By Erin Free
FilmInk salutes the work of creatives who have never truly received the credit that they deserve. In this installment: director Robert Butler, who helmed The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Now You See Him, Now You Don’t and The Night Of The Juggler.
The Unsung Auteurs column has demonstrated a few trends when it comes to creative figures failing to accrue the kind of praise, or even just basic recognition, that they wholly deserve. Just to name a few trends: making feature films as a “second career”; working in unashamedly commercial and “unhip” genres; existing largely in the shadow of a far more recognised and high-profile talent; and, well, being a woman. In something of a reverse coup, late filmmaker Robert Butler’s lack of cinematic celebration is down to not just one, but two, frequently identified trends, with the director firstly far better known for his work in television (a certain way to evade traditional “auteur status”), and secondly for his big screen preference for making family films, many of them for Disney. Sitting on a long career of telemovies and mini-series accompanied by a small clutch of feature films dominated by family product is a no-lose way to get yourself ignored by film commentators, and Robert Butler certainly did exactly that. The celebration of Butler’s television achievements, however, more than made up for it. “Few directors have changed the face of television as much as Bob did; his impact on the medium is truly immeasurable,” Directors Guild Of Ameria president Lesli Linka Glatter said on Butler’s passing in 2023 at the age of 95.
Robert Stanton Butler was born in 1927 in Hollywood to an insurance adjuster father and schoolteacher mother. After graduating with a degree in English from UCLA, Butler – who had almost moved towards a career as a musician – landed a job as an usher at TV network CBS in Hollywood, which would prove to be a true life-changer. Butler quickly rose through the ranks, moving onwards and upwards into a variety of other positions with the network, working as a receptionist, a production clerk, a stage manager, and then as an assistant director on essential live television theatre programmes like Climax! and Playhouse 90. Identified for his talents, Butler got his first shot at directing on a 1959 episode of the TV comedy Hennesey, and then went on to such shows as The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis and Have Gun Will Travel.
From there, Butler eventually became part of the TV firmament, directing episodes of pretty much every major show to air on American television (The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Hawaii Five-0, Bonanza, Dr. Kildare…the list goes on…and on), and also achieved a beyond-reproach reputation as a director of TV pilots. Boasting pop culture cache that would be the envy of pretty much anyone, Butler helmed the first episodes of small screen classics like Star Trek, Hogan’s Heroes, Batman, Hill Street Blues, Remington Steele (which he also co-created), Moonlighting and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman. On top of that, Butler also helmed a host of superior telemovies and mini-series, including 1973’s The Blue Knight (an adaptation of Joseph Wambaugh’s novel featuring a magisterial lead turn from William Holden as a veteran street cop), 1976’s James Dean (a solid biopic with Stephen McHattie in the title role), 1976’s Mayday At 40,000 Feet! (a tidy airline thriller), 1978’s A Question Of Guilt (a fascinating true life mesh of crime procedural, character study, and courtroom drama featuring the great Tuesday Weld at her compelling, unpredictable best) and many, many more.
As a sideline to all of his television work, Robert Butler also detoured occasionally with admirable success into feature film work. Though his 1969 Disney TV mini-series Guns In The Heather was recut and released into cinemas into Europe, Butler’s first genuine big screen credit came with 1969’s Disney favourite The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. A true family charmer, this smart, funny flick (likely remembered fondly by any kid who grew up in the 1970s and saw it on one of its frequent TV showings) starred an eighteen-year-old Kurt Russell (who had also appeared in the aforementioned Guns In The Heather) as college student Dexter Reilly, who receives an electric shock and becomes, well, a human computer, capable of extraordinary mathematical feats. This gets him into hot water with Cesar Romero’s illegal gambling kingpin, leading to a fast-paced slew of adventures. Aided immeasurably by the excellent Kurt Russell, Butler hits just the right tone here, never pandering to his young audience, and pitching the plentiful jokes at exactly the right level.
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was a big hit, and Disney unsurprisingly tapped the reliable and highly expert Robert Butler for a number of other films. He reunited with Kurt Russell for 1971’s The Barefoot Executive (a winningly satirical family flick about a chimp who can predict the popularity of television programs) and 1972’s Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (a worthy sequel to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes which sees Kurt Russell’s Dexter Reilly discover the secret to invisibility), but passed on 1975’s third Dexter Reilly flick, The Strongest Man In The World, which was helmed by the previous films’ writer, Vincent McEveety. Butler delivered more quality work for Disney in the form of two comedy westerns with 1971’s Scandalous John (a rollicking, good-time adventure starring Brian Keith) and 1978’s Hot Lead And Cold Feet (a fun vehicle for jittery Disney fave Don Knotts). With his knack for comedy and fine sense of pacing, Robert Butler proved the perfect director for these well-above-average Disney entries.
Outside of The Mouse House, Butler made two enjoyable, decidedly naughtier comedies with 1981’s amiable Underground Aces (about a group of oddballs – played by the likes of Melanie Griffith and Dirk Benedict – who park cars for an upper crust hotel) and 1984’s teen flick Up The Creek, which is set in the world of raft racing. While most of Butler’s big screen work is light and funny, the director detoured in a major way with two thrillers. Butler’s manic 1997 airline thriller Turbulence is goofily entertaining thanks to an unhinged Ray Liotta, but the casting of the underwhelming Lauren Holly (remember her?) in the demanding lead role is a bit of a misstep. Butler’s real diamond-in-the-rough, however, is his grim 1980 thriller The Night Of The Juggler, in which James Brolin’s ex-cop rips his way through a grimy New York in search of his kidnapped daughter. Though Butler was brought on to the film late to replace original helmer Sidney J. Furie (who left early due to delays caused by an injury to Brolin), much of the credit for the wholly underrated and largely forgotten The Night Of The Juggler is certainly due Robert Butler.
An impressive filmmaker with a staggering work ethic, Robert Butler put his success down to something very simple. “I adore the decent handling of people and I do that,” Butler told The Television Academy. “Mostly they respond, sometimes they don’t. But I give them a good shake, and I’m rewarded in that. One actor said to me, ‘One of the greatest gifts is the way you handle people.’ And I like that and find that kind of comforting.”
For much, much more on Robert Butler, click right here for an epic video interview courtesy of The Television Academy.
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