Soitenly
Moronika
The community forum of ThreeStooges.net

William Asher, 90, Award-Winning TV Director & Producer

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline BeAStooge

  • Birdbrain
  • Master Stooge
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
Television Director and Producer William Asher has died at age 90.

Variety.com obituary

Asher directed many hundreds of TV episodes from the early 1950s thru the late 1980s, but is generally known for his work on I LOVE LUCY and BEWITCHED.  Bill was ILL's main director during its 2nd - 5th seasons, working on 100 episodes including fan favorites like "L.A. at Last!," "Job Switching" and "Lucy and Harpo Marx."  From 1964 - 1972, he was Executive Producer and frequent Director on BEWITCHED, starring Elizabeth Montgomery to whom he was married from 1963 - 1973.

His first wife (1951 - 1961) was Dani Sue Nolan, guest actress in The Three Stooges' GENTS IN A JAM (1952).  He directed her in the aforementioned "L.A. at Last" where she played an MGM executive secretary.

Asher directed, co-created and co-wrote most of the mid-1960s "beach" movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.  Pop fluff, they're worth mentioning for the presence of Buster Keaton in several of them.  In one, Buster played a witch doctor and Elizabeth Montgomery cameoed as his witch-daughter.


BEACH BLANKET BINGO (1965), end credits with Buster Keaton


I LOVE LUCY  L.A. at Last! (1955), clip


BEWITCHED  Mother Meets What’s-His-Name? (1964)


I LOVE LUCY  Lucy & Harpo Marx (1955), clip


HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI (1965), with Buster Keaton and Elizabeth Montgomery


I LOVE LUCY  Job Switching (1952), clip


Offline hiramhorwitz

Attached is a snapshot of Asher taken in 2005 at Charles Lane's 100th birthday celebration.  Asher attended the event with his wife (his fourth wife), who interestingly bore a striking resemblance to Elizabeth Montgomery, his second wife.