Russell Morash Explained

Russell Morash (February 11, 1936 – June 19, 2024) was an American television producer and director. Morash's many educational television programs such as The French Chef, The Victory Garden, MIT Science Reporter, This Old House, and The New Yankee Workshop, were produced through WGBH and aired on PBS.

His work earned fourteen Emmy awards, and he was the 2014 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys.

Early life

Morash was born on February 11, 1936, in Lexington, Massachusetts.[1] He grew up in Lexington. Morash's father was a builder. In 1957, Morash graduated from the Boston University College of Fine Arts.

Career

Morash started his entertainment career as a cameraman for Boston public-television station WGBH-TV.[2] In 1961, as a cameraman, Morash met Julia Child when she appeared on a WGBH program called I've Been Reading, while promoting her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Viewers flooded the station with calls and letters asking to see more. The French Chef premiered on WGBH in 1962 and then was distributed nationally by American Public Television.[3] Morash began directing The French Chef in 1963.[4] [5] They worked together on other cooking shows for more than thirty years.

Morash's theater-inspired directorial style, and the technology of the day, required that the staff and host—all collected in a makeshift studio cobbled together with equipment that had escaped a massive station fire—would shoot each episode in one take. It established an in-the-moment template for a new kind of public television show that Morash took with him to launch other series, such as This Old House and The Victory Garden.[6]

The Victory Garden and This Old House spinoff series The New Yankee Workshop were filmed in Morash's own backyard in Massachusetts.

Filmography

Personal life

Morash's wife was Marian Morash, a James Beard Award-winning chef who also appeared on Julia Child's cooking show, appeared on The Victory Garden and edited The Victory Garden Cookbook.[4] [9] [10]

WGBH announced that Russell died on June 20, 2024, leaving behind a legacy as the founding "commanding father" of the how-to genre of educational television. He was 88.[11]

Recognition

Morash's work earned 14 Emmy awards, including 11 for Outstanding Director of a Service Show, and in 2014 the Daytime Emmys Lifetime Achievement award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in 2018.[12]

He was a fellow of the National Association of Garden Writers and the 2005 recipient of the George Robert White Medal of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

Portrayals

Fran Kranz plays Morash in the 2022 HBO Max series Julia with Sarah Lancashire.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: White . Peter . June 24, 2024 . Russell Morash Dies: 'This Old House' Creator & Julia Child Producer Was 88 . June 25, 2024 . . en-US.
  2. Web site: Klein. Michael. New 'Julia' documentary shows Julia Child as a cultural trailblazer beyond food. December 3, 2021. The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 18, 2021. en. December 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211203052136/https://www.inquirer.com/food/julia-child-documentary-movie-20211118.html. live.
  3. Web site: Create TV: Julia Child History. February 23, 2022. createtv.com. February 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220223160318/https://createtv.com/CreateTV.nsf/Showcase?Readform&theme=julia&page=history. live.
  4. Web site: Holly . Beretto . A DYI Legacy Interview with Famed Public Television Producer Russell Morash . newengland.com . December 2016 . September 6, 2019 . June 11, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190611084406/https://newengland.com/yankee-magazine/living/profiles/diy-legacy-interview-famed-public-television-producer-russell-morash/ . live .
  5. Web site: R. Daniel . Foster . June 22, 2019. 'This Old House' creator Russell Morash's visionary career. December 3, 2021. Los Angeles Times. en-US. December 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211203052132/https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hp-russell-morash-this-old-house-20190622-story.html. live.
  6. Web site: Bob . Seay . August 10, 2012. First 'French Chef' Director Russ Morash Remembers Julia Child. February 23, 2022. wgbh.org . en. February 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220223160317/https://www.wgbh.org/news/post/first-french-chef-director-russ-morash-remembers-julia-child. live.
  7. Web site: John T. Fitch with Russell Morash, Jr. and Carolyn Carr . MIT Museum . June 21, 2024 . June 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240622131757/https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/object/GCP-00012111 . live .
  8. News: In-depth with Russell Morash, the father of This Old House, Victory Garden, French Chef with Julia Child . June 21, 2024 . LAist . Southern California Public Radio . October 9, 2010 . en . June 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240622131807/https://laist.com/podcasts/off-ramp/in-depth-with-russell-morash-the-father-of-this-old-house-victory-garden-french-chef-with-julia-child . live .
  9. Web site: Marian Morash . James Beard Foundation . August 2, 2018. August 2, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223723/https://www.jamesbeard.org/chef/marian-morash. live.
  10. Web site: Russell and Marian Morash . newwookiee.com . March 15, 2011 . September 6, 2019 . September 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190906155109/http://www.newwookiee.com/story/Russell_And_Marian_Morash_137137.asp . live .
  11. Web site: James . Scherer . 'This Old House' creator Russell Morash has died . wgbh.org . June 20, 2024 . June 22, 2024 . June 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240622131805/https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2024-06-20/this-old-house-creator-russell-morash-has-died. live.
  12. Web site: Carthan . Alexis . June 21, 2024 . 'This Old House' Pays Tribute to Creator Russell Morash . June 25, 2024 . This Old House . en-US.
  13. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . January 14, 2021 . HBO Max Orders Julia Child Series 'Julia' Starring Sarah Lancashire & David Hyde Pierce . June 8, 2022 . Deadline . en-US . January 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210114200045/https://deadline.com/2021/01/hbo-max-orders-julia-child-series-julia-chris-keyser-sarah-lancashire-david-hyde-pierce-1234674012/ . live .

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