Directing
Robert Butler
Born November 16, 1927 · Los Angeles, California, USA
Died November 3, 2023 · aged 95
Robert Butler (November 17, 1927 - November 3, 2023), the revered director known for steering the debut episodes of iconic series like Batman, Star Trek, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting, passed away on November 3 in Los Angeles at the age of 95. Butler also played a role in co-creating Remington Steele, featuring Pierce Brosnan, and directed its inaugural episode. His legacy extends to direct…
Known For
Turbulence · 1997Turbulence
★ 5.41997
MovieActionThriller
On a flight transporting dangerous convicts, murderer Ryan Weaver manages to break free and cause complete chaos throughout the plane. As various people on board fall victim to Weaver, it is ultimately down to flight attendant Teri Halloran to keep the aircraft from crashing, with on-ground support from an air traffic controller. While Halloran struggles to pilot the plane, Weaver continues to terrorize the surviving members of the crew.
Up the Creek · 1984Up the Creek
★ 5.71984
MovieComedy
Bob McGraw is in his 12th year of college, goofing his way through life. Bob, Irwing, Gonzer and Max are the four losers forced and bribed to represent their university in an intercollegiate raft race. Forced and bribed into this role, they make some friends, the lovely Heather Merriweather, but mostly enemies, among others a whole team of marines, and preppy IVY-leaguers determined to win.
James Dean · 1976James Dean
★ 4.71976
MovieDramaTV Movie
Writer William Bast rooms with James Dean in acting school and follows his career to its tragic end in 1955.
Night of the Juggler · 1980Night of the Juggler
★ 6.61980
MovieActionCrime
When a twisted psychotic kidnaps a young girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy developer, her father, a hardened ex-cop, doggedly hunts them through New York's seamy streets.
Kilroy · 1965Kilroy
1965
MovieComedyFamily
Just discharged from the Marine Corps, Oscar Kilroy arrives in the small town of Wilton Junction. Befriending the young Bill Fuller, he gets involved in the affairs of the town and hilarity ensues. The mayor of the city, fearing Oscar Kilroy's popularity, schemes to discredit him by entrusting the management of the city dog pound to him. However, against all odds, Oscar Kilroy takes his work to heart at the pound and implements a plan to save the condemned dogs.
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes · 1969The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
★ 6.01969
MovieComedyFamily
Some college students manage to persuade the town's big businessman, A. J. Arno, to donate a computer to their college. When the problem- student, Dexter Riley, tries to fix the computer, he gets an electric shock and his brain turns to a computer; now he remembers everything he reads. Unfortunately, he also remembers information which was in the computer's memory, like Arno's illegal businesses..
Hot Lead & Cold Feet · 1978Hot Lead & Cold Feet
★ 6.01978
MovieActionComedy
Twin brothers -- one rough and tough, the other a city-bred milquetoast -- compete for their father's fortune.
Dark Victory · 1976Dark Victory
1976
MovieTV MovieDrama
A TV producer with a terminal illness is given the strength to keep going by her love for her doctor.
Movies
Turbulence · 1997Turbulence
★ 5.41997
MovieActionThriller
On a flight transporting dangerous convicts, murderer Ryan Weaver manages to break free and cause complete chaos throughout the plane. As various people on board fall victim to Weaver, it is ultimately down to flight attendant Teri Halloran to keep the aircraft from crashing, with on-ground support from an air traffic controller. While Halloran struggles to pilot the plane, Weaver continues to terrorize the surviving members of the crew.
Up the Creek · 1984Up the Creek
★ 5.71984
MovieComedy
Bob McGraw is in his 12th year of college, goofing his way through life. Bob, Irwing, Gonzer and Max are the four losers forced and bribed to represent their university in an intercollegiate raft race. Forced and bribed into this role, they make some friends, the lovely Heather Merriweather, but mostly enemies, among others a whole team of marines, and preppy IVY-leaguers determined to win.
James Dean · 1976James Dean
★ 4.71976
MovieDramaTV Movie
Writer William Bast rooms with James Dean in acting school and follows his career to its tragic end in 1955.
