Abby Singer
Encyclopedia
Abner E. "Abby" Singer worked as a production manager and assistant director
in film
between the 1950s and the 1980s. His name has become famous in Hollywood as a phrase describing the second-to-last shot of the day as the "Abby Singer".
According to Burt Bluestein of the Director's Guild of America, "It all began when Abby was a 1st AD and people on the crew would ask him how many shots were left to do before lunch. Abby would answer, 'We'll do this and one more.' At the end of the day, when they asked what was to be done before the wrap, Abby would say, 'This and one more, then we're out of here.'" Abby Singer himself explains the reason behind calling out the second to last shot; "In television, we would make maybe five or six moves during the day — going from one set to another, or from one stage to another. Or we'd move from the back lot to a stage. I would say, 'Fellas, we'll do this [shot] and one more and then we're moving.' This would give the crew a chance to begin wrapping up their equipment or to call transportation for gurneys, so they'd be ready to get out quickly... I did it really to save time for the director. If we did it during the day, I could save 10 to 15 minutes each time we had to move. I could give the director another hour a day of shooting."
The actual last shot of the production day is referred to as a "martini," referring to the alcoholic beverage.
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
between the 1950s and the 1980s. His name has become famous in Hollywood as a phrase describing the second-to-last shot of the day as the "Abby Singer".
According to Burt Bluestein of the Director's Guild of America, "It all began when Abby was a 1st AD and people on the crew would ask him how many shots were left to do before lunch. Abby would answer, 'We'll do this and one more.' At the end of the day, when they asked what was to be done before the wrap, Abby would say, 'This and one more, then we're out of here.'" Abby Singer himself explains the reason behind calling out the second to last shot; "In television, we would make maybe five or six moves during the day — going from one set to another, or from one stage to another. Or we'd move from the back lot to a stage. I would say, 'Fellas, we'll do this [shot] and one more and then we're moving.' This would give the crew a chance to begin wrapping up their equipment or to call transportation for gurneys, so they'd be ready to get out quickly... I did it really to save time for the director. If we did it during the day, I could save 10 to 15 minutes each time we had to move. I could give the director another hour a day of shooting."
The actual last shot of the production day is referred to as a "martini," referring to the alcoholic beverage.
As assistant director
- Death of a Salesman (1951) (Second ADAssistant directorThe role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
) - Income Tax Sappy (1954) (as Abner Singer)
- Shot in the Frontier (1954) (as Abner E. Singer)
- 7th Cavalry (1956) (as Abner E. Singer)
- The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957) (as Abner E. Singer)
- M Squad (1957) TV Series (assistant director)
- Hellcats of the Navy (1957) (assistant director)
- The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957) (assistant director)
- 7th Cavalry (1956) (assistant director)
- He Laughed Last (1956) (assistant director)
- Over-Exposed (1956) (assistant director)
- A Lawless Street (1955) [a.k.a. Marshal of Medicine Bend (USA)] (assistant director)
- Gypped in the Penthouse (1955) (assistant director)
- Cannibal Attack (1954) (assistant director)
- Shot in the Frontier (1954) (assistant director)
- Massacre Canyon (1954) (assistant director)
- Income Tax Sappy (1954) (assistant director)
- Death of a Salesman (1951) (second assistant director)
As production manager
- Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective (1989) (TV) (unit production manager)
- Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989) (TV) (unit production manager)
- Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989) (TV) (unit production manager)
- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) (unit production manager)
- Remington SteeleRemington SteeleRemington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...
TV series- "Signed, Steeled & Delivered" TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Your Steele the One for Me" TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Sting of Steele" (1983) TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Steele's Gold" (1983) TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Vintage Steele" (1983) TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Steele in the News" (1983) TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- "Steele Among the Living" (1983) TV Episode (executive in charge of production)
- The Bob Newhart ShowThe Bob Newhart ShowThe Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers...
(production manager) - WKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in CincinnatiWKRP in Cincinnati is an American situation comedy that featured the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson and was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta...
(1978–1982) (executive in charge of production) - Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
(1981–1987) (executive in charge of production) - St. ElsewhereSt. ElsewhereSt. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...
(1982–1988) (executive in charge of production) - A Little Sex (1982) (production manager: Los Angeles)
- First, You Cry (1978) (TV) (supervising production manager)
- Something for Joey (1977) (TV) (production manager)
- "Rhoda" (1974) TV Series (unit production manager)
- Istanbul Express (1968) (TV) (unit manager)
- The Doris Day ShowThe Doris Day ShowThe Doris Day Show is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run...
(1968) TV Series (production manager) - The Meanest Men in the West (1967) (TV) (unit production manager)
- Out of Sight (1966) (unit production manager)
- GunsmokeGunsmokeGunsmoke 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....
(1955) TV Series (production manager)
External links
- Abby Singer
- Abby Singer
- Abby Singer movie (Abby Singer the MovieAbby Singer (film)Abby Singer is a darkly comic tale that chronicles the life of Curtis Clemins, who is torn between the love of his life and accomplishing his dream. Originally released in 2003, there was a different version released in 2006 and a limited DVD release in 2007. The film had some film festival...
, named after Singer) - AbbySinger.net