Bruce Bilson

Directing

Bruce Bilson

Born May 19, 1928 · New York City, New York, USA

Died January 16, 2026 · aged 97

Bruce Bilson (May 19, 1928 – January 16, 2026) was an American film and television director. He is most notable for his work as a regular director on the spy spoof Get Smart. He won the 1967–1968 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the third season Get Smart episode "Maxwell Smart, Private Eye". Description above from the Wikipedia article Bruce Bilson, licensed…

Known For

The North Avenue IrregularsThe North Avenue Irregulars · 1979
The North Avenue Irregulars
6.61979
MovieFamilyAction
When crooks set up operations in a traditional town, a minister and a group of church ladies are willing to do anything, no matter how wacky, to get them out.
One Potato, Two PotatoOne Potato, Two Potato · 1964
One Potato, Two Potato
6.91964
MovieDrama
Study of interracial marriage in the 1960s. A white divorcée falls in love with and marries an African-American man. When her ex-husband sues for custody of her child, arguing that a mixed household is an improper place to raise the girl, the new husband fights for his parental rights in court, fighting against a judge who represents the prejudices of the era.
The New Daughters of Joshua CabeThe New Daughters of Joshua Cabe · 1976
The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe
8.01976
MovieWesternComedy
Three young women who posed as the daughters of an elderly homesteader find out that he has been falsely accused of murder, convicted, and sentenced to hang. They hatch a plot to smuggle him out of prison.
The Ghosts of Buxley HallThe Ghosts of Buxley Hall · 1980
The Ghosts of Buxley Hall
6.31980
MovieComedyFamily
Ghosts and a young cadet try to save a military academy from being closed.
Pleasure CovePleasure Cove · 1979
Pleasure Cove
7.01979
MovieDramaTV Movie
The story of a posh seaside vacation resort, and the lives and adventures of its guests and staff.
The Flash III: Deadly NightshadeThe Flash III: Deadly Nightshade · 1992
The Flash III: Deadly Nightshade
7.01992
MovieActionScience Fiction
The Scarlet Speedster teams up with the city's previous superhero, The Nightshade, in two adventures.
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the WestThe Wackiest Wagon Train in the West · 1976
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
4.11976
MovieComedyWestern
This comical western chronicles the silly adventures of a bumbling wagonmaster and his clutzy assistant as they attempt to take seven passengers across the prairie. Among the passengers are two wealthy Bostonians, an aspiring showgirl, a teacher, and bachelor. The story is adapted from Dusty's Trail, a television sitcom.
The Halloween That Almost Wasn'tThe Halloween That Almost Wasn't · 1979
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
6.21979
MovieHorrorComedy
Upset by rumors that Halloween may end, Dracula calls his mild-mannered monsters together and delivers an ultimatum - either regain their frightening image, or leave his Transylvania castle forever.

Filmography

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The Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show · 1960
The Andy Griffith Show
7.61960
SeriesComedyFamily
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised on CBS between October 3, 1960 and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays the widowed sheriff of the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina. His life is complicated by an inept, but well-meaning deputy, Barney Fife, a spinster aunt and housekeeper, Aunt Bee, and a precocious young son, Opie. Local ne'er-do-wells, bumbling pals, and temperamental girlfriends further complicate his life. Andy Griffith stated in a Today Show interview, with respect to the time period of the show: "Well, though we never said it, and though it was shot in the '60s, it had a feeling of the '30s. It was when we were doing it, of a time gone by." The series never placed lower than seventh in the Nielsen ratings and ended its final season at number one. It has been ranked by TV Guide as the 9th-best show in American television history. Though neither Griffith nor the show won awards during its eight-season run, series co-stars Knotts and Bavier accumulated a combined total of six Emmy Awards. The show, a semi-spin-off from an episode of The Danny Thomas Show titled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith", spawned its own spin-off series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., a sequel series, Mayberry R.F.D., and a reunion telemovie, Return to Mayberry. The show's enduring popularity has generated a good deal of show-related merchandise. Reruns currently air on TV Land, and the complete series is available on DVD. All eight seasons are also now available by streaming video services such as Netflix.

Assistant Director

Hogan's HeroesHogan's Heroes · 1965
Hogan's Heroes
7.61965
SeriesWar & PoliticsComedy
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.

Director

Get SmartGet Smart · 1965
Get Smart
8.01965
SeriesComedySci-Fi & Fantasy
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show stars Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Edward Platt. Henry said they created the show by request of Daniel Melnick, who was a partner, along with Leonard Stern and David Susskind, of the show's production company, Talent Associates, to capitalize on "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today"—James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Brooks said: "It's an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy." This is the only Mel Brooks production to feature a laugh track. The success of the show eventually spawned the follow-up films The Nude Bomb and Get Smart, Again!, as well as a 1995 revival series and a 2008 film remake. In 2010, TV Guide ranked Get Smart's opening title sequence at No. 2 on its list of TV's Top 10 Credits Sequences, as selected by readers.

Director