CTVA Profile - Director - Don McDougall
Profile - Director - Don McDougall
Compiled for ctva by
Sal Crisanti
<crisanti52@netscape.net>
IN 1948 DON MCDOUGALL WAS HIRED BY REPUBLIC PICTURES AS A SCRIPT
SUPERVISOR. HIS FIRST FILM WAS A ROY ROGERS WESTERN TITLED "THE FAR
FRONTIER". DON CONTINUED WORKING AS A SCRIPT SUPERVISOR UNTIL 1954,
WITH ASPIRATIONS OF BEING A DIRECTOR.
HIS FIRST BREAK CAME IN 1951 DIRECTING EPISODES OF "THE ROY ROGERS SHOW"
(1951-1957) TV SERIES. DON REALIZED THAT TELEVISION WAS A NEW MEDIA WITH
GREAT POTENTIAL SO HIS FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO STICK WITH IT AND TRY TO
ACQUIRE AS MANY DIRECTORIAL ASSIGNMENTS
AS HE COULD. AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT,
DON MCDOUGALL'S CAREER AS A TV DIRECTOR STARTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SERIES:
"THE RANGE RIDER"(1951-1952)
"ANNIE OAKLEY" (1954-1956)
AND "BUFFALO BILL, JR." (1955-1956).
THEN CAME SOME NON-WESTERNS:
"SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE"(1955-1957),
"STATE TROOPER"(1955-1959)
AND
"JUNGLE JIM" (1955-1956).
MCDOUGALL DIRECTED MOST OF THE 26 EPISODES OF "JUNGLE JIM".
THE FIRST FOUR WER HELMED BY AN UP-AND-COMING DIRECTOR, EARL BELLAMY.
DON REALLY ENJOYED DOING WESTERNS WITH STORIES THAT HAD GOOD
CHARACTERIZATIONS AND ACTION.
SO IN 1957 HE WENT OVER TO FOUR STAR PRODUCTIONS AND BEGAN DIRECTING
EPISODES OF:
"TRACKDOWN"(1957-1959),
"WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE"(1958-1961),
'STAGECOACH WEST"(1960-1961)
AND THE UNDERATED "THE WESTERNER"(1960) STARRING BRIAN KEITH.
IN BETWEEN HIS WORK AT FOUR STAR, DON ALSO DIRECTED EPISODES FOR
"RAWHIDE"(1959-1966)AND "BONANZA"(1959-1973).
WHILE AT FOUR STAR PRODUCTIONS DON MCDOUGALL WAS FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH
WELL WRITTEN SCRIPTS. DON'S STYLE WAS TO ALWAYS TRY TO GIVE HOMAGE
TO STRONG CHARACTERIZATIONS PLUS ACTION WHEN CALLED FOR.
ONE OF LAST WESTERNS THAT DON DIRECTED WAS:
"THE VIRGINIAN"(1962-1971) SERIES (MCA/Revue/Universal).
IN 1964 DON MCDOUGAL BROKE AWAY FROM WESTERNS AND PURSUED OTHER TYPE'S
OF TELEVISION. HE BEGAN TO DIRECT FOR SUCH TV SERIES AS:
"THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E."(1964-1968),
"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE"(1966-1973),
"IRONSIDE"(1967-1975)
"MANNIX'(1967-1975),
"MARCUS WELBY, MD"(1969-1976)
"LONGSTREET"(1971-1972),
"THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN"(1974-1978),
"CHIPS"(1977-1983),
AND "DALLAS"(1978-1991).
THE REST OF HIS CREDITS ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST. BUT HE DID INCORPORATE
ONE MORE WESTERN TO HIS COLLECTION:
"THE HIGH CHAPARRAL"(1967-1971).
OVER THE YEAR'S DON MCDOUGALL CONTRIBUTED SOME OF THE FINEST EPISODES
TO SERIES TELEVISION, ADDING HIS EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL TOUCH AS ONE
OF TV'S GREAT DIRECTOR'S.