Bruce Geller
Born
Bruce Bernard Geller

(1930-10-13)October 13, 1930
New York City, U.S.
DiedMay 21, 1978(1978-05-21) (aged 47)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Alma materYale University
Known forProducing Mission: Impossible and Mannix
Spouse
Jeannette Marx
​
(m. 1953)​
[1][2]
Children2

Bruce Bernard Geller (October 13, 1930 – May 21, 1978) was an American lyricist, screenwriter, director, and television producer.

Early life and education

Geller was born in New York City, the son of Dorothy (Friedlander) and General Sessions Judge Abraham N. Geller.[3] Geller graduated from Yale University in 1952, where he had studied psychology and sociology and was involved in many activities including theater.[1]

Career

He pursued a career writing scripts for shows on the DuMont Television Network including Jimmy Hughes, Rookie Cop (1953) and others. He also wrote the book and lyrics for musical theatre productions including Livin' the Life (1957) and All in Love (1961), but his efforts met with only modest success. Geller left New York for Los Angeles, where he was employed writing scripts for episodes of several television series, including Zane Grey Theater; Have Gun, Will Travel; The Rebel; and The Rifleman. He also worked as the co-executive producer of the Rawhide series for the 1964-1965 television season.

While producing Rawhide, he developed the idea for a new "cloak-and-dagger" series, Mission: Impossible.[1] In 1966, Geller created, wrote, produced, and directed Mission: Impossible, the accomplishment for which he is best remembered. The show ran on CBS from 1966 to 1973 and earned him an Emmy Award in 1966 as producer plus another for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama. During the early seasons, a photograph of Geller was included in the dossier of Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agents that IMF leaders Briggs and Phelps perused each week and was often visible on screen (such as in the episodes "Memory", "Operation Rogosh" and "Operation - Heart"). The series was revived in 1988 and aired until 1990 on ABC.

Geller also wrote, produced, and directed for the series Mannix (1967–1975), which was twice nominated for an Emmy Award. In 1973, he made his only venture into feature films, producing and directing Harry in Your Pocket starring James Coburn and Walter Pidgeon.

Death

A flying enthusiast, Bruce Geller died when the Cessna Skymaster he was piloting ran into fog and crashed into Buena Vista Canyon near Santa Barbara, California.[4] He is interred in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Accolades

Awards and nominations
Year Association Category Work Result
1961Writers Guild of America AwardsAnthology Drama, 30 Minutes in LengthThe DuPont Show with June Allyson: "The Trench Coat"Nominated
1962Episodic DramaThe Westerner: "Brown"Nominated
1964Anthology, Any LengthThe Dick Powell Show: "The Judge"Nominated
1965Bronze WranglerFictional Television DramaRawhide: "Corporal Dasovic"Won
1967Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Dramatic SeriesMission: ImpossibleWon
Outstanding Writing Achievement in DramaWon
1969Outstanding Dramatic SeriesNominated
Writers Guild of America AwardsEpisodic DramaMannix: "The Name is Mannix"Nominated
1972Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesMannixNominated
1973Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Finding Aid for the Bruce Geller Papers, 1957-1976", UCLA Performing Arts Special Collection/Online Archive of California (California Digital Library)
  2. ↑ "Jeanette Geller - Obituary". legacy.com. Retrieved Oct 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ Pace, Eric (May 23, 1978). "Bruce Geller and Stephen Gentry, TV Executives, Die in Plane Crash (Published 1978)". The New York Times. Retrieved Oct 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ "LAX78FA048". www.ntsb.gov. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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