Paul F. Heard | |
|---|---|
 Heard in December 1949 | |
| Born | Paul Frederic Heard (1913-10-14)October 14, 1913 |
| Died | February 27, 1964(1964-02-27) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater | Lawrence College University of Minnesota |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, director, scriptwriter |
| Years active | 1938–1963 |
| Known for | Religious films |
| Spouse | Gwendolin Vandarwarka |
Paul Frederic Heard (October 14, 1913 – February 27, 1964) was an American film producer, director, and scriptwriter ofreligious films. From 1946 to 1951 he served as executive director of theProtestant Film Commission, which producedshort films for distribution to denominational churches across the United States and Canada. He then formed his own independent production house for religious films. His short filmKenji Comes Home (1949) was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Paul Frederic Heard was born on October 14, 1913, inOlivia, Minnesota.[1][2] His father, Rev. J. W. Heard, and grandfather, Rev. C. M. Heard, were bothMethodist ministers.[3]
Heard studied atLawrence College, his father's alma mater,[3] from 1929 to 1931.[2] He enrolled at theUniversity of Minnesota from 1933 until his graduation in 1935,[2][4] studying film production in the school's visual education department.[5]
From 1938 to 1940, Heard worked as a production supervisor in the University of Minnesota's visual education department.[2] In 1940,[2] he became director of films for theMethodist Church's national board of missions in New York.[4] From 1942 to 1945, he was Orientation Film Officer for theBureau of Naval Personnel inWashington, D.C.[2] In the latter capacity, he producedtraining andpropaganda films for theUnited States Navy.[6]
In 1945, Heard was appointed executive director of the newly formedProtestant Film Commission.[2][6] At that time, he commented that "similar techniques" as those used in government propaganda films could be applied to religious films to bring about "spiritual realizations" regarding the challenges of modern life.[6]
When the Protestant Film Commission merged with theProtestant Radio Commission to form theBroadcasting and Film Commission (BFC) of theNational Council of Churches of Christ in December 1950,[7] Heard was named director of films in the new organization.[2][8] But in 1951, he resigned in order to become an independent producer of Christian films.[9] He was president of Paul F. Heard Inc, a motion picture production company, until 1963.[2] In 1954, theLos Angeles Times called Paul F. Heard Inc. "one of the big three producers of religious films", and said that Heard had had a hand in the production of hundreds of films for this sector.[10] Heard entered the television market in the early 1950s with the production of a 13-part series of short films titledWhat's Your Troubles, featuring Dr. and Mrs.Norman Vincent Peale.[11]
At the22nd Academy Awards, Heard's productionKenji Comes Home was nominated forBest Documentary Feature; it lost to the British documentaryDaybreak in Udi.[12]
We Hold These Truths (1952), a Paul F. Heard Inc. production, was named best film in its category at aStamford, Connecticut, film festival.[13][14]
Heard was a member of theAcademy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and ofToastmasters International.[15]
In October 1941, Heard's father officiated at his marriage to Gwendolin Vandarwarka inAppleton, Wisconsin.[3][4] In 1950, his wife's mother moved to California and lived with them until her death a month after her 100th birthday in 1963.[16][17]
Heard died on February 27, 1964,[18] aged 50, after undergoing surgery for cancer at Veterans Hospital inSan Fernando.[14] Funeral services were held at the Hollywood Congregational Church and burial took place at Mountain View Cemetery inAltadena.[15]
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