Robert Rafelson

biography

Robert Rafelson, who is a partner in Straybert Productions, producers of NEW MONKEES, has achieved success and acclaim as a playwright, television writer, program executive. He is an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker as well. But it would appear from his younger years that he was headed toward a life of vagabonding adventure. He ran away from home at the age of 14 to work as a bronc buster on a ranch in Arizona and later worked his way to Panama aboard a tramp steamer.

He temporarily stepped out of his seven league boots to return to his native New York City and finish high school at Trinity School in Pawling, New York. From there he went on to earn a degree in philosophy at Dartmouth College and a master's degree at Columbia University in theatre arts.

He was honored with a Philosophy Award Fellowship while a senior at Dartmouth in 1953 and he won the Frost National Playwriting Competition, directing the production of his prize-winning play at the Hanover, New Hampshire, experimental theatre.

Never able to resist an adventure, during the next few years he made several round-trips to Europe, a trip to Mexico where he played drums in a jazz combo, and spent two years as a news editor for the Far East Network in Japan.

While in Japan he wrote and produced three documentary films for the Shochiku Films Company.

Returning to the United States he joined David Susskind's Talent Associates as writer-associate producer on "The DuPont Show of the month" network series of drama programs, then wrote 34 adaptations for the critically-acclaimed "Play of the Week."

Still in his twenties, Rafelson joined ABC-TV in New York as director of program development, a post he held until 1963 when Revue Productions (now Universal Television) brought him to Hollywood to be associate producer of the "Channing" series. He next was writer-producer for Desilu's "Greatest Show on Earth" series.

Rafelson joined Screen Gems (now Columbia Pictures Television) in 1964 to develop new television projects and feature films for Columbia Pictures. He co-produced the pilot episode of "The Wackiest Ship in the Army," and then teamed with Bert Schneider in 1966 to produce a new project called "The Monkees."

Rafelson, Schneider and Steve Blauner, formerly vice president in charge of new projects at Screen Gems, formed B.B.S. Productions in 1969 to make their own movies.

Their first feature was "Easy Rider." "Five Easy Pieces" was nominated for Best Picture by the Motion Picture Academy in 1970, "The Last Picture Show" was nominated in 1971 and "Hearts and minds" won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 1974.

Films that Rafelson has directed include "Five Easy Pieces," "King of Marvin Gardens," "Stay Hungry" and "The Postman Always Rings Twice." He recently directed the feature film, "Black Widow" starring Debra Winger.

Now with the NEW MONKEES, a half-hour syndicated musical comedy series debuting this September, Rafelson is back into television production with Bert Schneider and Steve Blauner and their Straybert Productions Inc.