About
"It is important for a production manager to treat everybody the way he wants to be treated. And never, ever be late on the set. Being on time to me is vital, but treating co-workers the way you want to be treated is one of the most important things in the world and I always have lived by that."
In his two-hour interview, Abby Singer (1917-2014) talks about his early career as an assistant director in feature films and television shows, including The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Ford Television Theater, and The Virginian. He describes what has become known as "the Abby Singer Shot" -- universal code for the penultimate shot of a production day. He recalls his time as a production manager on The Doris Day Show, Gunsmoke, St. Elsewhere, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, and Hill Street Blues, among many others. He outlines his transition to becoming a production executive and explains his responsibilities during a typical workweek. Singer speaks of dealing with the varied personalities one finds on set, how he coped with everyone from stars to limousine drivers, and his philosophy of working with people -- which served him well during his 40-plus years in the business. He recounts being honored by his peers in the Directors Guild of America and gives advice to aspiring production managers. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on September 19, 2012 in Beverly Hills, CA.
Highlights
Abby Singer on "the Abby Singer shot"
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Abby Singer on making the transition from features to television with The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Abby Singer on leaving production to teach at AFI
Abby Singer on how he dealt with difficult personalities in his career
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on his experience in World War II; on early assistant directing jobs
On assistant directing The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin; on assistant directing Ford Television Theater, Wagon Train and various other shows; on "the Abby Singer shot"
On becoming a production manager and the duties of a production manager; on being production manager for The Virginian and Laramie
On being production manager for The Doris Day Show; on dealing with crews and budgets and production managers
Chapter 2
On being production manager on Gunsmoke and St. Elsewhere; on being production manager for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, and The Bob Newhart Show
On being production manager for The Tony Randall Show, T he White Shadow, and Lou Grant; on the responsibilities of a production executive and a typical work week; on being production manager for WKRP in Cincinnati and Newhart
On being production manager for Hill Street Blues and Bay City Blues; on being production manager for Remington Steele and St. Elsewhere
On the legacy of MTM and leaving MTM; on being recognized by the DGA; on being production manager for Major Dad and Burke's Law; on his retirement and teaching at AFI
Chapter 3
On advice to people getting into production management; on his career highlight and regret; on how he'd like to be remembered
B-roll: Abby Singer shows his DGA award, an Al Hirschfeld sketch of Abby Singer, and a script of "Hellcats of the Navy" signed by Ronald Reagan
Shows
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The
Abby Singer on making the transition from features to television with The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin
Alfred Hitchcock Presents aka The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Abby Singer on assistant directing various shows
Bay City Blues
Abby Singer on being production manager for Hill Street Blues and Bay City Blues
Bob Newhart Show, The (1972-78)
Abby Singer on being production manager on Rhoda and The Bob Newhart Show
Burke's Law
Abby Singer on being production manager for Major Dad and Burke's Law
Columbo
Abby Singer on being production manager for Columbo
Doris Day Show, The
Abby Singer on being production manager for The Doris Day Show
Ford Television Theatre
Abby Singer on assistant directing Ford Television Theater
Gunsmoke
Abby Singer on being production manager on Gunsmoke
Hill Street Blues
Abby Singer on being production manager for Hill Street Blues and Bay City Blues
Jack Benny Program, The
Abby Singer on assistant directing various shows
Laramie
Abby Singer on being production manager for The Virginian and Laramie
Lou Grant
Abby Singer on being production manager for Lou Grant
Major Dad
Abby Singer on being production manager for Major Dad and Burke's Law
Mary Tyler Moore Show, The
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Newhart
Abby Singer on being production manager for WKRP in Cincinnati and Newhart
Remington Steele
Abby Singer on being production manager for Remington Steele and St. Elsewhere
Rhoda
Abby Singer on being production manager on Rhoda and The Bob Newhart Show
St. Elsewhere
Abby Singer on what makes a good production manager
Abby Singer on being production manager on St. Elsewhere
Abby Singer on being production manager for Remington Steele and St. Elsewhere
Tales of Wells Fargo
Abby Singer on assistant directing various shows
Tony Randall Show, The
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Tony Randall Show and The White Shadow
Virginian, The
Abby Singer on being production manager for The Virginian and Laramie
Wagon Train
Abby Singer on assistant directing Wagon Train
White Shadow, The
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Tony Randall Show and The White Shadow
WKRP in Cincinnati
Abby Singer on being production manager for WKRP in Cincinnati and Newhart
Topics
Pop Culture
Abby Singer on "the Abby Singer shot"
Representation on Television
Abby Singer on dealing with Affirmative action as a production manager
Underrepresented Voices
Abby Singer on dealing with Affirmative action as a production manager
War
Abby Singer on his time in World War II
Women
Abby Singer on dealing with Affirmative action as a production manager
World War II
Abby Singer on his time in World War II
Professions
Production Professionals
Abby Singer on the duties of a unit production manager
Abby Singer on what makes a good production manager
Abby Singer on the main responsibilities of a production manager/executive, and a typical work week
Abby Singer on advice to people getting into production management and his influence in the business
Unit Production Manager
Abby Singer on the duties of a unit production manager
Abby Singer on what makes a good production manager
Abby Singer on the main responsibilities of a production manager/executive, and a typical work week
Abby Singer on advice to people getting into production management and his influence in the business
People
Ward Bond
Abby Singer on assistant directing Wagon Train
Doris Day
Abby Singer on being production manager for The Doris Day Show
Peter Falk
Abby Singer on being production manager for Columbo
Mary Tyler Moore
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Bruce Paltrow
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Tony Randall Show and The White Shadow
Tony Randall
Abby Singer on being production manager on The Tony Randall Show and The White Shadow
Grant Tinker
Abby Singer on making the transition from Universal to MTM