All posts tagged: Frank Sinatra

‘Andy Griffith Show,’ ‘Get Smart’ Director Was 97

‘Andy Griffith Show,’ ‘Get Smart’ Director Was 97

Bruce Bilson, the Emmy-winning director who worked on such series as The Andy Griffith Show, Get Smart and Hogan’s Heroes as a member of a four-generation Hollywood family, has died. He was 97. Bilson died peacefully Friday at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter, producer Julie Bilson Ahlberg (The Fog of War), told The Hollywood Reporter. In a career that spanned five decades and nearly 400 jobs, Bilson did lots of shows for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s Desilu production company early on. He directed more than 100 episodes of half-hour comedies before helming his first hourlong show, a 1972 installment of ABC’s Alias Smith and Jones. Bilson went on to guide multiple episodes of The Patty Duke Show, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, The Doris Day Show, The Odd Couple, Love, American Style, B.J. and the Bear, Barney Miller, The Fall Guy, Hotel, Dinosaurs, The Sentinel and Viper, among many other series. He also directed the last episode of a Ball-starring sitcom, ABC’s Life With Lucy, in November 1986. Survivors also include his …