Don Weis was a director born in Milwaukee who began his career in light-hearted and youth-oriented entertainment. After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1942, he started as an errand boy at Warner Brothers before serving in the US Army Air Corps as a technician during World War II. After the war, he resumed his apprenticeship with Enterprise Productions, working as a dialogue director and assistant on several films produced by Stanley Kramer.
In 1951, he was signed to a two-year contract at MGM, where he made his directorial feature debut with the newspaper expose "Bannerline" (1951). He went on to direct a string of light comedies and musicals, including "I Love Melvin" (1953),"The Affairs of Dobie Gillis" (1953),and "The Adventures of Hajji Baba" (1954).
However, not all of his films were well-received, with two beach party movies, "Pajama Party" (1964) and "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" (1966),being particularly criticized for wasting the talents of notable actors like Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone. His later film, "Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?" (1968),was also met with disappointment.
Weis began directing for television in 1954 and went on to become one of the most accomplished and busiest directors in the medium, winning six annual awards from the Directors Guild of America. He directed episodes of iconic shows like "Batman" (1966),"Ironside" (1967),and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" (1974),as well as several episodes of the popular medical comedy "M*A*S*H*". After retiring, he presided over the Motion Picture Permanent Charities Committee and served on the board of the New Mexico Film Council.
