Fred Coe (December 13, 1914 - April 29, 1979), nicknamed Pappy, was a television producer and director most famous for the The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1948-1955 and Playhouse 90 from 1957 to 1959. Among the live TV dramas he produced were Marty and The Trip to Bountiful for Philco-Goodyear, Peter Pan for Producers' Showcase, and Days of Wine and Roses for Playhouse 90.
Born in Alligator, Mississippi, Coe attended high school in Na...
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Fred Coe (December 13, 1914 - April 29, 1979), nicknamed Pappy, was a television producer and director most famous for the The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse in 1948-1955 and Playhouse 90 from 1957 to 1959. Among the live TV dramas he produced were Marty and The Trip to Bountiful for Philco-Goodyear, Peter Pan for Producers' Showcase, and Days of Wine and Roses for Playhouse 90.
Born in Alligator, Mississippi, Coe attended high school in Nashville, Tennessee, and college in Nashville at Peabody College, now part of Vanderbilt University, before studying at the Yale Drama School.
Coe made his mark in the early years of network television when Lights Out moved from radio to TV on July 3, 1946. Variety reviewed:
Coe was known as a patron saint of writers, discovering or advancing the careers of Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, JP Miller, David Swift, N. Richard Nash, A.E. Hotchner, Herb Gardner and many others. Numerous important actors appeared on Coe's shows, which were...
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