Seymour Berns
Seymour Berns | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 30, 1919 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 16, 1982 (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Notable work | The Jack Benny Program The Red Skelton Hour The Trouble with Tracy |
| Spouse | Ann Berns |
| Children | 1 |
Seymour Berns (May 30, 1919 – May 16, 1982) was an American television producer, director and executive. He worked in American network television from the early postwar years through the 1980s, with credits including The Jack Benny Program, The Red Skelton Show, The Red Skelton Hour, and the Canadian sitcom The Trouble with Tracy. Berns received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including directing nominations for The Jack Benny Show and The Red Skelton Show.[1]
Early life and education
Berns was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 30, 1919. He moved to California in 1935 and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1942.[2]
Career
Berns began his broadcasting career at CBS, where he worked as an usher before moving into production and directing. A 1950 profile in the Radio and Television Directors Guild Yearbook listed early credits including Hollywood Barn Dance, Melodies America Loves, House Party with Art Linkletter, Double or Nothing, Tricks and Treats, Hollywood Opportunity, Hollywood House, Dead Letter Office, and Premium Quiz.[2] A 1982 death notice in Broadcasting similarly described Berns as having begun his career as a radio director on such programs as House Party, Double or Nothing, Hollywood Barn Dance, and Free for All during the 1940s and 1950s.[3]
By the late 1950s, Berns was working as a director and producer on The Jack Benny Program. The Paley Center for Media lists Berns as director of the 1959 episode “Airport Sketch” and as producer and director of the 1959 episode “Jack Paar Show”.[4][5] He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1959 for Best Direction of a Single Program of a Comedy Series for The Jack Benny Show.[1]
Berns was also associated with The Red Skelton Show and The Red Skelton Hour. The Television Academy lists him as an Emmy nominee for The Red Skelton Show in 1962 and for The Red Skelton Hour in 1963 and 1966.[1] His 1982 death notice described him as producer and director of The Red Skelton Show and The Jack Benny Show during the 1950s and 1960s.[3]
In 1969, Broadcasting reported that Berns had spent most of his career as a producer-director for CBS and was responsible for the television output of National General Television Productions.[6] While at National General, Berns produced and directed The Trouble with Tracy, a Canadian sitcom made for CTV. The History of Canadian Broadcasting states that the series was originally piloted as The Married Youngs and was renamed by Berns after his daughter Tracy.[7] Library and Archives Canada identifies Berns as director and producer of the series, which was produced by National General Television Productions and CTV.[8]
Berns later worked as a television executive. According to his death notice, he was production vice president of Columbia Pictures Television before joining PolyGram Television in 1980. At the time of his death, he was vice president of production and development at PolyGram Television.[3]
Berns was also active in television-industry organizations. A Purdue University archival record identifies him as president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1969.[9]
Personal life and death
Berns was married to Ann Berns. They had a daughter, Tracy, for whom The Trouble with Tracy was named.[3][10]
Berns died of cancer on May 16, 1982, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.[3]
Awards and nominations
The Television Academy lists Berns as receiving five Primetime Emmy Award nominations:[1]
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Comedy Series | The Jack Benny Show | Nominated |
| 1962 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy | The Red Skelton Show | Nominated |
| 1963 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy | The Red Skelton Hour | Nominated |
| 1966 | Outstanding Variety Series | The Red Skelton Hour (Berns was producer) | Nominated |
| 1970 | Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | The Second Bill Cosby Special | Nominated |
Selected credits
- The Jack Benny Program – director; producer/director
- The Red Skelton Show / The Red Skelton Hour – director; producer
- The Trouble with Tracy – director and producer
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Seymour Berns". Television Academy. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- 1 2 Radio and Television Directors Guild 1950 Yearbook (PDF). Radio and Television Directors Guild. 1950. p. 35. Retrieved June 20, 2026 – via World Radio History.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Deaths" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 24, 1982. p. 86. Retrieved June 20, 2026 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "The Jack Benny Program: Airport Sketch". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The Jack Benny Program: Jack Paar Show". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Fast start" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 12, 1969. p. 4. Retrieved June 20, 2026 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ Wedge, Pip (July 2002). "Trouble With Tracy, The". The History of Canadian Broadcasting. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The Trouble with Tracy". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Telegram from Seymour Berns, President of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, May 31, 1969". Purdue University Archives and Special Collections. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ Wedge, Pip (July 2002). "Trouble With Tracy, The". The History of Canadian Broadcasting. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
External links
- Seymour Berns at IMDb
- Seymour Berns at the Television Academy
- Seymour Berns at Television Academy Interviews