Norman Abbott was a director best known for helming episodes of the television comedies Leave It to Beaver, The Munsters, Sanford & Son and Welcome Back, Kotter.
He also worked on the series Studio One in Hollywood, Dennis the Menace, McHale’s Navy, The Jack Benny Program, Get Smart, Blondie, The Brady Bunch, The Don Knotts Show, Adam-12, The Ghost Busters, Operation Petticoat, The Bad News Bears, Alice, The New Leave It to Beaver, Charles in Charge and The Munsters Today.
Additionally, Abbott was the creator of the Broadway sensation Sugar Babies, which starred Mickey Rooney in a comeback role. The show ran on Broadway for more than 1,200 performances, from October 1979 to August 1982. Rooney and his co-star Ann Miller were each nominated for a Tony Award, as was the show for best musical.
He also directed and provided the story for the 1966 film The Last of the Secret Agents?, starring the comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. And he contributed to the television movies and specials Jack Benny’s New Look, Once Upon a Tour and A Love Letter to Jack Benny.
Norman Abbott was a director best known for helming episodes of the television comedies Leave It to Beaver, The Munsters, Sanford & Son and Welcome Back, Kotter.
He also worked on the series Studio One in Hollywood, Dennis the Menace, McHale’s Navy, The Jack Benny Program, Get Smart, Blondie, The Brady Bunch, The Don Knotts Show, Adam-12, The Ghost Busters, Operation Petticoat, The Bad News Bears, Alice, The New Leave It to Beaver, Charles in Charge and The Munsters Today.
Additionally, Abbott was the creator of the Broadway sensation Sugar Babies, which starred Mickey Rooney in a comeback role. The show ran on Broadway for more than 1,200 performances, from October 1979 to August 1982. Rooney and his co-star Ann Miller were each nominated for a Tony Award, as was the show for best musical.
He also directed and provided the story for the 1966 film The Last of the Secret Agents?, starring the comedy team of Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. And he contributed to the television movies and specials Jack Benny’s New Look, Once Upon a Tour and A Love Letter to Jack Benny.
Abbott served in World War II in the original Navy SEAL unit and began his show business career in 1942 in an uncredited role in Rio Rita starring Bud Abbott — his uncle, a famed comedian — and Lou Costello. The younger Abbott also appeared in the films Grand Central Murder; The Affairs of Martha; Who Done It?; Whistling in Dixie, starring Red Skelton; Keep ‘Em Slugging; Katie Did It; and Walking My Baby Back Home.
The prolific and versatile Abbott worked as a radio announcer on The Colgate Family Hour, and as a stage manager on I Love Lucy. He acquired his first directing credit in 1956 on Stars of Jazz.
Abbott died July 9, 2016, in Valencia, California. He was 93.
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