A native of San Francisco, Richard Caffey graduated UCLA with a degree
in business administration, but headed straight for the set of the
science fiction classic, George Pal's Krieg der Welten - Schlacht um die Invasion (1953), on which he was assistant
director. He subsequently served as production manager on scores of
major movies, including Ein Platz an der Sonne (1951) and Cecil B. DeMille's Die zehn Gebote (1956) (on which his
brother, Michael Caffey, was assistant editor). As a television producer he
helmed such popular series as Combat! (1962), Jigsaw John (1976) and Medical Center (1969). Named to
head MGM's video arm, he was instrumental in developing a succession of
hit shows, including CHiPs (1977), Logan's Run (1977) and Durch die Hölle nach Westen (1976). Caffey was head of
production at MGM Televison when the concept of a new, updated screen
version of Buck Rogers (1979)--studded with space-age special effects--was brought
to his attention.
