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Tarrytown Resident Philip Vandervort Supervising Producer of “People’s Court”
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February 4, 2016
by Robert Kimmel
“I realized that this is fun, and people get paid for it,” were the thoughts that ran through Philip Vandervort’s young mind when he began acting in his first off-Broadway show as a teenager. What followed for the Tarrytown resident has been a long career in show business, on stage, before the camera, and behind the scenes. Vandervort’s current, and most lasting task is that of Supervising Producer of television’s Emmy Award winning, “People’s Court.”
He described that what led him into the theater was the challenge of getting a second date in New York City with a young model. At the time, Vandervort and his best friend were consumed with bicycle racing. His friend suggested that the girl would be more attracted to him if he were in show business. He decided to follow through on his pal’s advice. “That’s how naive I was,” he said. The second date never materialized; however, a successful theatrical audition got him his first role.
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Following his initial teenage acting part, there were two more off-Broadway show performances, followed by an on-Broadway show. He spent about a year-and-a-half playing the young Elliott Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello, starring Ralph Bellamy as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When it closed on Broadway and went on the road, he smilingly recalled, “Here I am traveling around the country , a 15-year-old by myself touring with Ralph Bellamy. I fell in love with what the people in this business did, and I found it way more interesting than riding my bicycle.”
In the 1964 Broadway stage play, The Zulu and the Zayda,Vandervort played the part of Menasha Skulnik’s grandson. Later, getting behind the camera, he produced award-winning documentaries. The lure of Hollywood and more acting roles drew him westward. He appeared in several movies and had appearances “on about 200 television shows,” he related. Some were ongoing series; others, single productions. Among the TV shows were “Flipper,” “The Patty Duke Show,” “The Doctors and the Nurses,” “The Lucy Show,” “The Defenders,” “The Brian Keith Show,” “Mannix,” “Celebrity Bowlers,” and “Here’s Lucy.” His film credits were with roles in Wild in the Sky, Good Guys and the Bad Guys, and Maryjane.
Working with Lucille Ball was Vandervort’s first job following his travel to Hollywood. While appearing on the “Here’s Lucy” show, he met Lucille’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz while she was still in her late teens. Romance turned to marriage on Arnaz’s 20th birthday in 1971. As their son-in-law, Vandervort naturally got to know Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, whom he described as “an incredible couple.” Even though they divorced, he said Desi and Lucille, “…loved each other, until the day they died.” Vandervort’s first marriage with their daughter, Lucie, lasted seven years.
Vandervort has lived in Tarrytown for the past 10 years with his wife, Patricia, and their sons, Eric, 10 and four-year-old James. Patricia shares Vandervort’s involvement with “People’s Court.” For the past 12 years, she has worked for the show, searching through local area courtroom records for pending legal cases to appear on the program. Patricia, a former cosmetologist, is among a team that scouts for such cases throughout the country.
It was in September 1981 that “People’s Court” first aired, and Vandervort was involved with it from its earliest days, utilizing the skills he acquired in his previous production work. The syndicated program is a Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett production, distributed by Warner Bros. Vandervort credits Stu Billett, “one of my best friends,” with turning around an original concept for the show and making it a success. “He is the genius behind it.”
Numerous “judges” have handled the main role, from its first arbiter, Judge Joseph Wapner, to the current, and longest lasting, Judge Marilyn Milian. She presides over the current program, which won its second consecutive Emmy last year as the best courtroom/legal show. The show is produced in Stamford, Connecticut. Its executive producer, Steve Scott, lives in Irvington.
The second Emmy Award was something of a family affair for the Vandervorts, with both Philip and Patricia sharing delight in the show’s success.
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