FEEL IT.STREAM
Alan Rafkin

Alan Rafkin

Directing

Biography

Alan Rafkin (July 23, 1928 – August 6, 2001) was an American director, producer, and actor for television. Rafkin was born in New York City to Til and Victor Rafkin. He attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey and Syracuse University in New York. Alan Rafkin was one of the most prolific sitcom directors of all time, helming such series as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, What's Happening!!, M*A*S*H, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Murphy Brown, Get Smart, Coach, The Tim Conway Show, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, and Viva Valdez. According to his autobiography Cue the Bunny on the Rainbow (its title is taken from a direction on Captain Kangaroo), Rafkin directed episodes of over 80 different sitcom series. He won an Emmy for an episode of "One Day At A Time" and two CableACE Awards for his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show".[2] During his career he worked with legendary producers such as Sheldon Leonard, Danny Thomas, and Norman Lear. Rafkin had endearing relationships with many of his actors including Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart and Redd Foxx. (He was also close with Don Knotts, directing him on the Griffith show and in three feature films.) At the same time, he had volatile relationships with several others, including Demond Wilson and Craig T. Nelson.

Known For

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
7.1

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy Griffith Show on May 18, 1964. The show ran for five seasons and a total of 150 episodes. In 2006, CBS Home Entertainment began releasing the series on DVD. The final season was released in November 2008. The series was created by Aaron Ruben, who also produced the show with Sheldon Leonard and Ronald Jacobs. Filmed and set in California, it stars Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, a naive but good-natured gas-station attendant from the town of Mayberry, North Carolina, who enlists in the United States Marine Corps. Frank Sutton plays Gomer's high-octane, short-fused Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter, and Ronnie Schell plays Gomer's friend Gilbert "Duke" Slater. Allan Melvin played in the recurring role of Gunnery Sergeant Carter's rival, Sergeant Charley Hacker. The series never discussed nor addressed the then-current Vietnam War, instead focusing on the relationship between Gomer and Sergeant Carter. The show retained high ratings throughout its run.

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

1964Series