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William Asher

 
Director: William Asher
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Aug 08, 1921 in New York, New York
  • Occupation: Director, Writer
  • Active: '50s-'70s
  • Major Genres: Comedy
  • Career Highlights: Beach Blanket Bingo, Bikini Beach, Beach Party
  • First Major Screen Credit: Leather Gloves (1948)

Biography

Cigarillo-chomping producer/director William Asher broke into films with the 1948 low-budgeter Leather Gloves, which he co-produced and co-directed with Richard Quine. Asher then abandoned theatrical films in favor of the burgeoning world of television sitcoms, directing several early episodes of I Love Lucy (including the legendary "Birth of Little Ricky" installment) and Make Room for Daddy. While working on the tongue-in-cheek mystery series The Thin Man, Asher returned to the Big Screen with the 1957 sci-fi programmer The 27th Day. While his direction of the ultraviolent crime flick Johnny Cool (1963) evinced a stylistic sense that might have gone somewhere had it been developed, Asher seemed more comfortable with the nonsensical hijinks of American-International's Beach Party series. From 1964 through 1973, Asher was principal director of the popular sitcom Bewitched, starring his then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery. After directing the disappointing Movers and Shakers (1984), William Asher concentrated his energies on made-for-TV movies: one of these, ironically, was a "fifteen years later" update of Bewitched's principal competition, I Dream of Jeannie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: William Asher
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William Asher
Born August 8, 1921 (1921-08-08) (age 88)
New York City, New York
Occupation director, producer, screenwriter
Years active 1948–1990
Spouse(s) Dani Sue Nolan (1951–1961)
Elizabeth Montgomery (1963–1973)
Joyce Bulifant (1976–1993)
Meredith (1998–present)

William Asher (born August 8, 1921) is an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter.

Contents

Biography

Early life and career

Born in New York City, his mother was actress Lillian Bonner and his father was Jewish American producer E.M. Asher (who produced films for Mack Sennett).

His most famous works include directing episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950), I Love Lucy (1951), Our Miss Brooks (1952), General Electric Theater (1953), Make Room for Daddy (1953), December Bride (1954), The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956), Sally (1957), The Twilight Zone (1959), The Patty Duke Show (1963), Bewitched (1964), Gidget (1965), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), Private Benjamin (1981) and Alice (1976-85).

Asher directed 110 out of the 179 episodes of I Love Lucy (1951 - 1957), and produced and directed all 218 episodes of Bewitched, which ran for eight seasons (1964 to 1972). Both series still run in syndication in dozens of languages today. He was married to the star of Bewitched, Elizabeth Montgomery from 1963 until 1973. They had three children.

He directed several movies, and wrote and directed the popular beach movies starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon - Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), and Beach Blanket Bingo (1965).

Asher received a star in Palm Springs' Walk of Stars - located at 100 North Palm Canyon Drive, and dedicated in November 2003.

Personal life

Asher resides in Indian Wells, California, with his fourth wife, Meredith.[1]

His family continues on in show business. Asher's daughter (with Montgomery) Rebecca Asher is a script supervisor.

His adopted son (from his marriage to actress Joyce Bulifant), John Mallory Asher starred in the TV series Weird Science (as Gary) and then directed Hilary Swank in Kounterfeit. He continued his directorial endeavors with Diamonds, starring Kirk Douglas, Dan Aykroyd, Lauren Bacall and Jenny McCarthy (John's former wife).

References

  1. ^ Cook, B.W. (1999-12). "William Asher - The Man Who Invented the Sitcom". Palm Springs Life. http://www.palmspringslife.com/media/Palm-Springs-Life/Whispering-Palms/William-Asher-The-Man-Who-Invented-the-Sitcom/index.php. Retrieved 2008-06-29. 

External links

v • d • e
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Peter Tewksbury (1959) · Ralph Levy / Bud Yorkin (1960) · Sheldon Leonard (1961) · Nat Hiken (1962) · John Rich (1963) · Jerry Paris (1964) · William Asher (1966) · James Frawley (1967) · Bruce Bilson (1968) · Jay Sandrich (1971) · John Rich (1972) · Jay Sandrich (1973) · Jackie Cooper (1974) · Gene Reynolds / David P. Powers (1975)



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Director. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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