Howard W. Koch

Executive, Producer

About

Also Known As

Howard Winchel Koch, Howard Koch

Birth Place

New York City, New York, USA

Born

April 11, 1916

Died

February 16, 2001

Cause of Death

Complications From Alzheimer's Disease

Biography

Veteran Hollywood producer who began his career as an assistant cutter at 20th Century-Fox. Koch began turning out films in the 1950s, acted as a producer for Frank Sinatra Enterprises from 1961 to 1964 and has enjoyed a long-term association with Paramount Pictures, where he was vice president in charge of production from 1964 to 1966. Son Howard W. Koch Jr., (born 1945) is also a produ...

Filmography

Badge 373 (1973)

Director

The Hired Hand (1971)

Photos & Videos

View All

Untamed Youth (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Cotton Picker

Untamed Youth (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Healthy Outdoor Work

Family & Companions

Ruth Koch

Wife

Married in 1937.

Notes

"I have been in the motion picture industry for 56 years. I've produced and directed many, many films, and at one time I was president of Paramount Pictures. I've had the most wonderful career in the motion picture industry. There is not much I haven't done, I never look back. I love what I'm doing today and I hope I can continue to do it for many years to come. I believe with all my heart that you can't make a great movie unless there are strong relationships between the producer, the diredtor, writer, cast, and crew down to the third A.D."--Howard W. Koch (quoted in Eastman Motion Picture Films ad, VARIETY, March 16, 1992)

Biography

Filmography

Life Events

1945

First film as second assistant director, "The Keys of the Kingdom"

1953

Joined Aubrey Schenck Productions

1961

Producer for Frank Sinatra Enterprises

Videos

Untamed Youth (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Cotton Picker Kids sentenced to the work farm, including sisters Janey (Lori Nelson) and Penny (Mamie Van Doren) picking cotton, when "Bong," (Eddie Cochran, still only 19, with a song by Les Baxter that never appeared on a Cochran record until 1972, 12 years after his car-crash death) breaks out in song, in Untamed Youth, 1957.

Untamed Youth (1957) -- (Movie Clip) Healthy Outdoor Work In this instance the title refers to naked blonde teenagers, Penny (Mamie Van Doren) and Janey (Lori Nelson), captured by Mitch (Robert Foulk) and brought before the judge (Lurene Tuttle), opening Untamed Youth, 1957.

Violent Road (1958) -- (Movie Clip) You Get Nervous And Jumpy We infer here that Dick Foran as military veteran Frank (a.k.a. Sarge) works at the nearby rocket company that has to move in a hurry due to a series of accidents, and he has problems at home, implied by his troubled wife Edith (Ann Doran), the first scene for both, in Warner Bros.’ Violent Road, 1958, starring Brian Keith.

Violent Road (1958) -- (Movie Clip) You Must Take A Lot Of Vitamins! After an opening with a crash of a military test rocket, Brian Keith pulls up in the town where it happened, ending things with Merry Anders in a nice Fairlane, looking for trucking work, meeting boozy John Dennis, with Arthur Batanides, then impressed secretary Charmienne Harker, in Violent Road, 1958, from prolific producer-director Howard W. Koch.

Violent Road (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Felt Like An Earthquake Feels like Henri-Geoge Clouzot’s Wages Of Fear from a few years earlier, Brian Keith as head trucker Mitch gets help from partner Joe (Perry Lopez) getting their rocket fuel through a tight spot, Dick Foran and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. the second crew, Sean Garrison and Arthur Batanides going last, in Violent Road, 1958.

Born Reckless (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Title Tune, Boy Scout The never famous San Antonio rocker Johnny Olenn, on a rare Fender tenor electric guitar, leads with the title song, then leading man Jeff Richards turns down a rodeo tootsie (Asa Maynor) and visits sidekick "Cool Man" (Arthur Hunnicutt), opening the Mamie Van Doren vehicle Born Reckless, 1958.

Born Reckless (1958) -- (Movie Clip) He Believes In The Siesta Jackie (Mamie Van Doren) reprises the title song for rodeo rider and maybe-boyfriend Kelly (Jeff Richards, with sidekick Arthur Hunnicutt), en route to visit his Latin virtual family led by "Papa" (Nacho Galindo, Allegra Varron as "Mama," Ray Beltran "Grandfather,"), in Born Reckless, 1958.

Born Reckless (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Home Type Of Girl Introduced by rocker Johnny Olenn, Mamie Van Doren as trick rider and, it turns out, also singer, "Jackie," with an original novelty number by Buddy Bregman and Sammy Styne, then hassled by a boozy rodeo reporter (Tom Dugan), early in Born Reckless, 1958.

