Robert Butler

Directing

Robert Butler

Born — Died

1927-11-16 — 2023-11-03

Place of birth

Los Angeles, California, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

28 titles

Robert Butler (November 17, 1927 - November 3, 2023), the revered director known for steering the debut episodes of iconic series like Batman, Star Trek, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting, passed away on November 3 in Los Angeles at the age of 95. Butler also played a role in co-creating Remington Steele, featuring Pierce Brosnan, and directed its inaugural episode. His legacy extends to directing the premiere of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965, setting the stage and directing pivotal episodes for Glenn Gordon Caron’s Moonlighting, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sisters, and The Division.

Known for

Turbulence poster
5.4

On a flight transporting dangerous convicts, murderer Ryan Weaver manages to break free and cause complete chaos throughout the plane. As various people on board fall victim to Weaver, it is ultimately down to flight attendant Teri Halloran to keep the aircraft from crashing, with on-ground support from an air traffic controller. While Halloran struggles to pilot the plane, Weaver continues to terrorize the surviving members of the crew.

Turbulence

1997

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes poster
6.0

Some college students manage to persuade the town's big businessman, A. J. Arno, to donate a computer to their college. When the problem- student, Dexter Riley, tries to fix the computer, he gets an electric shock and his brain turns to a computer; now he remembers everything he reads. Unfortunately, he also remembers information which was in the computer's memory, like Arno's illegal businesses..

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

1969

Up the Creek poster
5.7

Bob McGraw is in his 12th year of college, goofing his way through life. Bob, Irwing, Gonzer and Max are the four losers forced and bribed to represent their university in an intercollegiate raft race. Forced and bribed into this role, they make some friends, the lovely Heather Merriweather, but mostly enemies, among others a whole team of marines, and preppy IVY-leaguers determined to win.

Up the Creek

1984

Now You See Him, Now You Don't poster
6.3

Dexter Riley is a science student at Medfield College who inadvertently invents a liquid capable of rendering objects and people invisible. Before Dexter and his friends, Debbie and Richard Schuyler, can even enjoy their spectacular discovery, corrupt businessman A.J. Arno plots to get his greedy hands on it. Slapstick hijinks ensue as Dexter and his pals try to thwart the evil Arno before he can use the invisibility spray to rob a bank.

Now You See Him, Now You Don't

1972

Hot Lead & Cold Feet poster
5.9

Twin brothers -- one rough and tough, the other a city-bred milquetoast -- compete for their father's fortune.

Hot Lead & Cold Feet

1978

Night of the Juggler poster
6.8

When a twisted psychotic kidnaps a young girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy developer, her father, a hardened ex-cop, doggedly hunts them through New York's seamy streets.

Night of the Juggler

1980

Behind the camera

Turbulence poster
5.4

On a flight transporting dangerous convicts, murderer Ryan Weaver manages to break free and cause complete chaos throughout the plane. As various people on board fall victim to Weaver, it is ultimately down to flight attendant Teri Halloran to keep the aircraft from crashing, with on-ground support from an air traffic controller. While Halloran struggles to pilot the plane, Weaver continues to terrorize the surviving members of the crew.

Turbulence

1997

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes poster
6.0

Some college students manage to persuade the town's big businessman, A. J. Arno, to donate a computer to their college. When the problem- student, Dexter Riley, tries to fix the computer, he gets an electric shock and his brain turns to a computer; now he remembers everything he reads. Unfortunately, he also remembers information which was in the computer's memory, like Arno's illegal businesses..

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes

1969

Up the Creek poster
5.7

Bob McGraw is in his 12th year of college, goofing his way through life. Bob, Irwing, Gonzer and Max are the four losers forced and bribed to represent their university in an intercollegiate raft race. Forced and bribed into this role, they make some friends, the lovely Heather Merriweather, but mostly enemies, among others a whole team of marines, and preppy IVY-leaguers determined to win.

Up the Creek

1984

Now You See Him, Now You Don't poster
6.3

Dexter Riley is a science student at Medfield College who inadvertently invents a liquid capable of rendering objects and people invisible. Before Dexter and his friends, Debbie and Richard Schuyler, can even enjoy their spectacular discovery, corrupt businessman A.J. Arno plots to get his greedy hands on it. Slapstick hijinks ensue as Dexter and his pals try to thwart the evil Arno before he can use the invisibility spray to rob a bank.

Now You See Him, Now You Don't

1972

Hot Lead & Cold Feet poster
5.9

Twin brothers -- one rough and tough, the other a city-bred milquetoast -- compete for their father's fortune.

Hot Lead & Cold Feet

1978

Night of the Juggler poster
6.8

When a twisted psychotic kidnaps a young girl, mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy developer, her father, a hardened ex-cop, doggedly hunts them through New York's seamy streets.

Night of the Juggler

1980

The Barefoot Executive poster
5.6

In the great Disney tradition of wild family fun, a young Kurt Russell stars as Steven Post - an ambitious mailroom clerk at a second-rate TV network. With his eye on the boardroom, and getting nowhere with the studio's top dog, he makes a career-changing discovery. His girlfriend's lovable pet chimp can pick a hit show every time! His secret for success turns into a madcap monkey business when he makes vice president and jealous rivals want in on the act. Ride along with narrow escapes and a classic cast featuring Joe Flynn and Harry Morgan in a comedic climb up the corporate ladder that will leave you howling for more!

The Barefoot Executive

1971

Out of Time poster
6.3

A cop from the future goes back in time to Los Angeles and teams up with his grandfather to capture a master criminal.

