Norman Abbott

Born: 1922-07-11

Norman Abbott (July 11, 1922 – July 9, 2016) was an American vaudevillian, actor, producer and television director. Abbott was born in New York City, where his uncle, comedian Bud Abbott, and his mother raised him. His early experience in entertainment was as a vaudeville performer, including summers working the 'borscht circuit" in resorts in the Catskill Mountains of New York. In the early 1940s, he and Pat Costello (brother of Lou Costello) worked as stand-ins for the better-known act during filming of Who Done It? (1942).[3] During World War II, Abbott served as a member of the original United States Navy SEALs team. After the war, Abbott became a dialog director on the Abbott and Costello films and was mentored by the team's director, Charles T. Barton. Abbott later directed episodes of The Jack Benny Program, Leave It to Beaver, Get Smart, The Munsters, Welcome Back, Kotter, Dennis the Menace, and Sanford and Son. Abbott's obituary in The Hollywood Reporter described him as "the brainchild behind the Broadway sensation Sugar Babies, the comeback vehicle for Mickey Rooney in the late 1970s". He conceived the idea of a Broadway musical based on burlesque after inheriting his uncle's "treasure trove of burlesque material, including written gags, props, music and posters".[4] Despite his having originated the concept, Abbott was fired as director of the show after two weeks of rehearsing.


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Who Done It?

as 'Murder at Midnight' Organist
Released: 1942-10-30

Two dumb soda jerks dream of writing radio mysteries. When they try to pitch an idea at a radio...

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Grand Central Murder

as Whistling Messenger (uncredited)
Released: 1942-05-01

Conniving Broadway starlet Mida King has plenty of enemies, so when she's found murdered at...

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Walking My Baby Back Home

as Doc
Released: 1953-12-06

A young man from a wealthy New York family pursues a career as the leader of a dance band.

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Rio Rita

as Hotel Laundry Boy (uncredited)
Released: 1942-03-11

Doc and Wishey run into some Nazi-agents, who want to smuggle bombs into the USA from a Mexican...

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Anything Goes

as Radio Announcer
Released: 1954-02-28

On an ocean liner, a nightclub singer tries to help a fellow American romance an English heiress...

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The Affairs of Martha

as Newsboy (uncredited)
Released: 1942-06-21

Members of a well-to-do small community become worried when it is revealed that one of their...

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Keep 'Em Slugging

as Ape
Released: 1943-03-01

A gang of tough street kids decide to go straight and get jobs in order to free draft-age men...

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The Colgate Comedy Hour

as Self
First aired: 1950-09-10

The Colgate Comedy Hour is an American comedy-musical variety series that aired live on the NBC...

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