Night of the Juggler · 1980Night of the Juggler
★ 6.61980
MovieActionCrime
When a twisted psychotic kidnaps a young girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy developer, her father, a hardened ex-cop, doggedly hunts them through New York's seamy streets.
Kilroy · 1965Kilroy
1965
MovieComedyFamily
Just discharged from the Marine Corps, Oscar Kilroy arrives in the small town of Wilton Junction. Befriending the young Bill Fuller, he gets involved in the affairs of the town and hilarity ensues. The mayor of the city, fearing Oscar Kilroy's popularity, schemes to discredit him by entrusting the management of the city dog pound to him. However, against all odds, Oscar Kilroy takes his work to heart at the pound and implements a plan to save the condemned dogs.
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes · 1969The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
★ 6.01969
MovieComedyFamily
Some college students manage to persuade the town's big businessman, A. J. Arno, to donate a computer to their college. When the problem- student, Dexter Riley, tries to fix the computer, he gets an electric shock and his brain turns to a computer; now he remembers everything he reads. Unfortunately, he also remembers information which was in the computer's memory, like Arno's illegal businesses..
Hot Lead & Cold Feet · 1978Hot Lead & Cold Feet
★ 6.01978
MovieActionComedy
Twin brothers -- one rough and tough, the other a city-bred milquetoast -- compete for their father's fortune.
Dark Victory · 1976Dark Victory
1976
MovieTV MovieDrama
A TV producer with a terminal illness is given the strength to keep going by her love for her doctor.
The Barefoot Executive · 1971The Barefoot Executive
★ 5.61971
MovieComedyFamily
In the great Disney tradition of wild family fun, a young Kurt Russell stars as Steven Post - an ambitious mailroom clerk at a second-rate TV network. With his eye on the boardroom, and getting nowhere with the studio's top dog, he makes a career-changing discovery. His girlfriend's lovable pet chimp can pick a hit show every time! His secret for success turns into a madcap monkey business when he makes vice president and jealous rivals want in on the act. Ride along with narrow escapes and a classic cast featuring Joe Flynn and Harry Morgan in a comedic climb up the corporate ladder that will leave you howling for more!
Scandalous John · 1971Scandalous John
★ 6.41971
MovieWesternComedy
A crotchety old ranch owner fights to be able to live his life the way he wants to, and not the way other people--and the law--tell him he has to.
A Question of Guilt · 1978A Question of Guilt
★ 6.81978
MovieDramaThriller
A swinging divorcée is prejudged by a police detective and accused of killing her child.
Strange New World · 1975Strange New World
★ 4.31975
MovieScience FictionTV Movie
In the near future, a group of scientists living in a space ship wake up from a hibernation state and come back to an apocalyptic Earth.
Now You See Him, Now You Don't · 1972Now You See Him, Now You Don't
★ 6.31972
MovieComedyFamily
Dexter Riley is a science student at Medfield College who inadvertently invents a liquid capable of rendering objects and people invisible. Before Dexter and his friends, Debbie and Richard Schuyler, can even enjoy their spectacular discovery, corrupt businessman A.J. Arno plots to get his greedy hands on it. Slapstick hijinks ensue as Dexter and his pals try to thwart the evil Arno before he can use the invisibility spray to rob a bank.
Guns in the Heather · 1969Guns in the Heather
★ 5.41969
MovieActionAdventure
An American foreign exchange student in Ireland, Rich Evans (Kurt Russell), gets caught up in espionage when a dying man gives him a message to pass to his older brother, who is an American intelligence agent unbeknownst to Rich. Rich and his friend are then kidnapped by an Eastern Bloc agent pretending to be from the American Embassy in the hopes that they will lead him to a scientist who is attempting to defect to the West. Originally aired in 3 parts on 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color' TV series, then re-edited into a theatrical feature in Europe under the title, 'The Secret of Boyne Castle.'
White Mile · 1994White Mile
★ 5.91994
MovieDramaThriller
An ad-agency boss (Alan Alda) leads a white-water-rafting trip into danger.
