American Cinematographer (1989) - Letters: Robert Stevens
Details
- letter: Letters: Robert Stevens
- author(s): Paul Mandell
- journal: American Cinematographer (01/Dec/1989)
- issue: volume 70, issue 12, page 10
- journal ISSN: 0002-7928
- publisher: American Society of Cinematographers
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV), Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Glass Eye, Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Premonition,Alfred Hitchcock, John Forsythe, John L. Russell, New York City, New York, Robert Stevens, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - The Magic Shop
Links
Letter
I regret to inform readers of the passing of Robert Stevens. director of Rod Serling's unforgettable Walking Distance (see American Cinematographer, June 1988), 45 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and scores of Playhouse 90s. He was 68.
A resident of Sutton Place in Manhattan, he was vacationing at his Westport, Connecticut summer home when he was brutally assaulted on August 7. Before going into cardiac arrest, he was able to name his assailant, who was later apprehended by police.
Stevens was one of the pioneers of New York television. With Martin Manulis, he produced and directed the Suspense! series for CBS from 1949-1952. His mirror shots and bizarre camera angles were much admired by Hitchcock. He worked closely with Lionel Lindon, ASC, and John Russell, ASC in creating arch lighting schemes and imaginative compositions for the Hitchcock shows. Premonition with John Forsythe, The Magic Shop with Leslie Neilsen, and The Glass Eye were among his most memorable television Hitchcocks. The latter won him an Emmy in 1957.
I knew Stevens to be eccentric and reclusive, an avid theater and movie-goer. We had planned to write a book together on early television. He was a television director with an extraordinary visual sense. As Hitchcock once told him, he could set up a shot better than anyone. He should be remembered that way.
—Paul Mandell, New York City
