James Goldstone (June 8, 1931 in Los Angeles, California – November 5, 1999 in Shaftsbury, Vermont) was an Emmy award-winning American director of both television and theatrical films during the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.

Goldstone was noted for the momentum and "fifteen-minute cliffhangers" that he brought to TV pilots such as Star Trek, Ironside, and The Senator. His later career helped pioneer the concept of "thirty-second attention span" pacing over detailed content in his dramatizations of Rita Hayworth, Calamity Jane, and the Kent State shootings for which he won the Emmy.

Partial filmography

• The Sun Also Rises (1984)
• Calamity Jane (1984)
• Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess (1983) (TV)
• Kent State (1981)
• When Time Ran Out... (1980)
• Rollercoaster (1977)
• Eric (1976)
• Swashbuckler (1976)
• Things In Their Season (1974)
• They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)
• The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971)
• Brother John (1970)
• A Man Called Gannon (1969)
• Winning (1969)
• Jigsaw (1968)
• Star Trek: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966) (TV)
• The Outer Limits: "The Inheritors" (1964) (TV)
• The Outer Limits: "The Sixth Finger" (1963) (TV)

During his Hollywood career, he directed Paul Newman, Robert De Niro, Robert Shaw, Jerry Orbach, Richard Dreyfuss and Sidney Poitier and collaborated with composer and musician, Lalo Schifrin. He was the first to "discover" Tiny Tim. In addition to his work in film and television, Goldstone was a longtime leader in the Director's & Writers Guilds. In his later life, he taught both at Bennington College and in the masters program at NYU Film School. During the 1990s he directed a number of theatrical productions in New England. He was also central in the establishment of National Public Radio presence in Vermont and was the moving force behind the creation of the Vermont Arts Council which named its award for new talent the James Goldstone Award.

Goldstone was the son of Hollywood agent and early television producer, Jules Goldstone.

External links

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