Gene Reynolds
in the trailer for the filmGallant Sons (1940)
Born	Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal (1923-04-04)April 4, 1923 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	February 3, 2020(2020-02-03) (aged 96) Burbank, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Occupations	Producer director screenwriter actor
Years active	1934–1999
Spouses	Bonnie Jones ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1976)​ Ann Sweeny ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	1
Awards	6Primetime Emmy Awards 2Directors Guild Awards Writers Guild of America Award

Eugene Reynolds Blumenthal (April 4, 1923 – February 3, 2020) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. He was one of the developers and producers of the TV seriesM*A*S*H.

Reynolds was born on April 4, 1923, to Frank Eugene Blumenthal, a businessman and entrepreneur, and Maude Evelyn (Schwab) Blumenthal, a model, inCleveland,Ohio.^[1] Reynolds initially was raised inDetroit,^[2] before the family relocated toLos Angeles in 1934.^[3]

Reynolds served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II.^[3] He served on ships including a destroyer-minesweeper theUSSZane. Following the war, Reynolds received a degree in history at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, and resumed his acting career.^[1]

Reynolds made his screen debut in the 1934Our GangshortWashee Ironee, and for the next three decades made numerous appearances in films such asCaptains Courageous (1937),Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938),Boys Town (1938),They Shall Have Music (1939),Santa Fe Trail (1940),Adventure in Washington (1941),Eagle Squadron (1942) andThe Country Girl (1954) and on television series likeI Love Lucy,Armstrong Circle Theatre,Whirlybirds, andHallmark Hall of Fame. He was contracted toMGM between 1937 and 1940.

As a child actor, Reynolds often played the young version of the film's star character. He did this forRicardo Cortez in 1937'sThe Californian,Tyrone Power inIn Old Chicago (1938),James Stewart in 1938'sOf Human Hearts andDon Ameche inSins of Man (1936).^[1]

Following his return to acting after serving in World War II, Reynolds became frustrated with not being able to land leading roles and the general progress of his career, and turned to directing, shooting episodes of shows such asLeave It to Beaver,The Andy Griffith Show, andMy Three Sons.The Munsters.^[1]

In 1957, Reynolds joined forces withFrank Gruber and James Brooks to createTales of Wells Fargo forNBC.^[4] During the program's five-year run he wrote and directed numerous episodes.^[5]

Reynolds' additional directing credits include multiple episodes ofFather of the Bride,The Farmer's Daughter,F Troop,Hogan's Heroes, andMany Happy Returns.^[5] He was the Executive Producer forRoom 222, a breakthrough comedy-drama on theABC network which was about an African American school teacher, and which dealt with subjects such as drugs, prejudice and dropping out of school. The series ran for over 100 episodes, some of which Reynolds directed. ABC released Reynolds from the show when it thought making the show funnier would result in higher ratings.^[1]

As a writer, director, and producer, Reynolds was involved with two highly successfulCBS series in the 1970s and early 1980s. Between 1972 and 1983, he produced 120 episodes ofM*A*S*H, which he co-created withLarry Gelbart, and for which he also wrote 11 episodes and directed 24. During that same period, he produced 22 episodes ofLou Grant, for which he wrote (or co-wrote) five episodes and directed 11.^[5][4]

Reynolds was nominated for twenty-fourEmmy Awards and won six times, includingOutstanding Comedy Series forM*A*S*H andOutstanding Drama Series twice forLou Grant, which also earned him aHumanitas Prize.^[4][6] He won theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Comedy Series twice for his work onM*A*S*H and theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Direction of a Drama Series once for his work onLou Grant.^[7]

Reynolds was elected President of theDirectors Guild of America in 1993, a position he held until 1997.^[4]

Reynolds was married to actress-turned-author Bonnie Jones, who appeared in five episodes ofM*A*S*H as Lt. Barbara Bannerman, from 1972 until 1975, when the couple divorced. He and his second wife, actress Ann Sweeny, who also appeared onM*A*S*H as Nurse Carrie Donovan in the episode "Hanky Panky", married in 1979 and have one son.^[8]

Reynolds died at the age of 96 of heart failure on February 3, 2020, atProvidence St. Joseph Medical Center inBurbank, California.^[7][4][8][9]

Source:^[5]

Notes

Bibliography

• Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002).Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 242–250.ISBN 1476613702.
• Holmstrom, John (1996).The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 116.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toGene Reynolds.

• Gene Reynolds atIMDb
• Gene Reynolds atThe Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• Who's Who at MGM — Gene Reynolds (1939)
• Gene Reynolds atFind a Grave

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