Rod Amateau

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Rod Amateau
Born(1923-12-20)December 20, 1923
New York City, United States
DiedJune 29, 2003(2003-06-29) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, United States
Other namesRodney Amateau
Years active1950–1989
Spouse(s)Coleen Gray 1945–1949
Sandra Burns 1959–1962

Rodney "Rod" Amateau (December 20, 1923 – June 29, 2003) was an American screenwriter, film and television director.

Among programs that he directed were NBC's The Dennis Day Show, CBS's sitcoms The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, starring Dwayne Hickman, Mister Ed, The Bob Cummings Show, starring Robert Cummings, and The New Phil Silvers Show, an unsuccessful attempt by comedian Phil Silvers to return to a regular series.

He was producer of TV shows such as My Mother the Car and Supertrain, and wrote the story for the 1988 film Sunset. Amateau also directed a few episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard, and appeared in a handful of episodes as an actor as well.

In 1987, he directed, produced, and co-wrote the The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, which is considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

From 1945 to 1949, he was married to actress Coleen Gray, who sued him for child support in 1955.[1]

From 1959 to 1962, he was married to Sandra Burns, the adopted daughter of George Burns and Gracie Allen. [2]

Amateau died from a cerebral hemorrhage in 2003.[3]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Director Producer Writer
1952 The Bushwhackers
NoN
NoN
1952 Monsoon
NoN
1969 Hook, Line & Sinker
NoN
1970 Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You
NoN
NoN
1972 Where Does It Hurt?
NoN
NoN
1976 Drive-In
NoN
NoN
1978 The Seniors
NoN
1984 Lovelines
NoN
1987 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
NoN
NoN
NoN
1988 Sunset
NoN

TV[edit]

Year Title
1955–1959 The Bob Cummings Show
1956–1958 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
1959–1963 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1961–1966 Mister Ed
1963–1964 The New Phil Silvers Show
1965–1966 My Mother the Car
1979–1985 The Dukes of Hazzard
1979 Supertrain

References[edit]

  1. "Coleen Gray | TV shows, credits and biography - Yahoo TV". Tv.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  2. "Sandra Burns - Biography - IMDb".
  3. McLellan, Dennis (July 2, 2003). "Rod Amateau, 79; Writer, Director, Producer of Sitcoms, Feature Films". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

External links[edit]