Underground Aces · 1981Underground Aces
★ 4.71981
MovieComedy
The escapades of a crew of zany parking lot attendants.
The Ultimate Thrill · 1974The Ultimate Thrill
★ 5.31974
MovieCrimeDrama
At a Colorado ski resort, a jealous man's paranoia results in murder.
Star Trek: The Cage · 1965Star Trek: The Cage
★ 5.81965
MovieScience FictionTV Movie
Led by Captain Christopher Pike, the crew of the starship Enterprise investigates of a far-off planet which was the site of a shipwreck eighteen years earlier. They encounter telepathic aliens who seek a human male specimen for their menagerie.
The Blue Knight · 1973The Blue Knight
★ 5.51973
MovieActionTV Movie
Bumper Morgan is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after 20 years on the job, but is not letting up on the criminal element on his beat.
Out of Time · 1988Out of Time
★ 6.41988
MovieActionComedy
A cop from the future goes back in time to Los Angeles and teams up with his grandfather to capture a master criminal.
Heart of Darkness · 1958Heart of Darkness
1958
MovieTV MovieDrama
A trading company manager travels up an African river to find a missing outpost head and discovers the depth of evil in humanity's soul.
Lacy and the Mississippi Queen · 1978Lacy and the Mississippi Queen
★ 3.51978
MovieWesternTV Movie
This lighthearted Western was an unsuccessful series pilot in which two sisters -- a gun-toting tomboy and a beauty with an engaging smile -- team up to track down a pair of train robbers, suspects in the shooting of their father.
In the Glitter Palace · 1977In the Glitter Palace
★ 4.01977
MovieCrimeDrama
The ex-girlfriend of a lawyer, who left him for a lesbian lover, asks him to defend her lover in a murder case.
Concrete Beat · 1984Concrete Beat
★ 6.01984
MovieTV Movie
A newspaper columnist becomes determined to clear a woman who is blamed for the death of her child in a tragic fire.
TV Shows
Columbo · 1971Columbo
★ 8.11971
SeriesCrimeDrama
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
Star Trek · 1966Star Trek
★ 8.01966
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyDrama
Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk with First Officer Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen led by Khan Noonian Singh. Their mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.
The Rifleman · 1958The Rifleman
★ 7.11958
SeriesWestern
The Rifleman is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black-and-white, half-hour episodes. "The Rifleman" aired on ABC from September 30, 1958 to April 8, 1963 as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first prime time series to have a widowed parent raise a child.
Ironside · 1967Ironside
★ 6.91967
SeriesCrimeDrama
When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.
The Twilight Zone · 1959The Twilight Zone
★ 8.51959
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyMystery
An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.
Hawaii Five-O · 1968Hawaii Five-O
★ 7.21968
SeriesDrama
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 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".
The Fugitive · 1963The Fugitive
★ 7.31963
SeriesDrama
Richard Kimble is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death penalty. En route to death row, Kimble's train derails and crashes, allowing him to escape and begin a cross-country search for the real killer, a "one-armed man". At the same time, Dr. Kimble is hounded by the authorities, most notably dogged by Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard.
The Waltons · 1972The Waltons
★ 7.21972
SeriesDrama
The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.
Batman · 1966Batman
★ 7.31966
SeriesSci-Fi & FantasyComedy
Wealthy entrepreneur Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson lead a double life: they are actually crime fighting duo Batman and Robin. A secret Batpole in the Wayne mansion leads to the Batcave, where Police Commissioner Gordon often calls with the latest emergency threatening Gotham City. Racing to the scene of the crime in the Batmobile, Batman and Robin must (with the help of their trusty Bat-utility-belt) thwart the efforts of a variety of master criminals, including The Riddler, The Joker, Catwoman, and The Penguin.
Mission: Impossible · 1966Mission: Impossible
★ 7.61966
SeriesCrime
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill; Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin.
The series aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973, then returned to television for two seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1990, retaining only Graves in the cast. It later inspired a popular series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, beginning in 1996.
