A memorial service is scheduled Sunday at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles for Bruce Bilson, the Emmy Award-winning director on such revered household-name TV shows as “Get Smart” and “The Odd Couple.”
Bilson, who directed hundreds of TV episodes, died Jan. 16 in Los Angeles at age 97.
He was probably best known for directing the spy parody “Get Smart,” for which he won a Primetime Emmy for outstanding directing for a comedy series in 1968.
During his decades-long career, Bilson directed more than 400 episodes of television for such series as “The Odd Couple,” “Hogan’s Heroes,” “The Patty Duke Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “MASH,” “Hawaii 5-0” and others.
He also directed the last episode of ABC’s “Life With Lucy,” in November 1986, which marked Lucille Ball’s final sitcom appearance.
A UCLA graduate in 1946, Bilson served in the Air Force before landing a job as an assistant editor on Groucho Marx’s “You Bet Your Life,” and later as assistant director on “Wyatt Earp” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Bilson was born on May 19, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, to Hattie Bilson, a screen and magazine writer, and George Bilson, a producer at Warner Brothers and RKO.
He married Mona Whiteman in 1955, with whom he had two children. In 1984, he married actress Renne Jarrett, to whom he was married until his death.
Survivors also include his son, screenwriter Danny Bilson; daughter Julie Bilson Ahlberg, a producer; and a granddaughter, actress Rachel Bilson. Donations may be made in his memory to casala.org.
The memorial service will be held at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Ave., at 2 p.m. Sunday.