Bob Sweeney; Television Actor; Produced, Directed Several Series

Bob Sweeney, television actor in such series as “Fibber McGee and Molly” and producer and director of other series, including “Hawaii Five-0,” has died. He was 74.

Sweeney, of Westlake Village, died Sunday of cancer, his colleague and longtime friend Elliott Reed said Thursday.

Sweeney won Emmy nominations for directing some of the segments on “Hawaii Five-O” and “The Love Boat.”

The San Francisco native set out to be a radio announcer, majoring in speech at San Francisco State College.

He drove a cab until he finally passed an audition at the small radio station KYA in 1942.

Rising to chief announcer, Sweeney teamed with another KYA announcer, Hal March, to form the comedy team “March and Sweeney.” The duo worked on Hoagy Carmichael’s NBC radio show for 26 weeks and won their own national radio show on CBS. They reluctantly split in 1951 because of a dearth of bookings.

Sweeney made his television debut as a gardener on the “Burns and Allen Show.” He acted regularly on the CBS series “My Favorite Husband” and “Our Miss Brooks.”

He wrote a television comedy series called “The Brothers” co-starring himself and Gale Gordon.

Sweeney’s film debut was in Irene Dunne’s “It Grows on Trees.” In 1959 he played the role of concessionaire Harry Tupper in the Disney film “Toby Tyler” and also portrayed Fibber McGee in the futile attempt to move the popular radio show into television.

Later he switched to directing and producing such series as “The Andy Griffith Show.”

He co-produced “Hawaii Five-0” with Bill Finnegan until 1975. Alone, Sweeney directed episodes of “Fantasy Island,” “The Love Boat, “Trapper John, M. D.,” and “Simon & Simon.”

Among his survivors are his wife, Beverly, and their daughter, Bridget.