Out of Time

1988

James Dean poster
4.7

Writer William Bast rooms with James Dean in acting school and follows his career to its tragic end in 1955.

James Dean

1976

Kilroy poster
NR

Just discharged from the Marine Corps, Oscar Kilroy arrives in the small town of Wilton Junction. Befriending the young Bill Fuller, he gets involved in the affairs of the town and hilarity ensues. The mayor of the city, fearing Oscar Kilroy's popularity, schemes to discredit him by entrusting the management of the city dog pound to him. However, against all odds, Oscar Kilroy takes his work to heart at the pound and implements a plan to save the condemned dogs.

Kilroy

1965

Strange New World poster
4.2

In the near future, a group of scientists living in a space ship wake up from a hibernation state and come back to an apocalyptic Earth.

Strange New World

1975

White Mile poster
5.9

An ad-agency boss (Alan Alda) leads a white-water-rafting trip into danger.

White Mile

1994

The Blue Knight poster
5.5

Bumper Morgan is a veteran Los Angeles Police Department street cop. He is due to retire after 20 years on the job, but is not letting up on the criminal element on his beat.

The Blue Knight

1973

Mayday at 40,000 Feet poster
6.4

The co-pilot and engineer of a passenger jet struggle to keep the plane airborne after a marshal onboard, transporting a murderer to prison, has a heart attack and the killer uses his gun to shoot the captain and blow out the hydraulics.

Mayday at 40,000 Feet

1977

Lacy and the Mississippi Queen poster
3.5

This lighthearted Western was an unsuccessful series pilot in which two sisters -- a gun-toting tomboy and a beauty with an engaging smile -- team up to track down a pair of train robbers, suspects in the shooting of their father.

Lacy and the Mississippi Queen

1978

A Question of Guilt poster
7.0

A swinging divorcée is prejudged by a police detective and accused of killing her child.

A Question of Guilt

1978

Star Trek: The Cage poster
6.2

Led by Captain Christopher Pike, the crew of the starship Enterprise investigates of a far-off planet which was the site of a shipwreck eighteen years earlier. They encounter telepathic aliens who seek a human male specimen for their menagerie.

Star Trek: The Cage

1965

Underground Aces poster
4.7

The escapades of a crew of zany parking lot attendants.

Underground Aces

1981

In the Glitter Palace poster
4.0

The ex-girlfriend of a lawyer, who left him for a lesbian lover, asks him to defend her lover in a murder case.

In the Glitter Palace

1977

Death Takes a Holiday poster
4.9

Death takes a human form and visits Earth to try to find out why humans want so desperately to cling to life. He unexpectedly falls in love with a beautiful young woman.

Death Takes a Holiday

1971

Scandalous John poster
6.4

A crotchety old ranch owner fights to be able to live his life the way he wants to, and not the way other people--and the law--tell him he has to.

Scandalous John

1971

Guns in the Heather poster
5.4

An American foreign exchange student in Ireland, Rich Evans (Kurt Russell), gets caught up in espionage when a dying man gives him a message to pass to his older brother, who is an American intelligence agent unbeknownst to Rich. Rich and his friend are then kidnapped by an Eastern Bloc agent pretending to be from the American Embassy in the hopes that they will lead him to a scientist who is attempting to defect to the West. Originally aired in 3 parts on 'Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color' TV series, then re-edited into a theatrical feature in Europe under the title, 'The Secret of Boyne Castle.'

Guns in the Heather

1969

Long Time Gone poster
7.5

A "world-class screw-up" private eye finds his world and his attention changed when he is reunited with his estranged 11-year old son.

Long Time Gone

1986

Black Bart poster
3.8

A television series titled Black Bart was produced for CBS based on Andrew Bergman's original story for Blazing Saddles (Black Bart was the movie's original title). It featured Lou Gossett, Jr. as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick, a former Confederate officer named "Reb Jordan". The Humour was much more toned down than it's feature film predecessor Other cast members included Millie Slavin and Noble Willingham. Bergman is listed as the sole creator. CBS aired the pilot once on April 4, 1975 as a CBS Special Presentation. The pilot featured guest appearances by Gerrit Graham and Brooke Adams and was written by Michael Elias and Rich Eustis. Elias and Eutis later created and executive produced the ABC sitcom Head of the Class (1986-1991).

Black Bart

1975

Black Bart poster
3.8

A television series titled Black Bart was produced for CBS based on Andrew Bergman's original story for Blazing Saddles (Black Bart was the movie's original title). It featured Lou Gossett, Jr. as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick, a former Confederate officer named "Reb Jordan". The Humour was much more toned down than it's feature film predecessor Other cast members included Millie Slavin and Noble Willingham. Bergman is listed as the sole creator. CBS aired the pilot once on April 4, 1975 as a CBS Special Presentation. The pilot featured guest appearances by Gerrit Graham and Brooke Adams and was written by Michael Elias and Rich Eustis. Elias and Eutis later created and executive produced the ABC sitcom Head of the Class (1986-1991).

Black Bart

1975

Concrete Beat poster
6.0

A newspaper columnist becomes determined to clear a woman who is blamed for the death of her child in a tragic fire.

Concrete Beat

1984

Dark Victory poster
NR

A TV producer with a terminal illness is given the strength to keep going by her love for her doctor.

Dark Victory

1976

The Ultimate Thrill poster
5.3

At a Colorado ski resort, a jealous man's paranoia results in murder.

The Ultimate Thrill

1974