4 For Texas (1963) -- (Movie Clip) Nothing Like A Straight Answer Back in Galveston after misadventures including one in which Joe Jarrett (Dean Martin) relieved him of $100,000, relaxed but shady entrepreneur Zack Thomas (Frank Sinatra) trades jabs with friendly immigrant hostess Elya (Anita Ekberg, her first scene), in 4 For Texas, 1964, directed by Robert Aldrich.

Three Strangers (1946) -- (Movie Clip) It Has Always Been Man's Nature Instant spellcasting, a prologue and foggy London, from the original screenplay by John Huston and Howard Koch, Jean Negulesco directing, finding Geraldine Fitzgerald in furs and Sydney Greenstreet in pursuit, opening Three Strangers, 1946, also starring Peter Lorre.

Three Strangers (1946) -- (Movie Clip) At Least Ten Years Of Fainting The last bit of Crystal (Geraldine Fitzgerald) having it out with her husband (Alan Napier, whom she claimed was overseas) then she’s transported via Kwan Yin’s statue to join her new co-conspirator West (Peter Lorre), whose mysterious friend Icy (Joan Lorring) arrives, John Huston and Howard Koch’s script twisting, in Three Strangers, 1946.

Three Strangers (1946) -- (Movie Clip) She's A Very Ancient Personage Geraldine Fitzgerald still hasn’t exchanged names with equally unacquainted Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, having lured them up to her plush first floor London apartment, beginning to explain what she has in mind, from an original script by John Huston and Howard Koch, in Three Strangers, 1946.

Trailer

Manchurian Candidate, The (1962) - (Original Trailer) A Korean War hero doesn't realize he's been programmed to kill in the original The Manchurian Candidate (1962) starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Angela Lansbury, from the novel by Richard Condon.

Up Periscope - (Original Trailer) U.S. frogman James Garner infiltrates a Japanese-held island during World War II in Up Periscope (1959).

Frankenstein 1970 - (Original Trailer) A descendent (Boris Karloff) of Baron Frankenstein unleashes an undead murderer on the crew filming his forebear's story in Frankenstein 1970 (1958).

Beachhead - (Original Trailer) Tony Curtis and a group of Marines must find a plantation owner and his daughter on an enemy-held island in Beachhead (1954).

Andy Hardy Comes Home - (Original Trailer) In the last Hardy Family movie, Lawyer Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) to get an aircraft plant for his hometown.

Side Street - (Original Trailer) Farley Granger is a New York City mailman who is chased by both cops and crooks when he steals a shipment of dirty money in Side Street (1949).

War Lover, The - (Original Trailer) A WWII bomber pilot (Steve McQueen) succeeds at flying but the rest of his life isn't so under control in The War Lover (1962).

Shining Victory - (Original Trailer) A psychiatrist (James Stephenson) sacrifices everything for his research. Co-starring Geraldine Fitzgerald.

President's Analyst, The - (Original Trailer) When James Coburn becomes The President's Analyst (1967), he becomes the pawn of one conspiracy after another.

Plaza Suite (Original Trailer) A New York hotel room is the setting for three stories of romantic squabbles in Neil Simon's Plaza Suite (1971) starring Walter Matthau.

Crisis - (Original Trailer) Cary Grant takes a strong dramatic role as an American doctor forced to operate on a dictator in Crisis (1950).

Reformer and the Redhead, The - (Original Trailer) A small-town politician (Dick Powell) falls for an idealistic zoo-keeper (June Allyson) in the comedy The Reformer and the Redhead (1950).

Family

Melinda Frances Blinken

Daughter

Born in 1939.

Howard W Koch Jr

Son

Producer. Born in 1945; changed name in 1995 to Hawk Koch.

William Koch

Grandson

Actor.

Companions

Ruth Koch

Wife

Married in 1937.

Bibliography

Notes

"I have been in the motion picture industry for 56 years. I've produced and directed many, many films, and at one time I was president of Paramount Pictures. I've had the most wonderful career in the motion picture industry. There is not much I haven't done, I never look back. I love what I'm doing today and I hope I can continue to do it for many years to come. I believe with all my heart that you can't make a great movie unless there are strong relationships between the producer, the diredtor, writer, cast, and crew down to the third A.D."--Howard W. Koch (quoted in Eastman Motion Picture Films ad, VARIETY, March 16, 1992)

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Director (Feature Film)

Cast (Feature Film)

Writer (Feature Film)

Producer (Feature Film)

Production Companies (Feature Film)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Cast (Special)

Producer (Special)

Producer (TV Mini-Series)

Life Events

1945

1953

1961

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

TCM Emails