Biography
Norman Abbott (July 11, 1922 β July 9, 2016) was an American vaudevillian, actor, producer and television director.
Abbott was born in New York City, where his uncle, comedian Bud Abbott, and his mother raised him. His early experience in entertainment was as a vaudeville performer, including summers working the 'borscht circuit" in resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York.In the early 1940s, he and Pat Costello (brother of Lou Costello) worked as stand-ins for the better-known act during filming of Who Done It? (1942).During World War II, Abbott served as a member of the original United States Navy SEALs team.After the war, Abbott became a dialog director on the Abbott and Costello films and was mentored by the team's director, Charles T. Barton. Abbott later directed episodes of The Jack Benny Program, Leave It to Beaver, Get Smart, The Munsters, Welcome Back, Kotter, Dennis the Menace, and Sanford and Son.
Abbott's obituary in The Hollywood Reporter described him as "the brainchild behind the Broadway sensation Sugar Babies, the comeback vehicle for Mickey Rooney in the late 1970s". He conceived the idea of a Broadway musical based on burlesque after inheriting his uncle's "treasure trove of burlesque material, including written gags, props, music and posters". Despite his having originated the concept, Abbott was fired as director of the show after two weeks of rehearsing.Abbott died in Valencia, California, on July 9, 2016, two days before his 94th birthday.
Filmography
all 38
Director 28
TV Shows 26
Movies 12
self 2
Empire of the Censors (1995)
Charles in Charge (1984)
Nobody's Perfect (1980)
California Fever (1979)
Working Stiffs (1979)
Angie (1979)
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas (1977)
Fish (1977)
Alice (1976)
When Things Were Rotten (1975)
Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)
That's My Mama (1974)
Sanford and Son (1972)
Nanny and the Professor (1970)
Love, American Style (1969)
The Brady Bunch (1969)
Room 222 (1969)
Blondie (1968)
Adam-12 (1968)
The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966)
Get Smart (1965)
Karen (1964)
The Munsters (1964)
McHale's Navy (1962)
I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (1962)
Dennis the Menace (1959)
The All-Star Christmas Show (1958)
Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Bachelor Father (1957)
Anything Goes (1954)
Walking My Baby Back Home (1953)
The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Keep 'Em Slugging (1943)
Who Done It? (1942)
The Affairs of Martha (1942)
Grand Central Murder (1942)
Rio Rita (1942)
Ratings
Information
Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Birthday1922-07-11
Deathday2016-07-09 (93 years old)
Birth PlaceNew York City, United States of America
RelativesBud Abbott
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
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