heart attack in late
1957, at the age of 45. He was found dead by a security guard in the
washroom of his office at Sunset Studios of Columbia Pictures. He had
recently returned from the Philippines where he was considering making
a movie and a book about the Philippines was open at his desk. At the
time of death he was living with his sister having separated from his
wife with whom he had two children, a son (15) and daughter (12).
final films were released posthumously.
American film actor and director.Sears, formerly based in Boston as a
dramatic director and instructor, was hired as a dialogue director by
Columbia Pictures in 1946. He began playing incidental roles in
Columbia's productions. The actors in Columbia's stock company were
expected to perform in any kind of film, from adventures to musicals,
to two-reel comedy shorts, to westerns and serials. Sears gradually
received larger supporting roles (as "Fred Sears"), notably in the
popular Blondie series and the long-running Charles Starrett western
series. By 1949 Sears was so well established in the close-knit
Starrett unit that he was allowed to direct, and he continued to helm
the Starrett westerns (as "Fred F. Sears") until the studio retired
the series in 1952. Toward the end of the series's run, the films were
being made so cheaply that the scripts would incorporate lengthy
excerpts from older films. In Bonanza Town (1951), director Sears also
had to appear as an actor, to match footage from his performance in
West of Dodge City (1947).Sears's budget-stretching skills attracted
the attention of Columbia staff producer Sam Katzman. Katzman was a
notoriously cheap producer, making topical films so quickly that they
could be playing in theaters while the topic was still hot. Katzman
recruited Sears for the 1952 serial Blackhawk, and after Sears was
relieved of the Charles Starrett features, Katzman offered Sears
full-time work in his unit. For the next five years Fred Sears worked
steadily as a contract director, having no particular style or
specialty of his own but capable of working in various genres. His
most famous films are probably the Bill Haley musicals Rock Around the
Clock and Don't Knock the Rock, and the science-fiction features Earth
vs. the Flying Saucers and The Giant Claw.Sears might have continued
indefinitely with Sam Katzman but he died of a heart attack in late
1957, at the age of 45. He was found dead by a security guard in the
washroom of his office at Sunset Studios of Columbia Pictures. He had
recently returned from the Philippines where he was considering making
a movie and a book about the Philippines was open at his desk. At the
time of death he was living with his sister having separated from his
wife with whom he had two children, a son (15) and daughter (12).
final films were released posthumously.
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