RIESNER, WHO WORKED ON 2 OTHER FILMS FROM THE DIRTY HARRY FRANCHISE: CREDITED (THE ENFORCER) & UNCREDITED (SUDDEN IMPACT), WAS BORN ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 1918 IN NY. HE PASSED AWAY ON AUGUST 18TH, 2002. HE WAS 83.
HE WAS ALSO THE SILENT FILM CHILD ACTOR DINKY DEAN!
DON SIEGEL HIRED RIESNER ON 3 OCCASIONS: 1968'S COOGAN'S BLUFF (WRITTEN WITH HERMAN MILLER & HOWARD RODMAN), 1971'S DIRTY HARRY (WRITTEN WITH THE HUSBAND & WIFE TEAM OF THE FINKS-HARRY JULIAN AND RITA M. & AN UNCREDITED JOHN RED DAWN MILIUS) AND THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED 1973 CLASSIC CHARLEY VARRICK (WORKING WITH RODMAN AGAIN).
RIESNER'S FATHER WAS 1920'S & '30'S FILM DIRECTOR CHARLES RIESNER (STEAMBOAT BILL JR. WITH BUSTER KEATON, CHASING RAINBOWS) WHICH LEAD TO DEAN MAKING HIS ACTING DEBUT AT AGE 5. AFTER APPEARING IN A HANDFUL OF SILENT FILMS AS DINKY DEAN (PECK'S BAD BOY, A LADIES MAN, THE PILGRIM WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN), RIESNER STOPPED ACTING AND CONCENTRATED ON SCHOOL AND A 'NORMAL' CHILDHOOD. HE RETURNED TO THE SCREEN IN THE MID-1930'S FOR ONE FILM AND LATER WORKED IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA IN THE LATTER PART OF THE 1940'S & EARLY 1950'S IN SUCH FILMS AS THE COBRA STRIKES, THE TRAVELING SALESWOMAN AND OPERATION HAYLIFT.
DINKY DEAN AND THE LITTLE TRAMP
HE ACHIEVED A BIT OF FILM IMMORTALITY IN 1948 WHEN HE CO-WROTE AND DIRECTED THE 61 MIN. FEATURE BILL AND COO, WITH A MOSTLY ALL-ANIMAL CAST OF PARAKEETS, LOVEBIRDS, DOGS, CATS AND A CROW. THE FILM WENT ON TO WIN AN HONORARY OSCAR AWARD.
RIESNER GOT HIS FIRST WRITING CREDIT FOR THE BIG SCREEN IN 1939, BILLED AS DEAN FRANKLIN ON THE RONALD REAGAN VEHICLE CODE OF THE SECRET SERVICE.
IN THE 1950'S AND '60'S, RIESNER PRODUCED A PRODIGIOUS AMOUNT OF WORK FOR TV, WRITING OVER 70 EPISODES OF SUCH TV SHOWS AS RAWHIDE, PLAYHOUSE 90, CHEYENNE, THE JOE PALOOKA STORY, BRONCO, BOURBON STREET BEAT, SUGARFOOT, THE TEXAN, SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE, SHOTGUN SLADE, 77 SUNSET STRIP, COLT. 45, SURFSIDE 6, LAWMAN, THE MANY LOVES OF DOBIE GILLIS, THE OUTER LIMITS, THE VIRGINIAN, THE LONG, HOT SUMMER (ALSO AN EXECUTIVE STORY CONSULTANT), BEN CASEY, CONFLICT, 12 O' CLOCK HIGH, IRONSIDE AND MANY, MANY MORE.
THE OUTER LIMITSHENRY SILVA WITH THE TOURIST ATTRACTION
HE ALSO PENNED RICHARD WIDMARK'S 1971 TV DEBUT, THE 2 PART POLITICAL MYSTERY VANISHED, WHICH GARNERED RIESNER AN EMMY NOMINATION FOR HIS ADAPTATION OF FLETCHER KNEBEL'S BESTSELLING NOVEL.
IN 1976 HE ADAPTED IRWIN SHAW'S INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER RICH MAN, POOR MAN FOR TV, A LANDMARK MINI-SERIES THAT WON 4 EMMY'S AND NABBED RIESNER ANOTHER EMMY NOMINATION.
RIESNER'S OTHER TV MOVIE AND MINI-SERIES WORK INCLUDES: ARTHUR HAILEY'S THE MONEYCHANGERS, STRANGER ON THE RUN, LOST FLIGHT, THE INTRUDERS AND THE KEEGANS.
HIS OTHER BIG SCREEN WRITING CREDITS (ALONE OR IN COLLABORATION) INCLUDE: THE HELEN MORGAN STORY, THE MAN FROM GALVESTON, THE FIGHTING 69TH, FATAL BEAUTY AND CLINT EASTWOOD'S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT PLAY MISTY FOR ME.
RIESNER DID UNCREDITED WORK ON SUCH FILMS AS EASTWOOD'S HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, JOHN CARPENTER'S STARMAN, JOHN BADHAM'S BLUE THUNDER. WOLFGANG PETERSON'S DAS BOOT AND HE WROTE AN UNUSED DRAFT OF THE GODFATHER PART III.
DID YOU KNOW...?
RIESNER WAS AT ONE TIME MARRIED TO VAMPIRA, MAILA NURMI.
HE WAS NOMINATED FOR 2 WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS FOR HIS WORK ON THE TV SHOWS 12 O' CLOCK HIGH AND CONFLICT.
THE WORDS OF RIESNER:
SCENE FROM DIRTY HARRY
CHARLEY VARRICK TRAILER
PLAY MISTY FOR ME TRAILER NARRATED BY PAUL ''BORIS BADENOV'' FREES
SCENE FROM COOGAN'S BLUFF
CLASSIC NICK NOLTE-WILLIAM SMITH FIGHT SCENE FROM RM, PM
THE BEST SCENE IN THE ENFORCER WITH RUDY THE DRIVER RAMOS AND JOE HILL STREET BLUES SPANO
BILL AND COO
DINKY DEAN PACKS QUITE A PUNCH IN THE PILGRIM WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN
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