Bruce Bilson

In his four-hour interview, Bruce Bilson talks about his early experiences as an assistant editor on classic television shows You Bet Your Life and The Liberace Show. He recalls his tenure at Desilu Studios, where he served as an assistant director on the lot's many sitcoms. He speaks with fondness about his work as an assistant director on The Andy Griffith Show, commenting on the show's production and ensemble, and identifying regular director Bob Sweeney as his mentor. Bilson describes his work on the syndicated adventure program Whirlybirds, noting the show's stunt work, and talks about his transition to becoming a full-fledged director. He speaks of directing The Patty Duke Show, directing the satirical series Get Smart, and winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in Comedy in 1968. He describes his experiences on dozens of series he directed over the subsequent three decades, representing nearly four hundred hours of television. Among the series he discusses are: The Doris Day Show, Love, American Style, Bonanza, The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-0, Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, Dallas, Hotel, Life with Lucy, Dinosaurs, and Touched by an Angel. He remembers working with his son, Danny, who followed in his footsteps (with such shows as The Flash and The Sentinel) and outlines the advice he gave to his granddaughter, The O.C. star Rachel Bilson. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on August 19, 2008 in Studio City, CA.