January 29, 2012
Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford made the following statement upon learning of the passing of John Rich:
“We are deeply saddened to learn today of the passing of John Rich. A legendary figure in the history of TV comedy, John tirelessly served our Guild for nearly six decades. He directed some of the most beloved classics of all time and his skills as a television director were unsurpassed, but no matter how busy and successful his career was, John always made time for the DGA.
“No one who ever sat in a meeting with John will ever forget his stories about the early days of the Guild or his lovably salty sense of humor. John began making an impact in the Guild from the very first time he attended a meeting of what was then the Screen Directors Guild. At that meeting, he had the chutzpah to point out that of the illustrious members - including Capra, Stevens, Wyler and Hitchcock - who had convened to elect a board of directors, none had ever worked in television. And the very next day – John got a call that they had appointed him – this brash young television wunderkind, as an alternate member of the new board. And once he began serving the Guild, he never stopped, with more than 50 years on the National Board and Western Directors Council, and even after his retirement continued serving as the Chairman of the Directors Guild Foundation.
“But what we’ll remember the most is his dedication to defending the economic and creative rights of our members, pushing for the merger of the Screen Directors Guild and Radio & Television Directors Guild, establishing the Pension Plan and serving on almost every Negotiations Committee since 1960. We’ll always be grateful to have had the benefit of his formidable presence, his outspoken nature and his years of experience that came from leading and supporting the Guild in some of its most important moments. Our hearts go out to his wife Pat and his family at this difficult time.”
DGA SERVICE AND AWARDS
A member of the Screen Directors Guild since 1953, John Rich was instrumental in the 1960 merger between the Screen Directors Guild and the Radio and Television Directors Guild, which formed today’s Directors Guild of America. In 1955, Rich was appointed an alternate on the National Board, the start of more than 50 years of service on the board and the Western Directors Council, eventually serving as Secretary (1958-1959), Treasurer (1965-1967) and several terms as a Vice President (1959-1960, 1960-1961, 1963-1965, 1967-1973, 1996-1997). He was also involved in multiple negotiations as a member of the Negotiations Committee and served as Chairman of the Directors Guild Foundation since 2005. Rich was a founding member of the DGA-Producer Pension Plan and was Chairman of its Board of Trustees for seven terms.
In recognition of his invaluable contributions to the DGA, Rich was bestowed with two of the Guild’s highest honors, receiving the Robert B. Aldrich Award in 1993 for his extraordinary service to the Guild and its membership and the DGA Honorary Life Member Award in 2003 in recognition of outstanding creative achievement, contribution to the Guild or the profession of directing. Rich won two DGA Awards for his directing work: 1971’s DGA Award for Most Outstanding Television Director as well as a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for his work on All in the Family.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
- 1962: Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- 1963: Emmy Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for The Dick Van Dyke Show
- 1967: University of Michigan Sesquicentennial Award
- 1971: Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for All In The Family
- 1971: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series’ for All In The Family
- 1971: DGA Award for Most Outstanding Television Director
- 1971: Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Production, Musical or Comedy Series, for All In The Family
- 1972: Emmy Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for All In The Family
- 1972: DGA Award Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series’ for All In The Family
- 1972: Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Production, Musical or Comedy Series, for All In The Family
- 1973: Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for All In The Family
- 1973: Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for All In The Family
- 1973: Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Production, Musical or Comedy Series, for All In The Family
- 1973: NAACP Image Award for All In The Family
- 1973: American Cancer Society Award for All In The Family
- 1974: Christopher Award for Television Production Affirming the Highest Values of Human Spirit for Clarence Darrow
- 1974: Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series for All In The Family
- 1974: Golden Globe Nomination for Outstanding Production, Musical or Comedy Series, for All In The Family
- 1991: Environmental Media Award for Ongoing Commitment to Environmental Concerns for MacGyver
- 1992: Producers Guild Hall of Fame of All In The Family as show “that has set an enduring standard for American entertainment.”
