Richard Donner

In his three-and-a-half-hour interview, Richard Donner (1930-2021) talks about his start as an actor in New York and the career-changing moment when director Martin Ritt told him that he should work behind the camera as his assistant. Donner describes his start as a director, working in commercials and documentaries initially for George Blake, then for his own company. He recalls his transition to Los Angeles where he directed commercials with the cast of I Love Lucy. He recounts his work for several studios as a television director in the 1960s on Wanted: Dead or Alive (with Steve McQueen), Wagon Train (in an episode guest-starring Bette Davis), The Loretta Young Show, The Hathaways (a series featuring three chimpanzees), Gilligan's Island, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, and, most notably, The Twilight Zone. Donner outlines the challenges of directing the memorable Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which William Shatner sees a gremlin on the wing of an airplane. He talks of his early forays into feature filmmaking and his return to television each time, feeling that he was not ready to make the jump. He remembers working on 1970s projects The Banana Splits Hour and the acclaimed television movie Sarah T.— Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, before his breakthrough success in movies with The Omen. Donner then chronicles the development and casting of hits Superman, The Goonies, and Lethal Weapon. He also describes his later work in television as a producer-director of the television series Tales from the Crypt. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on June 22, 2006 in Beverly Hills, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

Richard Donner on directing The Loretta Young Show

03:54

Richard Donner on the technical challenges of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

01:21

Richard Donner on the practical joke played on him on the set of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" by star William Shatner and Edd Byrnes (actor and husband to "Nightmare" co-star Asa Maynor) 

01:25

Richard Donner on "sneaking" messages into his movies

00:47

Richard Donner on directing Kojak

04:02

Richard Donner on advice to aspiring directors

00:42

Richard Donner on directing Get Smart and Gilligan's Island

04:06

Richard Donner on directing Gilligan's Island

03:39

Richard Donner on the importance of television theme songs

00:48

Richard Donner on how he came to direct for MGM and The Twilight Zone

03:49

Richard Donner on the short shooting schedule of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

00:54

Richard Donner on the technical challenges of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

01:21

Richard Donner on the practical joke played on him on the set of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" by star William Shatner and Edd Byrnes (actor and husband to "Nightmare" co-star Asa Maynor) 

01:25

Richard Donner on working with actor William Shatner on The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

00:37

Richard Donner on the potential he saw in the script of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and his own style of creating a reality for his work

00:53

Richard Donner on working with actor Wally Cox on The Twilight Zone's "From Agnes — with Love"

01:35

Richard Donner on directing various Twilight Zone episodes

04:48

Richard Donner on the legacy of The Twilight Zone

03:34

Richard Donner on directing various episodes of The Twilight Zone

03:57

Richard Donner on the short shooting schedule of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

00:54

Richard Donner on the technical challenges of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

01:21

Richard Donner on the practical joke played on him on the set of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" by star William Shatner and Edd Byrnes (actor and husband to "Nightmare" co-star Asa Maynor) 

01:25

Richard Donner on working with actor William Shatner on The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

00:37

Richard Donner on the potential he saw in the script of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and his own style of creating a reality for his work

00:53

Richard Donner on the legacy of The Twilight Zone

03:34

Richard Donner on directing Wanted: Dead or Alive and his relationship with Steve McQueen

07:56

Richard Donner on working with Steve McQueen on Wanted: Dead or Alive

02:33

Richard Donner on shooting stunts for Wanted: Dead or Alive

01:31

Richard Donner on directing the classic Twilight Zone  episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

08:56

Richard Donner on the importance of television theme songs

00:48

Richard Donner on the short shooting schedule and technical challenges of directing The Twilight Zone 's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

04:04

Richard Donner on making the transition from directing television to directing features

10:36

Richard Donner on how directing for television helped him shoot "Superman" and "Superman II" simultaneously

01:06

Richard Donner on advice to aspiring directors

00:42

Richard Donner on directing The Loretta Young Show

03:54

Richard Donner on directing The Twilight Zone

21:47

Richard Donner directing The Twilight Zone

07:31

Richard Donner on producing and directing Tales from the Crypt  for HBO

05:14

Richard Donner on directing Get Smart  and Gilligan's Island

04:06

Richard Donner on directing Gilligan's Island

05:14

Richard Donner on directing Wanted: Dead or Alive

12:26

Richard Donner on directing the series Wagon Train

07:56

Richard Donner on directing Have Gun, Will Travel

03:32

Richard Donner on directing the "Lethal Weapon" series of feature films and working with Mel Gibson

05:27

Richard Donner on directing the feature film "Maverick"

03:01

Richard Donner on directing Wanted: Dead or Alive and his relationship with Steve McQueen

07:56

Richard Donner on working with Steve McQueen on Wanted: Dead or Alive

02:33

Richard Donner on shooting stunts for Wanted: Dead or Alive

01:31