Bruce Bilson obit

Bruce Bilson, Emmy-Winning Director on ‘Get Smart’ and ‘The Odd Couple,’ Dies at 97

 

He was not on the list.

Bruce Bilson, who won an Emmy for directing “Get Smart” and directed hundreds of TV episodes, died on Jan. 16 in Los Angeles. He was 97.

Bilson was best known for directing the secret agent sitcom parody “Get Smart,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series in 1968. Over the span of his decades-long career, Bilson directed over 400 episodes of television, including episodes of “The Odd Couple,” “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Patty Duke Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “MASH,” “Hawaii 5-0,” “The Flash,” “Viper” and “Dinosaurs.”

Bilson graduated from UCLA in 1946, part of the institution’s first film school graduating class. After serving in the Air Force, Bilson became an assistant editor on Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life,” and later an assistant director on “Wyatt Earp” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Bilson was born on May 19, 1928, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Hattie Bilson, a screen and magazine writer, and George Bilson, a producer at Warner Brothers and RKO.

Bilson married Mona Whiteman in 1955, with whom he had two children. In 1984, he married actress Renne Jarrett, who he was married to until his death.

He is survived by his wife, his children, Danny Bilson, Julie Bilson Ahlberg, and his stepson, Drew Stauffer (Liz), in addition to his grandchildren, Rachel, Hattie, and Rosemary Bilson, John Pierce (Courtney), Sidney and Suki Sekula, Bowie Stauffer, and great-grandchildren Briar Christensen and Everly Pierce.

A memorial service for Bilson will be held at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m.

Director

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Director

2007

 

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Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Gadd, Anne Melville, and Scott Powell in Journeys Below the Line: 24 - The Editing Process (2005)

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2005

 

Jeff Kaake, Heather Medway, Joe Nipote, and Dawn Stern in Viper (1994)

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10 episodes

 

James Brolin, Sandra Hess, Bobby Hosea, Kenny Johnson, and Michael Trucco in Pensacola: Wings of Gold (1997)

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1999

1 episode

 

Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998)

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4.6

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1998

1 episode

 

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6.5

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1996–1998

11 episodes

 

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6.4

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1996

1 episode

 

One West Waikiki (1994)

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6.8

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Director

1994–1995

2 episodes

 

Roma Downey, John Dye, and Della Reese in Touched by an Angel (1994)

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1995

2 episodes

 

Bill Barretta, Stuart Pankin, Allan Trautman, and Jessica Walter in Dinosaurs (1991)

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7.5

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1991–1993

17 episodes

 

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7.6

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1993

1 episode

 

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6.8

Video

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1992

 

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1992

1 episode

 

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1991

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7.1

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4 episodes

 

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7.9

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1990

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5.4

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2 episodes

 

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1987

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1987

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1986

2 episodes

 

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1986

 

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1981–1986

5 episodes

 

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1982–1986

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directed by (segment "Welcome to Winfield")

1986

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6.0

TV Movie

Director

1985

 

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7.1

TV Series

Director

1985

1 episode

 

Joe Pesci and Victoria Jackson in Half Nelson (1985)

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6.7

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directed by

1985

1 episode

 

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1984–1985

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1984

1 episode

 

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Director

1984

 

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7.4

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1983

1 episode

 

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6.6

TV Series

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1983

1 episode

 

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7.1

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1983

1 episode

 

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7.1

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1982

1 episode

 

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6.9

TV Series

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1982

1 episode

 

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6.2

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6.0

TV Series

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1982

1 episode

 

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6.6

TV Series

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1980–1982

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1981

1 episode

 

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8.3

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1976–1981

10 episodes

 

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7.3

TV Series

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1981

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6.6

TV Series

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1981

3 episodes

 

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8.3

TV Series

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1980

2 episodes

 

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TV Movie

directed by

1980

 

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6.4

TV Series

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1978–1980

7 episodes

 

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7.0

TV Series

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1980

1 episode

 

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1979

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1979

 

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1979

1 episode

 

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TV Mini Series

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1979

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1979

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1979

 

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1979

 

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1979

 

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1978

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1977

 

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1977

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1977

 

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1977

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1977

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1974–1976

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1976

 

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TV Series

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1975–1976

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TV Series

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1975

1 episode

 

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5.9

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1975

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1975

1 episode

 

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TV Series

Director

1975

1 episode

 

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7.1

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1975

 

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6.9

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1974–1975

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1974

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1974

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1973–1974

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TV Series

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6.9

TV Series

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1974

1 episode

 

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TV Movie

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1974

 

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7.2

TV Series

Director

1973

1 episode

 

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Director

1973

 

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6.6

TV Series

Director

1972–1973

2 episodes

 

Jigsaw (1972)

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6.4

TV Series

Director

1972

1 episode

 

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6.7

TV Series

Director

1972

2 episodes

 

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TV Series

Director

1972

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7.2

TV Series

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1972

1 episode

 

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7.9

TV Series

Director

1972

1 episode

 

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7.6

TV Series

Director

1972

1 episode

 

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7.2

TV Series

Director

1968–1972

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6.8

TV Series

Director

1969–1971

21 episodes

 

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7.2

TV Series

Director

1970–1971

8 episodes

 

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7.9

TV Series

Director

1970–1971

6 episodes

 