- 1993: DGA Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award
- 2002: University of Michigan Honorary Doctorate Degree of Humane Letters
- 2003: DGA Honorary Life Member Award
FEATURE FILMS
- Wives and Lovers (1963)
- The New Interns (1964)
- Roustabout (1964)
- Boeing-Boeing (1965)
- Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
EPISODIC TELEVISION
- The RCA Victor Show (1951-1953)
Re-titled The Dennis Day Show (1953-1954)
- Our Miss Brooks (1955-1956); 27 Episodes
- Florence Chadwick Catalina Island Swim (1952)
- I Married Joan (1953); 2 Episodes
- Where's Raymond? (1954); 30 Episodes
Re-titled The Ray Bolger Show (1954-1955)
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951-1959)
- Colonel Humphrey J. Flack (1953)
aka The Fabulous Fraud (1953-1954)
- General Electric Theater (1959-1960); 2 Episodes
- Dateline Disneyland (1955)
- Screen Directors' Playhouse (1956); 1 Episode
- Gunsmoke (1957-1969); 14 Episodes
- Hey, Jeannie (1956-1957)
- Conflict (1957); 2 Episodes
- Oh! Susanna (1956-1958)
Re-titled The Gale Storm Show (1956); 2 Episodes
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957-1960)
- The Eve Arden Show (1957-1958)
- How to Marry a Millionaire (1958-1959)
- The Rifleman (1960); 2 Episodes
- Bat Masterson (1958-1960); 6 Episodes
- Law of the Plainsman (1960); 1 Episode
aka The Westerner
- Bold Venture (1959); 4 Episodes
- Peck's Bad Girl (1959)
- Hotel de Paree (1960); 1 Episode
- Markham (1959-1960)
- Tightrope (1959-1960)
- Riverboat (1959); 2 Episodes
- The Twilight Zone (1960-1963); 2 Episodes
- The Detectives, Starring Robert Taylor (1959-1961)
Re-titled Robert Taylor's Detectives (1961-1962)
- Bonanza (1960-1968); 4 Episodes
- Slezak and Son (1960)
- The Brothers Brannigan (1960)
- The Aquanauts (1960-1961)
Re-titled Malibu Run (1961)
- The Outlaws (1960); 1 Episode
- The Law and Mr. Jones (1960-1962)
- The Americans (1961); 1 Episode
- King of Diamonds (1961-1962)
- Pine Lake Lodge (1961)
- The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966); 41 Episodes
- McKeever and the Colonel (1962)
- Gilligan's Island (1964); 4 Episodes
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1966-1969); 27 Episodes
- Hank (1965-1966)
- Hogan's Heroes (1968); 2 Episodes
- I Spy (1966); 1 Episode
- Run for Your Life (1967); 1 Episode
- McNab's Lab (1966)
- T.H.E. Cat (1966); 1 Episode
- That Girl (1968-1971); 19 Episodes
- Hey Landlord (1966-1967)
- Good Morning, World (1967); 2 Episodes
- My World … and Welcome to It (1969-1970) 8 Episodes
- The Brady Bunch (1969); 7 Episodes
- Headmaster (1970-1971)
- Make Room for Granddaddy (1971); 1 Episode
- All in the Family (1971-1974); 81 Episodes
- Archie Bunker's Place (1979-1983)
- Maude (1972-1978)
- Clarence Darrow (1974)
- Good Times (1974); 1 Episode
- Grandpa Max (1975)
- The Jeffersons (1975-1985)
- Barney Miller (1975); 1 Episode
- On the Rocks (1975-1976); 20 Episodes
- I'll Never Forget What's Her Name (1976)
- Charo and the Sergeant (1976)
- Mother, Juggs and Speed (1978)
- Dorothy (1979); 4 Episodes
- Billy (1979)
- Benson (1980-1982); 43 Episodes
- Amanda's (1983); 1 Episode
- Condo (1983); 13 Episodes
- MacGyver (1985-1992)
- Newhart (1982); 1 Episode
- Mr. Sunshine (1986); 11 Episodes
- Dear John (1988); 5 Episodes
- Murphy Brown (1994); 1 Episode
- Nearly Departed (1989); 6 Episodes
- The Man in the Family (1991); 7 Episodes
- Walter and Emily (1991-1992); 13 Episodes
- Baby Talk (1991-1992); 1 Episode
- Second Half (1993-1994); 8 Episodes
- The Good Life (1994); 1 Episode
- Hudson Street (1995); 2 Episodes
- If Not for You (1995); 5 Episodes
- Mr. Rhodes (1996-1997); 2 Episodes
- Something So Right (1996-1997); 3 Episodes
- Pistol Pete (1996)
- You're the One (1998)
- Payne (1999); 2 Episodes
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