| Gene Levitt | |
| Birth Name: | Eugene Levitt |
| Birth Date: | 28 May 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York, United States[1] |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, United States[2] |
| Occupation: | Writer, producer, director |
Eugene Levitt (May 28, 1920 – November 15, 1999) was an American television writer, producer and director.[3]
Levitt was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Charles and Teresa Levitt. He had an older sister, Betty Ruth. His mother died when Gene was about 12 years old. Levitt attended the University of Wyoming. Following graduation he moved to Chicago where he worked as a newspaper reporter until enlisting in the United States Marine Corps.
In the 1940s, Levitt wrote for radio programs, including The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.[4]
Levitt was a writer for many television series in the 1950s and 1960s, including Highway Patrol, Maverick ("Trail West to Fury"), Adventures in Paradise and Combat!. He moved to directing in the 1970s, working on series such as Alias Smith and Jones and McCloud. His most significant achievement was the creation of the television series Fantasy Island, starring Ricardo Montalbán and Herve Villechaize. The show ran for over six years.[5]
In addition to Fantasy Island, Levitt assisted in the writing, production, and directing of Hawaii-Five-O, and Alias Smith and Jones.
He died of prostate cancer in Los Angeles, California.[6]
| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Foreign Intrigue | Story By | |
| Beyond Mombasa | Written By | Co-Wrote screenplay with "Richard English" | |
| 1957 | The Night Runner | Screenplay By | |
| 1958 | Underwater Warrior | Screenplay By | |
| 1964 | The Yellowbird | Screenplay By, Produced By | |
| 1968 | Daring Game | Produced By | |
| 1969 | Any Second Now | Directed By, Produced By, Written By | |
| Run a Crooked Mile | Director | ||
| Anatomy of a Crime | Produced By | ||
| 1970 | The Forty-Eight Hour Mile | Directed By | |
| 1974 | The Phantom of Hollywood | Directed By, Produced By | |
| 1978 | Magee and The Lady | Directed By | |
| Barnaby and Me | Produced By | ||
| Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-52 | Front Page Detective | Writer | 6 Episodes |
| 1953-54 | I Led 3 Lives | Writer | 7 Episodes |
| Your Favorite Story | Writer | 6 Episodes | |
| 1953-56 | The Loretta Young Show | Writer | 13 Episodes |
| 1954 | Mr. District Attorney | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1954-55 | Foreign Intrigue | Writer | 9 Episodes |
| 1955 | Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion | Writer | 5 Episodes |
| Highway Patrol | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
| Science Fiction Theatre | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1955-56 | The Ford Television Theater | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| 1956 | Celebrity Playhouse | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Climax! | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
| The Man Called X | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| TV Reader's Digest | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1957 | The Californians | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| 1957-58 | Men of Annapolis | Writer | 5 Episodes |
| Tombstone Territory | Writer | 3 Episodes | |
| 1957-59 | Maverick | Writer | 5 Episodes |
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Writer | 3 Episodes | |
| 1958 | Colt .45 | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Sea Hunt | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
| 1958-60 | Bat Masterson | Writer | 8 Episodes |
| 77 Sunset Strip | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
| 1959 | The Man and The Challenge | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| The David Niven Show | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| This Man Dawson | Writer | ||
| 1959-62 | Adventures In Paradise | Writer, Producer | Multiple Episodes |
| 1960 | The Four Just Men | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1962-66 | Combat! | Writer, Producer | 88 Episodes |
| 1968-69 | The Outsider | Writer, Director | Multiple Episodes |
| 1970 | The Name Of The Game | Director | 2 Episodes |
| Director | 1 Episode | ||
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | Director | 2 Episodes |
| Night Gallery | Director | 1 Episode | |
| 1972 | Cool Million | Writer, Director, Producer | 2 Episodes |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones | Producer | 12 Episodes |
| 1974 | McCloud | Director | 1 Episode |
| 1975 | Get Christie Love! | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Director | 1 Episode | ||
| S.W.A.T. | Director, Producer | Multiple Episodes | |
| 1977-84 | Fantasy Island | Writer, Creator | Multiple Episodes |
| 1978-79 | Project U.F.O. | Supervising Producer | 8 Episodes |
| 1979-80 | Hawaii Five-O | Producer, Supervising Producer | 16 Episodes |
| 1981 | The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo | Director | 1 Episode |
| 1983 | Trauma Center | Director | 1 Episode |