Robert Butler, who directed the pilots for such shows as Star Trek and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, died on November 3 2023 at the age of 95. He also co-created the TV show Remington Steele and directed such movies as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969).
Robert Butler was born on November 16 1927 in Hollywood. He grew up in the Los Angeles Westside, where he attended University High School. When he was a teenager he played trombone and played with the band on Hoagy Carmichael's radio show on NBC. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, from which he graduated with a degree in English. After graduating from college he got a job as an usher at CBS. He went from being an usher to a receptionist, and then a production clerk, and stage manager before becoming an assistant director. He served as an associate director on the anthology shows Climax! and Playhouse 90. He broke into television directing with an episode of Hennesey in 1959. In the late Fifties he also directed episodes of Dobie Gillis, Happy, and The DuPont Show with June Allyson.
In the Sixties Robert Butler was an established director who was very much in demand. He directed the very first pilot for Star Trek, "The Cage," starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock. He also directed the pilot for Batman, "Hi Diddle Riddle"/"Smack in the Middle," as well as the first episode featuring The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and the first episode featuring Mr. Freeze. He also directed the first episode of Hogan's Heroes, as well as several other episodes. During the decade Mr. Butler directed episodes of the shows Peter Loves Mary, Have Gun--Will Travel, Michael Shayne, Bonanza, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Dick Powell Show, The Gertrude Berg Show. The Rifleman, Follow the Sun, The Detectives, Stoney Burke, The Untouchables, Dr. Kildare, The Richard Boone Show, The Greatest Show on Earth, Ben Casey, Espionage, The Lieutenant, Arrest and Trial, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, Run for Your Life, The Virginian, Mister Roberts, The Fugitive, Walt Dinsey's Wonderful World of Color, Blue Light, Shane, I Spy, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Gunsmoke, The Invaders, N.Y.P.D., Judd for the Defense, Ironside, Cimarron Strip, The Felony Squad, Mission: Impossible, CBS Playhouse, The Outcasts, Then Came Bronson, and Lancer. He directed the movies Guns in the Heather (1969) and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969).
In the Seventies Robert Butler directed the four-part mini-series The Blue Knight. for which he won an Emmy Award. He directed episodes of the shows Nichols, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Doc Elliott, Kung Fu, Roll Out!, The Waltons, Columbo, and Insight. He directed the movies The Barefoot Executive (1971), Scandalous John (1971), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1971), The Ultimate Thrill (1974), and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978).
In the Eighties Robert Butler co-created the series Remington Steele. He also directed the pilot and several other episodes. He served as an executive consultant on the show. Later in the decade he served as an executive consultant and executive producer on Midnight Caller. He also directed one episode of the show. He directed the pilot for Hill Street Blues, as well as five other episodes. He also directed the pilot for Moonlighting. In the Eighties he also directed episodes of Our Family Honor and Out on a Limb. He directed the movie Up the Creek (1984).
In the Nineties he directed the pilot for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and one other episode. He served as an executive consultant on the show. He was also an executive consultant and executive producer on Sisters, on which he directed two episodes. He directed episodes of Sirens and St, Michael's Crossing. He directed the movie Turbulence (1997). In the Naughts he directed the pilot for the TV series The Division. His last work was the theatrical short "Where Do the Balloons Go?" in 2009.
Robert Butler was very much in demand when it came to directing the pilots or first episodes of television shows, and there is no wonder that he was. Mr. Butler had the uncanny knack to capture the tone of a television show immediately. While the only familiar character to most audiences in the Star Trek pilot "The Cage," it is still recognizably Star Trek and it set the tone for everything that was to come. "Hi Diddle Riddle"/"Smack in the Middle," the pilot for Batman, is not only one of the best television pilots ever made, but it also set the tone for the show. Robert Butler similarly set the tone for the shows Hogan's Heroes, Moonlighting, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Of course, Robert Butler directed many hours of television besides pilots, where he still showed an ability of capturing the feel of a show. Indeed, he was very versatile, able to direct everything from sitcoms to science fiction shows to dramas. He directed some of the best episodes of various shows, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Untouchables, and Kung Fu. Of course, he also directed films. And while his movies may not be counted among the greatest classic, they are entertaining and well done. I have no doubt many Gen Xers have found memories of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes and The Barefoot Executive. Robert Butler was an exceedingly talented director who had a talent for getting television shows off on the right foot.
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