Abner 'Abby' Singer died on March 13 at the age of 96. Mr. Singer was an Assistant Director at Columbia early in his career. Although only credited with a handful of mid-1950s Three Stooges productions, due to the short subject dept. not giving ADs screen credit until 1953, he had worked on the Stooges' comedies since the late 1940s.
Among his credits are INCOME TAX SAPPY (1954), SHOT IN THE FRONTIER (1954), GYPPED IN THE PENTHOUSE (1955), and the Besser solo HOOK A CROOK (1956).
Singer's name is probably best-known from the ending credits of almost every MTM television series of the 1970s and 1980s. He was Production Manager for THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, THE BOB NEWHART SHOW, ST. ELSEWHERE, RHODA, HILL STREET BLUES, and others,
Some of us from
The Three Stooges Journal staff met Mr. Singer during a 2008 research trip to L.A. It was only a very brief & unplanned meeting, introduced to him by Leonard Maltin while lunching at Art's Deli in Studio City. Unfortunately, Abby politely declined an offer to talk about his Columbia years.
