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Robert Butler (director)
Encyclopedia
Robert Butler is an American
film director
. He helped launch actor Kurt Russell
's career through four Walt Disney
movies (including The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
and The Barefoot Executive
), but his strongest and most fondly remembered contributions have been to the small screen.
, Dr. Kildare, The Dick Van Dyke Show
, The Fugitive
or The Twilight Zone
.
For over three decades, Butler was then hired to shoot pilots
for many popular TV series, thus helping create their specific identity. In this sense, he must be given some credit for the success and/or popularity of such diverse shows as the original Star Trek
, the war parody sitcom Hogan's Heroes
, the colorful and visually innovative Batman
, the violent and forgotten The Blue Knight
, the 1980s revolutionary cop show Hill Street Blues
, the mysterious and humorous detective Remington Steele
(a show which he also co-created), the deliciously delirious and romantic Moonlighting
, the family drama Sisters and the highly popular character-driven Superman
adaptation of the early 1990s, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
.
In addition to the above, Butler has also directed episodes for many other shows, including I Spy, The Invaders
, Gunsmoke
, The Outcasts
, Mission: Impossible
, Kung Fu
, Hawaii Five-O
, Columbo and Midnight Caller
.
Butler has won two Emmy Awards for outstanding directing, the first in 1973 for the The Blue Knight pilot, and the second in 1981 for his tight and intense Hill Street Blues
premiere.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He helped launch actor Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
's career through four Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
movies (including The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a Disney film from 1969, starring Alan Hewitt, Kurt Russell, Frank Webb, and Joe Flynn. It is released by Buena Vista Distribution Company....
and The Barefoot Executive
The Barefoot Executive
The Barefoot Executive is a live-action Disney film released by Buena Vista Distribution in 1971 starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North and John Ritter , about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, who can predict the popularity of television programs...
), but his strongest and most fondly remembered contributions have been to the small screen.
Biography
Butler began his career as a stage manager and an assistant, before launching his directing career on such classic shows as The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
, Dr. Kildare, The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
, The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
or The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
.
For over three decades, Butler was then hired to shoot pilots
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for many popular TV series, thus helping create their specific identity. In this sense, he must be given some credit for the success and/or popularity of such diverse shows as the original Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, the war parody sitcom Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
, the colorful and visually innovative Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, the violent and forgotten The Blue Knight
The Blue Knight (TV series)
The Blue Knight was a CBS Crime TV series, running in 1975 and 1976, starring George Kennedy as Officer Bumper Morgan. The show was a based on a novel by author Joseph Wambaugh and produced by Lorimar Productions.- Plot :...
, the 1980s revolutionary cop show Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, the mysterious and humorous detective Remington Steele
Remington Steele
Remington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...
(a show which he also co-created), the deliciously delirious and romantic Moonlighting
Moonlighting (TV series)
Moonlighting is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 66 episodes...
, the family drama Sisters and the highly popular character-driven Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
adaptation of the early 1990s, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
.
In addition to the above, Butler has also directed episodes for many other shows, including I Spy, The Invaders
The Invaders
The Invaders, a Quinn Martin Production , is an ABC science fiction television program created by Larry Cohen that ran in the United States for two seasons, from January 10, 1967 to March 26, 1968...
, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, The Outcasts
The Outcasts (TV series)
The Outcasts is a short-lived Western genre television series, appearing on ABC in the 1968-69 season. The series co-starred Don Murray and Otis Young, and is probably most notable for being the first television Western with a Black co-star and the first bi-racial Western action...
, Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, Kung Fu
Kung Fu (TV series)
Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, Columbo and Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller
Midnight Caller is a dramatic NBC television series created by Richard DiLello, which ran from 1988 to 1991. It was one of the first television series to address the dramatic possibilities of the then-growing phenomenon of talk radio...
.
Butler has won two Emmy Awards for outstanding directing, the first in 1973 for the The Blue Knight pilot, and the second in 1981 for his tight and intense Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
premiere.
Selected filmography
- The Ultimate ThrillThe Ultimate ThrillThe Ultimate Thrill is a 1974 American thriller film directed by Robert Butler and starring Barry Brown, Britt Ekland and Eric Braeden. It was also released under the title Ultimate Chase.-Cast:* Barry Brown - Joe* Britt Ekland - Michele...
(1974) - Hot Lead and Cold FeetHot Lead and Cold FeetHot Lead and Cold Feet is a comedy western film made by Walt Disney Productions for Buena Vista Distribution Company starring Jim Dale, Don Knotts, Karen Valentine, Darren McGavin, and Jack Elam released on July 5, 1978.-Plot:...
(1978) - Night of the JugglerNight of the Juggler-Plot summary:A former New York City cop searches for his daughter who is kidnapped by a psychopath after being mistaken for a wealthy man's daughter. His search is met with obstacles as he runs afoul of the police in his pursuit, including a former corrupt colleague bent on revenge against him...
(1980) - Underground AcesUnderground AcesUnderground Aces is a 1981 film directed by Robert Butler. It stars Dirk Benedict and Melanie Griffith.-Cast:*Dirk Benedict as Pete Huffman*Melanie Griffith as Lucy*Rick Podell as Joe*Randy Brooks as Ollie*T. K. Carter as Dee Jay...
(1981) - Up the Creek (1984)
- Turbulence (1997)
- Where Do the Balloons Go? (2009)