Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and

television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content and creative style of a program, and ensuring the prod ...

and producer.

Career

Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'', '' Gunsmoke'', six '' Star Trek'' (episodes include "Dagger of the Mind", "Balance of Terror", "Patterns of Force" and "Spectre of the Gun"), ''

Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...

'', '' How the West Was Won'', ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

'', '' Stranger at My Door'', '' Murder, She Wrote'', and '' Diagnosis: Murder'', starring Dick Van Dyke. In 1991, McEveety directed the award-winning episode of the NBC television series '' In the Heat of the Night'', entitled " Sweet, Sweet Blues", guest-starring musician

Bobby Short Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist, who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold ...

and veteran actor

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

. That year ''Heat'' won its first NAACP Image Award for ''Outstanding Dramatic Series'' and James Best won the Crystal Reel Award for ''Best Actor''. From 1994 through 1997, McEveety produced the television series '' Columbo'' starring Peter Falk, for which he also directed seven episodes between 1990 and 1997. Homage was paid to his contributions to the series by a humorous mention of a character having his surname in the ''Columbo'' episode "Undercover" (which he directed). McEveety directed numerous films for

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

, including '' The Million Dollar Duck'', '' The Biscuit Eater'', ''

Superdad ''Superdad'' is a 1973 American comedy film by Walt Disney Productions starring Bob Crane, Barbara Rush, Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, and Kathleen Cody. Directed by Vincent McEveety, the film marks the motion picture debut of Bruno Kirby. Plot Cha ...

'', ''

The Strongest Man in the World ''The Strongest Man in the World'' is a 1975 American science fiction comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety, produced by Walt Disney Productions and starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, and Eve Arden. It is the second sequel to the 1969 film '' ...

'', ''

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again ''The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again'' is a 1979 American comedy-Western film directed by Vincent McEveety. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, it is a sequel to '' The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975), starring the comedy duo of Tim Conway and Do ...

'', '' Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo'', and ''

Herbie Goes Bananas ''Herbie Goes Bananas'' is a 1980 American comedy adventure film and the fourth installment of ''The Love Bug'' film series made by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own. Plot ...

''. McEveety also directed portions of '' The Watcher in the Woods''. His film ''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's '' Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968), starring James Stewart,

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

and

Inger Stevens Inger Stevens (born Ingrid Stensland; October 18, 1934 – April 30, 1970) was a Swedish-American film, stage and Golden Globe-winning television actress. Early life Inger Stevens was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the eldest child of Per ...

, touches on issues previously ignored by the genre and influenced a generation of filmmakers.Allrovi.com
/ref> McEveety returned to the Western genre with '' The Castaway Cowboy'' (1974), starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

and Vera Miles.

Selected filmography

Director

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McEveety, Vincent 1929 births 2018 deaths Television producers from California American television directors Disney people Film directors from Los Angeles