Norman Abbott

Nephew of famed comedian Bud Abbott, Norman Abbott is an American television director and producer best known for his work on such shows as "Sanford and Son" and "The Munsters." Abbott began his career working as a dialogue director on the set of the 1947 film "The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap," and began directing series television on the drama "Bachelor Father." From 1960 to 1962 he directed over 40 episodes of "Leave it to Beaver," and multiple episodes of the sitcom "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster." From 1961 to 1965 he served as director and producer on "The Jack Benny Program," and found work on such shows as "Get Smart" and "Room 222." He wrote, directed, and produced the 1966 spy comedy "The Last of the Secret Agents?," about two American tourists in France who must outwit a group of international art thieves. Abbott worked steadily through the '70s on numerous series, including the romance anthology "Love, American Style" and the rural comedy "Petticoat Junction." He directed over 20 episodes of the primetime sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter," which featured a young John Travolta as a troublemaking high school student. Beginning in 1976 he directed numerous episodes of the family sitcom "Alice," and later worked on "The New Leave it to Beaver" and the 1981 documentary "A Love Letter to Jack Benny."