Robert Totten

Robert Charles Totten (February 5, 1937 – January 27, 1995)^[1][2] was an American television director, writer, and actor, best known for directing 25 Gunsmoke episodes, Henry Fonda's adaptation of The Red Pony, and Louis L'Amour's The Sacketts miniseries.^[3][4]

Career

In addition to directing, Totten also co-starred in Gunsmoke playing the role of Corley, opposite of Nehemiah Persoff, in the 1969 episode "The Mark of Cain." He also played Cleavus Lukens, the childhood friend of Festus in an episode named for his role.

As director, writer, and actor, Totten is a member all three guilds; the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild.^[1]

Awards

Totten was nominated at the 25th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in Drama - Adaptation for his work on the 1973 television film, The Red Pony.^[5]

Death

Totten died at the age of 57 on January 27, 1995, from a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California.^[1][6]

Filmography

A partial filmography follows.

Film

Director

Actor

Television

Writer

• Gunsmoke (1968) - "Nowhere to Run" (S13E18)

Director

Gunsmoke^[1] (1966–71)

• "My Father's Guitar" (S11E21)
• "My Father, My Son" (S11E30)
• "Prime of Life" (S11E32)
• "The Good People" (S12E5)
• "The Wrong Man" (S12E7)
• "The Newcomers" (S12E11)
• "Saturday Night" (S12E16)
• "Mail Drop" (S12E19)
• "Mistaken Identity" (S12E26)
• "Nitro!" (S12E28 & S12E29)
• "The Wreckers" (S13E1)
• "A Hat" (S13E6)
• "Major Glory" (S13E8)
• "Blood Money" (S13E19)
• "Hill Girl" (S13E20)
• "The First People" (S13E23)
• "Waco" (S14E11)
• "Stryker" (S15E2)
• "A Matter of Honor" (S15E9)
• "Stark" (S16E3)
• "The Scavengers" (S16E10)
• "Jenny" (S16E15)
• "Murdoch" (S16E20)
• "The Lost" (S17E1)

Other shows (1962–90)

• The Gallant Men (1962) - S1E13 "Advance and Be Recognized"
• Hawaiian Eye^[1] (1962-1963)
  • "Lament for a Saturday Warrior" (S4E5)
  • "To See, Perchance to Dream" (S4E9)
  • "Two Too Many" (S4E16)
  • "The Long Way Home" (S4E19)
• Temple Houston (1963)
  • "Letter of the Law" (S1E3)
  • "Gallows in Galilee" (S1E6)
  • "Jubilee" (S1E8)
  • "Seventy Times Seven" (S1E11)
• The Virginian^[1] (1964) - "The Secret of Brynmar Hall" (S2E26)
• Bonanza^[1] (1965)
  • "Dead and Gone" (S6E27)
  • "A Natural Wizard" (S7E13)
• The Legend of Jesse James^[1] (1965-1966)
• Daniel Boone^[1] (1966) - "The Gun" (S2E20)
• Iron Horse^[1] (1966) - "Cougar Man" (S1E7)
• The Monroes (1966) - "War Arrow" (S1E9)
• The Wackiest Ship in the Army^[1] (1966)
  • The Lamb Who Hunted Wolves (S1E16 & S1E17)
  • Brother Love (S1E21)
• Mission: Impossible^[1] (1968)
  • The Phoenix (S3E23)
  • Recovery (S3E25)
• Dan August (1970) - "When the Shouting Dies" (S1E10)
• Bearcats! (1971)
• Kung Fu^[1] (1973)
  • "The Tong" (S2E7)
  • "The Hoots" (S2E10)
• The Red Pony^[1] (1973)
• Huckleberry Finn (1975)
• The Fitzpatricks (1977) - "Say Goodbye to Buddy Bonkers" (S1E10)
• The Sacketts^[1] (1979)
• Enos (1981) - "House Cleaners" (S1E7)
• Magnum, P.I.^[1] (1981) - "Double Jeopardy" (S2E19)
• The Young Riders (1990) - "The Man Behind the Badge" (S1E21)

Actor

References

1. ^ Dan Cox (February 12, 1995). "Robert Totten". Variety.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
2. ^ Lentz, Harris (1996). Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers. McFarland. p. 994. ISBN 9780786402175. – via Google Books
3. ^ Fagen, Herb (1998). Duke, We're Glad We Knew You: John Wayne's Friends and Colleagues Remember His Remarkable Life. Kensington Publishing Corporation. p. 115. ISBN 9780806520568. – via Google Books
4. ^ Andreychuk, Ed (March 2010). Louis L'Amour on Film and Television. McFarland. p. 140. ISBN 9780786457175. – via Google Books
5. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
6. ^ Lentz, Harris (July 1996). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1995. McFarland. p. 192. ISBN 9780786402533. – via Google Books

External links

• Robert Totten at IMDb