Don Weis
Encyclopedia
Don Weis was an American film and television director.
Weis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. He graduated from the University of Southern California
where he studied film. During World War II, Weis served in the Air Force as a film technician. After the war, he began working at MGM directing such films as Bannerline (1951), Just This Once (1952), You for Me (1952) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953).
Weis began directing for television in 1954 and worked on such series as M*A*S*H, Ironside
, It Takes a Thief, Twilight Zone
, Happy Days
, Starsky and Hutch
, CHiPs
, The Courtship of Eddie's Father
, and Hawaii Five-O
among others.
Weis won two Directors Guild of America Awards
for television direction in 1956 and again in 1958.
Weis died in Santa Fe, New Mexico at 78 years of age.
Weis was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. He graduated from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where he studied film. During World War II, Weis served in the Air Force as a film technician. After the war, he began working at MGM directing such films as Bannerline (1951), Just This Once (1952), You for Me (1952) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953).
Weis began directing for television in 1954 and worked on such series as M*A*S*H, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
, It Takes a Thief, Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
, The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the 1963 movie of the same name, which was based on the book written by Mark Toby...
, and Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
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 twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
among others.
Weis won two Directors Guild of America Awards
Directors Guild of America Awards
The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D.W. Griffith....
for television direction in 1956 and again in 1958.
Weis died in Santa Fe, New Mexico at 78 years of age.
Selected filmography
- I Love MelvinI Love MelvinI Love Melvin is a 1953 comedy film directed by Don Weis and starring Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds.-Plot:Small-time actress Judy Schneider dreams of becoming a Hollywood star even as she struggles along playing a human football in a kitschy Broadway musical. One day in Central Park she bumps...
(1953) - Ride the High Iron (1956)
- Catch Me If You Can (1959)
- The Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa Story is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers around Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana.-Plot synopsis:...
(1959) - Critic's ChoiceCritic's Choice (1963 film)Critic's Choice is a 1963 film comedy directed by Don Weis. Based on the 1960 Broadway play of the same name by Ira Levin, the movie starred Bob Hope and Lucille Ball and included Rip Torn, Marilyn Maxwell, Jim Backus, Marie Windsor and Jerome Cowan in the cast.This was the last of four films that...
(1963) - Pajama PartyPajama Party (film)Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures...
(1964) - BillieBillie (film)Billie is a 1965 musical film directed by Don Weis. Based on the 1952 play Time Out For Ginger by Ronald Alexander, the film stars Patty Duke in the title role.-Plot:...
(1965) - The Ghost in the Invisible BikiniThe Ghost in the Invisible BikiniThe Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is the seventh of the American International Pictures beach party films and was released in 1966. The entire film takes place in and around a haunted house with no beach in sight, with the teenage gang instead cavorting in and around it and the adjacent swimming...
(1966)