# Ivan Tors

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**Ivan Tors** (born **Iván Törzs**; June 12, 1916 – June 4, 1983) was a [Hungarian](/source/Hungary) [playwright](/source/Playwright), who became an American [film director](/source/Film_director), [screenwriter](/source/Screenwriter), and [film](/source/Film_producer) and [television producer](/source/Television_producer) with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater sequences, and stories involving animals. He started a Miami-based film studio now known as Greenwich Studios,[1] and later a music company.[2]

## Biography

Tors was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary. He wrote several plays in his native country before moving to the United States just prior to [World War II](/source/World_War_II). He arrived with his brother Ervin in July 1939 on the [SS *Hansa*](/source/SS_Albert_Ballin) and had come to study at Fordham University in New York City. He subsequently enlisted in the [United States Army Air Corps](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Corps) then transferred to the [Office of Strategic Services](/source/Office_of_Strategic_Services).[3] Following the war, he was contracted to [Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer](/source/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) as a screenwriter.

In 1952, he made *[Storm over Tibet](/source/Storm_over_Tibet)*, his first film as co-writer and producer. He began his partnership with his fellow Hungarian [Andrew Marton](/source/Andrew_Marton) with this film, reusing much of Marton's footage from *[Demon of the Himalayas](/source/Demon_of_the_Himalayas)*.

Long interested in fact-based [science fiction](/source/Science_fiction), often with an underwater setting, Tors partnered with actor [Richard Carlson](/source/Richard_Carlson_(actor)) in the 1950s to create A-Men Films, a production company devoted to making films about its own fictitious exploits.

Under the A-Men banner, Tors wrote and produced *[The Magnetic Monster](/source/The_Magnetic_Monster)* (1953) reusing footage from the 1934 German film *[Gold](/source/Gold_(1934_film))*. This was the first film in what became his "Office of Scientific Investigation" (OSI) trilogy that was followed by *[Riders to the Stars](/source/Riders_to_the_Stars)* (1954) and *[Gog](/source/Gog_(film))* (1954), both the same year. The following year came the syndicated television series *[Science Fiction Theater](/source/Science_Fiction_Theater)* (1955–1957).

Tors produced two [Korean War](/source/Korean_War) films, *[Battle Taxi](/source/Battle_Taxi)* (1955) and *[Underwater Warrior](/source/Underwater_Warrior)* (1958).

He created the first-run syndicated underwater action and adventure series *[Sea Hunt](/source/Sea_Hunt)* (1958–1961), starring [Lloyd Bridges](/source/Lloyd_Bridges), and *[The Aquanauts](/source/The_Aquanauts)* (1960–1961), starring [Keith Larsen](/source/Keith_Larsen), [Jeremy Slate](/source/Jeremy_Slate), and [Ron Ely](/source/Ron_Ely), which was later renamed *Malibu Run*. He also created [NBC](/source/NBC)'s [science fiction](/source/Science_fiction) series *[The Man and the Challenge](/source/The_Man_and_the_Challenge)*, starring [George Nader](/source/George_Nader) and [Jack Ging](/source/Jack_Ging) and was the executive producer of the first-run syndicated skydiving action and adventure series *[Ripcord](/source/Ripcord_(TV_series))*, starring [Larry Pennell](/source/Larry_Pennell) and [Ken Curtis](/source/Ken_Curtis).

In the 1960s, Tors left science fiction and concentrated on making films and television series involving animals. He typically would make a film first and then develop a television series based on that film. His animal films included *[Flipper](/source/Flipper_(1963_film))* (1963), *[Flipper's New Adventure](/source/Flipper's_New_Adventure)* (1964), *[Zebra in the Kitchen](/source/Zebra_in_the_Kitchen)* (1965), *[Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion](/source/Clarence,_the_Cross-Eyed_Lion)* (1965), *[Gentle Giant](/source/Gentle_Giant_(film))* (1967), and *[Africa Texas Style](/source/Africa_Texas_Style)* (1967). He also directed *[Rhino!](/source/Rhino!)* (1964), and *Galyon* (1977).

Tors appeared as himself on the February 14, 1966 episode of the [CBS](/source/CBS) game show *[To Tell the Truth](/source/To_Tell_the_Truth)*. He received two votes.[4]

His animal-themed television adventure series included *[Flipper](/source/Flipper_(1964_TV_series))*, *[Daktari](/source/Daktari)*, *[Gentle Ben](/source/Gentle_Ben)*, *[Cowboy in Africa](/source/Cowboy_in_Africa)*, and *[Jambo](/source/Jambo_(TV_series))*, a documentary series set in Africa.[5] He was also the executive producer of [MGM Television](/source/MGM_Television)'s 1967 TV series *[Off to See the Wizard](/source/Off_to_See_the_Wizard)* for [ABC](/source/American_Broadcasting_Company).[6]

His production company, Ivan Tors Films, did the underwater filming for the [James Bond](/source/James_Bond) film *[Thunderball](/source/Thunderball_(film))* as well as filming his own *[Around the World Under the Sea](/source/Around_the_World_Under_the_Sea)* for [MGM](/source/MGM) and *[Daring Game](/source/Daring_Game)* and *[Hello Down There](/source/Hello_Down_There)* for [Paramount](/source/Paramount_Pictures). Tors' studio also filmed [Soupy Sales](/source/Soupy_Sales)' film debut in *[Birds Do It](/source/Birds_Do_It)*.

## Personal life

Tors was married to film actress [Constance Dowling](/source/Constance_Dowling) from 1955 until her death in 1969. Tors died 14 years later, eight days before his 67th birthday. He died due to a [heart attack](/source/Heart_attack) in [Mato Grosso](/source/Mato_Grosso), Brazil, where he was scouting a new television series.[7]

## Legacy

In 1989, the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences posthumously awarded Tors a [NOGI Award](/source/NOGI_Awards) in Arts.

## References

1. ["Greenwich Studios: History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151105113947/http://greenwichstudios.com/english/history.html). Greenwich Studios. 2013. Archived from [the original](http://www.greenwichstudios.com/english/history.html) on November 5, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

1. ["Century City Putting Man in Orbit, Aims for Top 40"](https://books.google.com/books?id=jSgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22ivan+tors+music%22&pg=PA110). Billboard. August 9, 1969. Retrieved April 30, 2015.

1. Tors, Ivan *My Life in the Wild* Houghton Mifflin, 1979

1. ["To Tell the Truth"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAK5VRAiu9k). *[CBS](/source/CBS)*. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/NAK5VRAiu9k) 2021-12-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

1. Woolery, George W. (1985). *Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series*. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 244–245. ISBN 0-8108-1651-2.

1. ["Off to See the Wizard (1967, U.s.)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100325233552/http://www.kiddiematinee.com/offwizard.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.kiddiematinee.com/offwizard.html) on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2009-09-19.

1. Ivan Tors, producer of animal movies and marine-oriented television series such as *Flipper* and *Sea Hunt,* died of a heart attack June 4 while engaged in pre-production work in Brazil (*New York Times*, June 7, 1983).

## External links

- [Ivan Tors](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868974/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ivan Tors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Tors) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Tors?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.