Dwight Hemion, 81, noted TV producer
WASHINGTON - Dwight Hemion, a director and producer who worked with stars including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Luciano Pavarotti, and Chewbacca, died of renal failure Jan. 28 at his home in Rectortown, Va. He was 81.
Mr. Hemion was considered the dean of televised concert and variety specials and was honored for his work to bring elaborate, Broadway-style productions into America's living rooms.
He received 47 Emmy Award nominations and won 18 for such programs as "Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music" (1965), "Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back" (1977), and "Baryshnikov on Broadway (1980), starring ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.
"He defined what the network spectacular was in the 1960s and 1970s," said Ron Simon, a curator at the Paley Center for Media, a New York-based museum of radio and television history. "He was the go-to guy for any established performer to create a special with."
Simon said Mr. Hemion's talent was working with an impressive range of entertainers, from pop singers to great classical artists, and creating a spectacle to appeal to broad tastes.
Such moments might feature Baryshnikov, wearing a white top hat, singing "One" from "A Chorus Line" and rendering a medley from American musicals with Liza Minnelli.
Mr. Hemion gained notice in the 1950s directing comedian Steve Allen as host of "The Tonight Show" and on his self-titled comedy-variety program.
In 1965, two of Mr. Hemion's specials were nominated for Emmys: "Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music" and "My Name Is Barbra," with Streisand memorably singing "Second Hand Rose" as she cavorted through the Bergdorf Goodman department store.
