Harold Tulchin, a pioneering director and innovator of video tape production and television commercials from the 1950s-1990s, passed away on Tuesday August 29th, 2017. He was 90 years old.

The son of Russian Jewish Immigrants who was born into humble beginnings, Hal went on to develop many firsts in television production, in a career that spanned the 1950s “Madmen era" all the way to the advent of syndicated shows like Seinfeld.

In 1951, he was awarded the first ever Master of Fine Arts Degree in Television granted by a U.S. university at The University of Iowa.

He began his career at Sterling TV where he eventually rose to head of programming, and then onto Young and Rubicam to spearhead the 1956 Presidential Election campaign for Dwight D Eisenhower.

In the late 50s, Tulchin began directing the first live TV commercials on programs like The 64,000 Question, the Philco Playhouse, The Show of Shows, and The Miss Universe Pageant. In 1958, the same year videotape became a commercial reality, he became a sought-after freelance director with a hallmark “soft look” that he parlayed into successful commercials for Revlon, Estee Lauder, Halston, Proctor and Gamble. among others.

Before remote satellite trucks were commonplace, Tulchin was the first to “dish” a picture from a location back to a studio for videotape recording. Tulchin had shots of Chrysler cars at JFK Airport “dished" to a CBS studio in New York City, and a feed from an ocean-going vessel near Honolulu sent pictures back to the mainland for a Timex commercial.

He was one of the first directors to capture major Hollywood talent on videotape, and the list of celebrities he worked with is staggering, including Lauren Hutton, Eva and Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oleg Cassini, Johnny Cash, Henry Ford, Rock Hudson, Gregory Hines, Yoyo Ma, Johnny Matthis, Barbara Mandrell, Mickey Mantle, Jack Benny, Barbara Feldon, Ed McMahon, Myrna Loy, Wilt Chamberlain, Phil Jackson, The Harlem Globetrotters, Louise Lasser, Jackie Mason, Tito Puente, Ed Sullivan, Jean Stapleton, Jonathan Winters, and many others.

In 1969, Tulchin filmed over 50 hours of footage of The Harlem Festival — a cultural event and concert series held in Mount Morris Park, Harlem, featuring renowned artists such as Nina Simone, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, Jesse Jackson, Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, The 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, and Moms Mabley, among many others. His hope was that a major network would pick up the footage and turn it into a special but none showed any interest. "It was a peanuts operation, because nobody really cared about black shows," said Tulchin, then 80 years old in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine. "But I knew it was going to be like real estate, and sooner or later someone would have interest in it."

After forming his own company, Tulchin Productions, a small commercial boutique production company, he spent the next 30 years producing and directing a range of iconic commercials such as the Texaco Sky Chief spots with Jack Benny and the Acapulco High Dive for Timex Watches, as well as celebrated spots for fashion, beauty, automotive, airline, banking, electronics and food and beverage brands including Clinique, Elizabeth Arden, Brut, Old Spice, Playtex, Warnaco, Ford Automotive, Toshiba, Motorola, Pan American Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Crisco Oil, Chemical Bank, IBM, Schick Razors, Tropicana, Lipton Tea, Wheaties, Domino Sugar, Pepsi, Pillsbury, Dunkin Donuts, Campbell Soup, and Calgon among many others. He produced commercials for PandG that were shown “live” during the Emmys and the Academy Awards.

Some of his other credits include: Executive Producer for the Miss World USA pageant starring Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., and George Hamilton; Director of The Wayne Newton Special shot from the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, starring Burt Reynolds, Lee Majors, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Robert Goulet; Producer and Director for a 90 minute special called the Rock and Roll Revival and featuring Chubby Checker, Little Richard and The Shirelles; Producer and Director for The Bobby Goldsboro Show, a half hour weekly series produced at CBS in Hollywood with guest stars that included Jim Nabors, Johnny Mathis, Seals and Crofts, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, and Bobbi Gentry.

After retiring in 1995, Hal tried to find a home for the Harlem Festival footage, and while there was some interest, it was never picked up. He spent his later years traveling the world, scuba diving and spending time with his family. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Janine, his daughters Ava Seavey and Sasha Tulchin, and grandchildren Kelsea Seavey, Jason and Aiden Tulchin. A memorial service will be held at the UN Chapel on Tuesday Sept 12 from 12-2pm. To sign our online guestbook visit www.westchesterfuneralhome.com