TV Director G. Von Fritsch

Gunther Von Fritsch, a pioneer director whose credits ranged from the old “The March of Time” newsreels to such TV dramas as “The Lawman” and “77 Sunset Strip,” has died of a stroke. He was 82.

Von Fritsch died Saturday night at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

Born in Yugoslavia, Von Fritsch came to the United States in 1930 after graduating from the Government Film School in Paris.

He started his American film career as an editor at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Von Fritsch entered the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1943 where he remained until the end of World War II. After the war, he was involved in the making of Army training films for the U.S. State Department in West Berlin.

Von Fritsch directed several television series in the 1950s and ‘60s, including “Flash Gordon,” “Cheyenne” and “Surfside 6.” He also directed a Disney feature film called “Snowbear.”