Fred Coe

Fred Coe (December 13, 1914 – April 29, 1979), nicknamed Pappy, was an American television producer and director most famous for The Goodyear Television Playhouse/The Philco Television Playhouse in 1948-1955 and Playhouse 90 from 1957 to 1959. Among the live TV dramas he produced were Marty and The Trip to Bountiful for 'Goodyear/Philco', Peter Pan for Producers' Showcase, and Days of Wine and Roses for Playhouse 90.

Born in Alligator, Mississippi, United States, Coe attended high school in Nashville, Tennessee, and college in Nashville at Peabody College, now part of Vanderbilt University, before studying at the Yale Drama School.

Coe made his mark in the early years of network television when Lights Out moved from radio to TV on July 3, 1946. Variety reviewed:

Coe was known as a patron saint of writers, discovering or advancing the careers of Paddy Chayefsky, Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, JP Miller, David Swift, N. Richard Nash, A.E. Hotchner, Herb Gardner, David Shaw, and many others. Numerous important actors appeared on Coe's shows, which were directed by, among others, Delbert Mann and Arthur Penn.