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Charles Fries (producer)

American television and film producer

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 28, 2026
Entity authorityQ5083197 ↗
Source-derived summary

Charles William Fries (September 30, 1928 – April 22, 2021) was an American film and television producer who worked on many TV series, made-for-TV movies, and theatrical films.

The Cincinnati, Ohio-born Fries moved to Los Angeles in 1952 and began working for the production and syndication company Ziv Television Programs. He later worked at Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures, and Metromedia. In 1974, he formed Charles Fries Productions, which later became Fries Entertainment, where he produced and/or supervised more than 275 hours of television movies and mini-series.

Among the projects he produced are The Amazing Spider-Man television series, which aired in the USA between 1977 and 1979; the 1980 television miniseries The Martian Chronicles, based on the book by Ray Bradbury; the 1981 television docudrama Bitter Harvest; and the 1989 made-for-TV movies Small Sacrifices and The Neon Empire.

For theatrical release, he produced or was involved in the productions of the 1982 film Cat People, the 1986 skateboarding film Thrashin', and the 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills, which is based on a play written by actress Susan Davis, which was produced at Theatre West, and partly inspired by his wife, Ava Ostern Fries' experiences with a Beverly Hills Girl Scout troop. Ava produced the film and Fries executive produced.

Fries has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 1978. In 1986 he moved the star from the north side of Hollywood Blvd to the sidewalk in front of the building he occupied at 6922 Hollywood Blvd.

Early life

Fries was born in Cincinnati, the son of Gladys E. (Guethlein) and Charles M. Fries.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Charles Fries (producer)” is american television and film producer. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Charles, Fries and producer, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1928, 2021, 1952, 1974—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1928-09-30. For this dossier, Charles, Fries and producer is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “american television and film producer” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5083197. VIAF identifies the subject as 49176968. The Library of Congress control number is nr2004014046. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1928, 2021, 1952 and 1974.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Charles Fries (producer)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Charles Fries (producer) primary sources, Charles Fries (producer) archive and Charles research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Charles Fries (producer)”?
  2. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
  3. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Charles Fries (producer)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.