Charles S. Dubin
Encyclopedia
Charles Samuel Dubin was an American film and television director.
From the early 1950s to 1991, Dubin worked in television, directing episodes of Tales of Tomorrow
, Omnibus, The Defenders, The Big Valley
, The Virginian
, Hawaii Five-O
, M*A*S*H, Matlock
, The Rockford Files
, Murder, She Wrote
and among other notable series.
, New York
, to a Russian
family. He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School
, and first became interested in the arts by wanting to pursue a career as an opera singer. After graduating from high school, he attended Brooklyn College
, studying drama, and acted in a number of stage productions, before graduating in 1941. He then attended Neighborhood Playhouse
in Manhattan
studying stage managing and directing. He continued to act and sing in stage productions working as an understudy
.
In 1950, he was hired by ABC
, as an associate director and, within a few months, was soon promoted to head director, later going on to direct a number of notable series spanning 30 years. In 1958, Dubin was named in the Hollywood blacklist
. He refused to testify and he was never cited for contempt.
He directed more episodes of the popular 1970s television comedy M*A*S*H than anyone else.
Dubin retired in 1991 at the age of 70, after 39 years in television and 48 years in entertainment. His last television directing credit was the series Father Dowling Mysteries
starring Tom Bosley
.
From the early 1950s to 1991, Dubin worked in television, directing episodes of Tales of Tomorrow
Tales of Tomorrow
Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others...
, Omnibus, The Defenders, The Big Valley
The Big Valley
The Big Valley is an American television Western which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as a California widowed mother. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman...
, The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, M*A*S*H, Matlock
Matlock (TV series)
Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
and among other notable series.
Life and career
Dubin was born Charles Samuel Dubronevski in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to a Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
family. He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School
Samuel J. Tilden High School
Samuel J. Tilden High School is a New York City public high school in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. It is named for Samuel J. Tilden, the former governor of New York State and presidential candidate who, although carrying the popular vote, lost to Rutherford B...
, and first became interested in the arts by wanting to pursue a career as an opera singer. After graduating from high school, he attended Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
, studying drama, and acted in a number of stage productions, before graduating in 1941. He then attended Neighborhood Playhouse
Neighborhood Playhouse
The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is an actor training school at 340 East 54th Street in New York City, generally associated with the Meisner technique of Sanford Meisner.-History:...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
studying stage managing and directing. He continued to act and sing in stage productions working as an understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
.
In 1950, he was hired by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, as an associate director and, within a few months, was soon promoted to head director, later going on to direct a number of notable series spanning 30 years. In 1958, Dubin was named in the Hollywood blacklist
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
. He refused to testify and he was never cited for contempt.
He directed more episodes of the popular 1970s television comedy M*A*S*H than anyone else.
Dubin retired in 1991 at the age of 70, after 39 years in television and 48 years in entertainment. His last television directing credit was the series Father Dowling Mysteries
Father Dowling Mysteries
Father Dowling Mysteries is an American television mystery series that appeared between November 30, 1987 and May 2, 1991. For its first season, the show was on NBC; it moved to ABC network for its last two seasons...
starring Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
.
Marriage
He was married to Daphne Elliott until their divorce in 1975. Later he married author and filmmaker Mary Lou Chayes , with whom he had a daughter, and who survives him.External links
- Charles S. Dubin interview, Archive of American TelevisionArchive of American TelevisionThe Archive of American Television is a division of the non-profit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation that films interviews with notable people from all aspects of the television industry....