4/15 - Tony Dow, "Wally"

THIS WEEK WITH ROBERT CONRAD

TONY DOW  -   "Wally"  "Leave it to Beaver"
Even though his mother was Clara Bow’s double, a Mack Sennett bathing beauty and one of Hollywood’s first stuntwomen, Muriel Montrose Dow had no aspirations for her son Tony to have a career in the entertainment industry. At an early age he had earned many national swimming records and the reputation as the best junior diver in the country, which made him a strong Olympic candidate. In 1956, his Olympic quest was interrupted when a long time family friend asked if Tony could accompany him to Screen Gems to meet with the producers of a new TV series, Johnny Wildlife, and he landed the part. The pilot never sold, but within a couple of months he had to choose between the role of “Boy” in Tarzan, being a Mouseketeer or playing the big brother on Leave it to Beaver. For over 40 years Tony Dow has played a variety of characters and has directed many more. He starred in four television series and has had numerous co-starring roles and guest appearances in film, television and theatre. Tony has spent the last 18 years behind the camera. In his directing career he’s been able to cross over from comedy to drama in both the hour and half-hour format. In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Tony has always maintained his interest in the arts. As a painter and sculptor, he has had pieces displayed in a number of shows and is currently working on a series of figurative bronzes that originate from burl wood collected near his home. The Dow’s live in a handcrafted home in the rustic Santa Monica Mountains with their dog, Bodie. Most of Tony’s spare time is spent in his workshop creating his sculpture or any one of numerous projects in progress around their home. Tony’s directing credits include over sixty hours of network

 television which include multiple episodes of the hit comedy, Coach, the sci-fi classics Babylon 5 and Star Trek, Deep Space 9, Cover Me, the True Life Adventures of an FBI Family, and television versions of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and Harry and the Hendersons, to name a few. He has also shot many commercials and recently completed shooting a documentary focusing on progressive education in the 21st century with JPL and NASA. In the theater world Tony received a Dramalog award for directing the theatrical presentation of K-2, in Hollywood.  In the producing arena, Tony completed production on a remake of the sci-fi classic It Came From Outer Space for Universal Studios for which he was also the uncredited writer. He produced and supervised visual effects for the two-hour television movies, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, and Doctor Who, for Universal, Fox and the BBC. He and his wife, Lauren, and Melissa Gilbert were Executive Producers on a special two-hour documentary, CHILD STARS: Their Story, which airs continuously on A & E.