Welcome to PaulHerriott.ca

Paul Herriott was born educated in St. Catharines , Ontario. He graduated from St. Catharines Collegiate& produced the popular St. CCI VS Variety Show. He played for the great St. CCI VS “REDFEATHER” football team in 1950, with fond and vivid boyhood remembrances of seeing Sturgeon in the Niagara River, the Niagara Falls Ice Bridge, and the collapse of the 1st Rainbow Bridge from the immense water ice-force.


(click on picture to view old niagara falls gallery)
Family outings and picnics were de Rigeur along the great river from Chippawa to the Falls, to Queenston, to Niagara-on-the-Lake. With boat-trips from Port Dalhousie to Toronto, on the “Northhumberland” & the “Dalhousie City, after a terrifying ride over the Martindale trestle in the open St. Catharines streetcars. His early boyhood and teenage years were full of comedy, influenced by a happy humourous family and much exposure to radio and television humour, with Jack Benny, George Burns, Amo’s & Andy, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, the Great Gildersleeve, Life of Reilly, Fibber McGee & Molly. His life suffused with humour and laughter. After Paul finished his St. Catharines Standard Paper Route, he frequented the Lincoln Granda, cinemas to satisfy his passions for movies and dramatic Cinema.



Stage #2 The Mid-1950’s

His broadcast education commenced when restless with local educational venues, he caught the train to New York City in the early 50’s to commence his broadcast experiences. His life was enriched (at an early age) with personal conversations on Shubert Alley with such illustrious show-biz luminaries as Fred Allen (nemesis to Jack Benny), Moss Hart, Kitty Carlisle, Riding at the DuMont Net with Jackie Gleason, (Life of Riley) Ernie Kovacs, (The Ernie Kovacs Show), Edie Adams, attending rehearsals of Sid Caesars “Show of Shows” at the century theatre with Carl Reiner, Imogene Cocoa, Howard Morris, Written by Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen (All in Attendance), “The Steve Allen Show”, rehearsals with total cast, Louis Nye, Steve Lawrence & Edyie Gorme, Dayton Allen, Tom Poston, Gabe Dell, Pat Harrington jr., Andy Williams, Don Knotts.


All of these early personal humourous encounters amplified his desire for humour and drama, thus casting the mold for his enthusiasm for television and film arts. While in New York, he learned and studied all aspects of live television with SRT-TV, 57th St, Lived at 57th and 8th Ave., near the Parc Vendome, Damon Runyons’ Apt., and frequented NY., cinemas, museums, art galleries & original cast broadway musicals. n.b (He was later in his career to direct Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason & compete with Howie Morris).


Stage #3-The Late 1950’s-Mid 1960’s

Graduated from Columbia College Chicago in Communications & Speech, he was enable to train with top network TV crews, work with WBKB-TV part of the ABC-TV network. As a production asst. and cameraman, where he worked on a variety of live television broadcasts, “kukla, Fran & ollie”, Super Circus, The Pabst Wed. Night Fights, Paul Harveys’ Radio Show, The estes Kefauver Crime Commission Investigations of the Teamsters & Dave Beck.


The 1956 Democrat Convention, where assigned to the investigative reporter Martin Agronsky, interview for the net, Jack & Jacqueline Kennedy, (nominated for vice-pres, unsuccessfully), Avril Harriman, and competed with The Walter Cronkite and John Cameron Swayze CBS-TV, and networks news crews for the best interviews and stories. His life was enriched in Chicago by living on the Near-North Side, frequenting music, plays, theatre, cinema, pursuing the live stand-up comedy of “Mort Sahl” at “The Hungry “i”, Lenny Bruce at the Maryland, Don Adams at the Black Orchid, for Jazz, Oscar Peterson Trio at Chicago’s’ London House.


Only in his early 20’s, with this manifold experience, he returned to Canada late 50’s to join J. Walter Thompson Advertising, Toronto, where he produced numerous television commercials, in Toronto and New York & lecturing at Ryerson for film and television…influencing many young students into TV Advertising Careers.


He was soon induced to join Young & Rubicam Advertising Toronto, where he quickly became head of television for Canada. Producing numerous award-winning commercials for National Canadian Advertisers in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, The U.K. & Europe, receiving International Notoriety.


With this run of success under his belt he decided to open his own television production company. “Paul Herriott Productions” #30 College St. Toronto, where one of the first assignments was to direct a humorous commercial for Resdan with the great actor, “Basil Rathbone” as Sherlock Holmes. A major documentary for Centennial 1967 with Bobby Gimby hit kids song, “CAN-AH-DAA!"


At this early stage 1969, he also won a “clio” for a very funny “Penmans” underwear commercial, starring George Petrie 2nd of the Jackie Gleason Show filmed beside Niagara Falls, the Niagara Glen, winning international acclaim in the U.S. 7 Cannes, thus establishing Paul Herriott Productions as specialists in TV comedy and humour.


Paul Herriott had established himself then as an outstanding international director of humour, comedy dialogue, celebrities famous individuals. The company produced 100’s of Canadian and U.S. commercials.


He used his talents to direct, produce, develop projects, lead people, finalize concepts, and hone his comedy abilities to the perfection of a fine edge.


Stage 4-The Early –Mid 1970’-1980’s



He prospered through the early 70’s, because of his Canadian successes, International Awards Recognition, and his fine direction, he was pursued & offered major U.S. contract (the 1st Canadian Director) to join a major studio, E.U.E. Screen Gems, 44th St. & the Warner Lot, Hollywood.

Though the 70’s and 80’s, he was extremely busy in New York, Hollywood, and Toronto, flying “the triangle” almost every week, with residences sustained in all three centers. Canada at Kings Landing, Hollywood, “The Beverly Hills Hotel”, and Manhattan, at Sutton and 58th St. He was in constant demand in all three centers, directing the acting, musical comedy, the sports and comedy elite of show business for television advertising celebrity television commercials were powerfully used in the 1970’s-1980’s, so his specialty was honed on the best in show business (ref. To addendum lists) and major U.S. sports & political figures (ref:addendum).

He had numerous encounters with his neighbours including, Placido Domingo, Bill Blass, Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta, Tennessee Williams, Carol O’Conner, and rode elevators with Gloria Swanson, Catherine Deneuve, Simone, Signoret, Yves Montand, Chas Laughton, et les autres & nbsp;

           


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