Dallas
News
2004 Distinguished
Alumni Award for Professional Achievement
Dallas, Edge of Night, Eight is Enough--these television series
were household names long before "must-see TV,"
and Philip Capice played an integral role in them all.
After
graduating from Dickinson, where he was a founding member
of the Mermaid Players and the Follies, Capice earned an MFA
in dramatic arts from Columbia University. He hoped to work
in theatre, but in the mid-50s the relatively young field
of television afforded more opportunities. In 1954 he joined
the television-production department of a large New York advertising
firm, Benton & Bowles.
Initially, Capice produced live TV
commercials for Benton & Bowles-sponsored programs and
in 1957 he began work on two CBS soap operas created by the
ad agency: As the World Turns and Edge of Night. His roles
behind-the-scenes ranged from associate producer to scriptwriter
to director on the long-running series.
In 1964 Capice became Benton &
Bowles' vice president for program development and was involved
in the creation of client-owned shows like The Andy Griffith
Show and Gomer Pyle, USMC. In 1969 he joined CBS as director
of special programs. During his five-year stint at the network
he developed a variety of specials, including animated programs
featuring Charlie Brown and Dr. Seuss; musical specials with
the likes of Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Leonard Bernstein
and Vladimir Horowitz (to name a few); National Geographic
specials; and dramatic programs such as "The Autobiography
of Miss Jane Pittman" and "The Homecoming: A Christmas
Story," which became the basis of the weekly series The
Waltons.
In
1974 Lorimar Productions, the fledgling Los Angeles production
company that produced The Waltons, invited Capice to become
senior vice president for creative affairs. He accepted their
offer, moved from New York to Los Angeles, and during the
next dozen years developed and produced scores of TV pilots,
series, movies and miniseries for Lorimar.
Among Capice's prize-winning productions
were "Sybil," for which he earned an Emmy and a
Peabody Award in 1977; "Green Eyes," which won a
Peabody and the Humanitas Prize in 1978; "Some Kind of
Miracle," which garnered the Christopher award in 1978;
and Dallas, a popular favorite with eight People's Choice
Awards.
In 1978 Capice became president of
Lorimar, but he found that the administrative responsibilities
of the job took him away from the creative programming he
so enjoyed. He opted to return to production, structuring
an exclusive agreement with Lorimar that allowed him to produce
programs through his independent company, Raven's Claw Productions
(fondly named after the Dickinson honorary society of which
he was a member).
For the next several years, Capice
concentrated on Lorimar's flagship series, Dallas and Eight
is Enough, which consistently ranked among the top 10 in the
Nielsen ratings. In 1986 he decided to step back from the
high-energy business and retired to his home in the Hollywood
Hills, where he lives today.
Capice has been a member of The Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences and The Caucus for Producers,
Writers and Directors. He joined the Dickinson Board of Advisors
in 1978. In 1990 he was named to the Board of Trustees, on
which he continues to serve as an emeritus member.
As a student, Capice was an active
member of Dickinson clubs and honorary societies. Along with
his dramatic activities, he was president and soloist in the
college choir, news editor of The Dickinsonian, president
of Alpha Psi Omega (dramatic honorary), vice president of
Pi Delta Epsilon (journalism honorary), a member of Omicron
Delta Kappa (academic honorary), and a member of Phi Kappa
Psi, Skull & Key and Raven's Claw.
Of his service to the college, Capice
says, "One of the happiest experiences I've had has been
the opportunity to continue my affiliation with a place I
love so much."
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