Fairbanks, Jerry

Biography

Executive producer, Jerry Fairbanks was born in San Francisco, CA, Nov. 1, 1904; was a cameraman (1924-29); formed his production company in the early 1930s; produced films for Universal pictures including a series of short color films entitled, "Strange As It Seems," based on the cartoon series of the same name; moved to Paramount pictures in 1936 where he produced the Popular science series, in collaboration with Popular Science magazine, "Unusual Occupations"; in 1947, while at Paramount, Fairbanks worked for NBC to establish a film division which resulted in the formation of the NBC newsreel; filmed the first dramatic series for television, "Public Prosecutor," the first cartoon series for television, "Crusader Rabbit," and other series including "Front Page Detective," "Hollywood Theatre," "This Is Your Life," "The Ed Wynn Show," and "The Edgar Bergen Show"; starting in the 1950s, the company engaged primarily in producing films for non-theatrical use; Jerry Fairbanks' numerous contributions to the television industry include the Academy Award winning DuoPlane Process, used in the series "Speaking Of Animals," the Multicam System, which allowed the filming of continuous sequences and spontaneity of live performances, and the "Zoomar Lens" which allowed a zoom from long-shots to close-ups; retired in 1983 and died in 1995.

From the guide to the Jerry Fairbanks Productions Records, ca. 1940-1970, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Arts Special Collections)