The Virginian · 1962The Virginian
★ 6.51962
SeriesWesternDrama
The Shiloh Ranch in Wyoming Territory of the 1890s is owned in sequence by Judge Henry Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Colonel Alan MacKenzie. It is the setting for a variety of stories, many more based on character and relationships than the usual western.
Hill Street Blues · 1981Hill Street Blues
★ 7.61981
SeriesDramaCrime
A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.
Have Gun, Will Travel · 1957Have Gun, Will Travel
★ 7.31957
SeriesWestern
Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons. It was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The radio series debuted November 23, 1958.
The television show is presently shown on the Encore-Western channel.
Have Gun – Will Travel was created by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow and produced by Frank Pierson, Don Ingalls, Robert Sparks, and Julian Claman. There were 225 episodes of the TV series, 24 written by Gene Roddenberry. Other contributors included Bruce Geller, Harry Julian Fink, Don Brinkley and Irving Wallace. Andrew McLaglen directed 101 episodes and 19 were directed by series star Richard Boone.
Hogan's Heroes · 1965Hogan's Heroes
★ 7.61965
SeriesComedy
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to July 4, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. Bob Crane starred as Colonel Robert E. Hogan, coordinating an international crew of Allied prisoners running a Special Operations group from the camp. Werner Klemperer played Colonel Wilhelm Klink, the commandant of the camp, and John Banner was the inept sergeant-of-the-guard, Hans Schultz.
The series was popular during its six-season run. In 2013, creators Bernard Fein through his estate and Albert S. Ruddy acquired the sequel and other separate rights to Hogan's Heroes from Mark Cuban through arbitration and a movie based on the show has been planned.
Remington Steele · 1982Remington Steele
★ 7.11982
SeriesDramaFamily
Laura Holt, a licensed private detective, opens a detective agency but finds that potential clients refuse to hire a woman, however qualified. To solve the problem, Laura invents a fictitious male superior whom she names Remington Steele. Through a series of events that unfold in the first episode, "License to Steele," a former thief and con man, whose real name is never revealed, assumes the identity of Remington Steele. Behind the scenes, Laura remains firmly in charge.
Dr. Kildare · 1961Dr. Kildare
★ 5.71961
SeriesDrama
The story of a young intern in a large metropolitan hospital trying to learn his profession, deal with the problems of his patients, and win the respect of the senior doctor in his specialty, internal medicine.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman · 1993Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
★ 6.91993
SeriesDrama
A much more lavish version of the popular Superman television series which had first aired forty years earlier, Lois & Clark focused more on the Man of Steel's early adult years in Metropolis. With the unknowing help of Lois Lane, Clark Kent created Superman there in Metropolis after finding work at the world-famous Daily Planet newspaper, where he meets fellow reporter Lois Lane.
The Division · 2001The Division
★ 7.12001
SeriesDrama
The Division is an American crime drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine and starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focused on a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on Lifetime on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.
The Dick Van Dyke Show · 1961The Dick Van Dyke Show
★ 7.61961
SeriesComedy
The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the work and home life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie. The plots generally revolve around problems at work, where Rob got into various comedic jams with fellow writers Buddy Sorrell, Sally Rogers and producer Mel Cooley.
The Invaders · 1967The Invaders
★ 6.91967
SeriesSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet. Their destination: the Earth. Their purpose: to make it their world. David Vincent has seen them, for him it began one lost night on a lonely country road, looking for a shortcut that he never found. It began with a closed deserted diner, and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey. It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy. Now, David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun.
Gunsmoke · 1955Gunsmoke
★ 6.71955
SeriesWestern
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 central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
Ben Casey · 1961Ben Casey
★ 5.91961
SeriesDrama
Moonlighting · 1985Moonlighting
★ 7.51985
SeriesComedyDrama
After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in a detective agency. Together they solve various cases, while getting comfortable with each other.
The Defenders · 1961The Defenders
★ 6.31961
SeriesDrama
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series . It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in legally complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, a schoolteacher fired for being an atheist, an author accused of pornography, and a physician charged in a mercy killing.