Leon Fromkess
The

Series Producer

by Michael Bennett


Leon Fromkess

Horse Fame is pleased to be able to share this bit of history to the public. Any reproduction of this article must have written permission granted only by the family of Mr. Fromkess.

In 1950 Leon Fromkess resigned as Vice President of Goldwyn Studios. Up until that time Leon Fromkess had been producing feature motion pictures for about 20 years. Fromkess decided to enter into the production of the fledgling television industry. Leon Fromkess initially started Television Review for MCA. After one year at Television Review, Fromkess decided to start his own Television company.
In 1952 he partnered with Edward Small and Milton Gordon to form Television Programs of America (TPA). From 1952 through 1959 TPA, headed by Leon Fromkess as Executive Producer, produced 21 TV series. Perhaps the series that Leon Fromkess held nearest and dearest to his heart was "Fury."

The "Fury" series entertained millions of American viewers while at the same time promoted lessons of moral and ethical values. The good guys were clearly defined in the series and violence was seldom used and only to the extent that it was necessary for the story to be complete. Healthy relationships, compassion and the struggle for good to succeed (which it always did) were the hallmarks of the "Fury" television series. Motion Pictures and indeed television today would do well to emulate the ethical standards that producers like Leon Fromkess stood for. Leon Fromkess continued to produce major motion pictures until 1972.