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Dean Hargrove

Dean Hargrove

Producer and writer, also director · Born July 27, 1938 (88) · Iola, Kansas, USA

Primetime Emmy winner

Dean Hargrove is an American television producer who was born on July 27, 1938 in Iola, Kansas. After graduating from high school, he was offered a job to become a comedy writer. He became an Emmy nominated writer in 1962 when he was writing The Bob Newhart Show (1961). After Newhart's cancellation, he quickly wrote for My Three Sons (1960) in 1963, before becoming a staff writer in 1964 for the spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Besides "U.N.C.L.E.", he contributed some work, like Jericho (1966) and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), both of those were for MGM Television and Norman Felton's Arena Productions. After "U.N.C.L.E."'s cancellation, he moved to Universal Studios. He stayed there until 1977. For Universal, he wrote scripts for The Name of the Game (1968), Columbo (1971) and McCoy (1975). He also produced various TV shows like Madigan (1972) and The Family Holvak (1975), thus making Hargrove the highest paid writer in history for the studio. Around the same time, in 1972, he launched an independent film production company, Strathmore Productions. He wrote and directed The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975). Five years later, he left Universal and worked at Viacom with Roland Kibbee who was a partner to start out Kibee/Hargrove Productions. The duo produced Dear Detective (1979) and Snavely (1978). In 1980, Kibee and Hargove parted ways. Hargrove shut down two production companies. He then joined Henry Winkler's production company Fair Dinkum Productions, where he served as president. He oversaw the production of Gabe and Walker (1981) and Ryan's Four (1983). Both were made for Paramount and ABC. Two years later, he left Fair Dinkum, and reactivated Strathmore Productions as a TV production company. Hargrove signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television. During his time at Warner, he wrote one script for an unsold pilot which was reworked into an episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) and he served as producer on the show Goldie and the Bears (1985). In 1984, his Strathmore company left the Warners, and moved to Viacom Productions for which Hargrove worked from 1977-1980. He served as writer/producer on Me and Mom (1985), the telemovies based on "Perry Mason", Matlock (1986), Jake and the Fatman (1987), Father Dowling Mysteries (1989) and Diagnosis Murder (1993), though most of them were partnered with fellow producer Fred Silverman and Joel Steiger. He stayed there until 1997 when he moved to Columbia TriStar Television. His career at Sony/Columbia included Tequila & Bonetti (2000), As If (2001), Sea of Souls (2004) and Demons (2009). He signed a deal with Hallmark Entertainment in 2002 and worked there on the "Murder 101", "Jane Doe" and "McBride" telemovies, before becoming an independent producer.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
July 27, 1938 (88)
From
Iola, Kansas, USA
Works as
Producer and writer, also director
Titles
70 on MovieCove · 93 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Up 32% in 30 days

What are Dean Hargrove's films like?

Across their 64 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime45 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Mystery7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Mystery movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
69%
Bonds
10%
Power
7%
Self
5%
Ideas
5%
Survival
2%
Society
2%
Justice53 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception30 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themePower3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 63 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 45 · Serious 17 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 56 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 23 · Charged 39 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 54 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 29 · Some laughs 29 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 38 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 21 · Engaged 41 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 60 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
52
Warm
33
Contemplative
30
Thrilling
6
Joyful
4
Other
19

How their films linger

Feel-good52 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 34 with a twist

  • Happy55
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dean Hargrove's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 70 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

  • UP Faith & Family14 titles

Subscription and free streaming for Dean Hargrove's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

93 credits, 70 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

Career shape

A full career of 85 titles from 1960 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Tap World (2015)

$27K worldwide

Highest rated

Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Matlock (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing4 of 85: 1 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting36 of 85: 15 only writing, 21 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thProducing57 of 85: 34 only producing, 23 with another role · typical Midcredits score78thOther crew16 of 85: 9 only other crew, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score56th

85 titles, 26 with more than one role — producing and writing overlap on 18 of them.

By decade

1960s8 · crew1970s10 · crew1980s20 · crew1990s28 · crew2000s17 · crew2010s1 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy from 5 major nominations, 1962–1975.

WinNomination
  1. 1975
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
  2. 1974
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Limited Series
  3. 1973
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Drama Series - Continuing
  4. 1970
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Dramatic Series
  5. 1962
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Dean Hargrove's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 72nd percentile, the median of all 64; across their 63 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 63

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 63

Reach · how many have seen their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 63

Midcredits score across 70 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up28
  • 50th to 74th31
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

47 of their 70 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser47
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · producer

Goldie and the Bears (1985)

93rd percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)

Midcredits 94th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 49/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 55 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Dean Hargrove work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dean Hargrove's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dick DeBenedictis shares the most, 36.

Directors

  • Christian I. Nyby II20 titles    See newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Christian I. Nyby II
  • Ron Satlof7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Ron Satlof
  • James A. Contner4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with James A. Contner
  • Armand Mastroianni3 titles    See all 3 shared titles with Armand Mastroianni

Writers

  • Erle Stanley Gardner23 titles    See newest 12 of 23 shared titles with Erle Stanley Gardner
  • Joel Steiger28 titles · 8 as writer    See newest 12 of 28 shared titles with Joel Steiger
  • Stephen Niver8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Stephen Niver
  • Jeff Peters13 titles · 5 as writer    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Jeff Peters

Actors

  • William R. Moses29 titles    See newest 12 of 29 shared titles with William R. Moses
  • Barbara Hale28 titles    See newest 12 of 28 shared titles with Barbara Hale
  • Raymond Burr25 titles    See newest 12 of 25 shared titles with Raymond Burr
  • Joe Penny10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Joe Penny

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Dick DeBenedictis36 titles    See newest 12 of 36 shared titles with Dick DeBenedictis
  • David Solomon24 titles · 15 as editor    See newest 12 of 24 shared titles with David Solomon
  • Carter DeHaven14 titles    See newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Carter DeHaven
  • Robert Seaman12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Robert Seaman

Producers

  • Fred Silverman32 titles    See newest 12 of 32 shared titles with Fred Silverman
  • Larry Levinson22 titles    See newest 12 of 22 shared titles with Larry Levinson
  • Nick Lombardo20 titles    See newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Nick Lombardo
  • Robert A. Halmi20 titles    See newest 12 of 20 shared titles with Robert A. Halmi

Mixed roles