The Good Life (1971)

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6.7

TV Series

Director

1971

2 episodes

 

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7.0

TV Series

Director

1971

4 episodes

 

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7.3

TV Series

Director

1971

1 episode

 

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7.8

TV Series

Director

1967–1971

25 episodes

 

Edward Asner, Valerie Harper, and Mary Tyler Moore in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

8.3

TV Series

Director

1971

1 episode

 

Scoey Mitchell and Tracy Reed in Barefoot in the Park (1970)

Barefoot in the Park

6.6

TV Series

Director

1970

2 episodes

 

Bonanza (1959)

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7.3

TV Series

Director

1970

1 episode

 

The Tim Conway Show

7.1

TV Series

Director

1970

1 episode

 

Pate Katelin en Buenos Aires

Director

1969

 

Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968)

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir

7.7

TV Series

Director

1969

2 episodes

 

Ted Cassidy, Lu Ann Haslam, Kevin Schultz, and Michael Shea in The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1968)

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7.3

TV Series

Director

1968–1969

3 episodes

 

Don Adams in Get Smart (1965)

Get Smart

8.2

TV Series

Director

1965–1968

22 episodes

 

Jim Backus, Henny Backus, Pamelyn Ferdin, Patricia Harty, Will Hutchins, and Peter Robbins in Blondie (1968)

Blondie

6.3

TV Series

Director

1968

1 episode

 

Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, and Dick York in Bewitched (1964)

Bewitched

7.6

TV Series

Director

1968

1 episode

 

That Girl (1966)

That Girl

7.3

TV Series

Director

1967

1 episode

 

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965)

Please Don't Eat the Daisies

7.0

TV Series

Director

1966–1967

10 episodes

 

Run Buddy Run (1966)

Run Buddy Run

7.4

TV Series

Director

1966–1967

1 episode

 

Camp Runamuck (1965)

Camp Runamuck

7.5

TV Series

Director

1966

1 episode

 

Sally Field in Gidget (1965)

Gidget

6.9

TV Series

Director

1966

3 episodes

 

The Patty Duke Show (1963)

The Patty Duke Show

7.2

TV Series

Director

1965–1966

11 episodes

 

The Baileys of Balboa (1964)

The Baileys of Balboa

7.6

TV Series

directed by

1965

2 episodes

 

Karen (1964)

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8.0

TV Series

Director

1964

1 episode

 

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Lee Marvin in The Lawbreakers (1963)

The Lawbreakers

6.6

TV Series

assistant director

1964

2 episodes

 

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One Potato, Two Potato

7.2

assistant director

1964

 

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7.7

TV Series

assistant director

1962–1963

17 episodes

 

Ron Howard, Frances Bavier, and Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show (1960)

The Andy Griffith Show

8.4

TV Series

assistant director

1960–1962

58 episodes

 

Wild Harvest (1962)

Wild Harvest

5.4

assistant director

1962

 

Jimmy Clanton, Rocky Graziano, and Diane Jergens in Teenage Millionaire (1961)

Teenage Millionaire

4.4

assistant director

1961

 

Too Soon to Love (1960)

Too Soon to Love

5.1

assistant director

1960

 

John Bromfield in U.S. Marshal (1958)

U.S. Marshal

7.4

TV Series

assistant director

1958–1959

14 episodes

 

The Texan (1958)

The Texan

7.6

TV Series

assistant director

1959

1 episode

 

Craig Hill and Kenneth Tobey in Whirlybirds (1957)

Whirlybirds

7.8

TV Series

assistant director

1957–1958

17 episodes

 

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955)

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp

7.6

TV Series

assistant director

1957–1958

39 episodes

 

Science Fiction Theatre (1955)

Science Fiction Theatre

8.1

TV Series

second assistant director

1956

2 episodes

 

Producer

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executive producer

2007

 

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executive producer

2006

 

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7.5

Video

executive producer

2005

 

Jane Seymour, Ellen Bry, Bert Convy, and Laraine Stephens in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (1979)

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

4.7

TV Movie

producer

1979

 

The Tim Conway Show

7.1

TV Series

producer

1970

1 episode

 

The Baileys of Balboa (1964)

The Baileys of Balboa

7.6

TV Series

associate producer

1964–1965

2 episodes

 

Writer

Craig Hill and Kenneth Tobey in Whirlybirds (1957)

Whirlybirds

7.8

TV Series

story by

1957

1 episode

 

Production Management

One Potato, Two Potato (1964)

One Potato, Two Potato

7.2

production manager

1964

 

Self

Stu's Show (2006)

Stu's Show

6.0

Podcast Series

Self - Guest

2016

2 episodes

 

Pioneers of Television (2008)

Pioneers of Television

7.9

TV Series

Self

2011

1 episode

 

The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (1997)

The Interviews: An Oral History of Television

6.8

TV Series

Self

2008

1 episode

 

The Secret History of Get Smart (2006)

The Secret History of Get Smart

Video

Self

2006

 

Get Smart Reunion Seminar (2006)

Get Smart Reunion Seminar

Video

Self

2006

 

Inside TV Land (2000)

Inside TV Land

4.8

TV Series

Self

2001

1 episode

 

Archive Footage

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West (1976)

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

3.8

Director (archive footage)

1976