Lewis Allen; Theater, Film and TV Director

Lewis Allen, 94, director of legitimate theater in London and New York as well as major Hollywood motion pictures and television series. Born in England on Christmas Day, 1905, Allen served in the British Merchant Service and then went into acting and stage management. In the 1930s, Allen staged plays including “Victoria Regina” and “The Country Wife” for Gilbert Miller Productions in London and on Broadway. Allen moved to Los Angeles in 1941 under contract to Paramount Pictures. There he directed important 1940s and 1950s films, including “The Uninvited,” a classic ghost story with Ray Milland; “Suddenly,” starring Frank Sinatra; “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay,” with Diana Lynn; “The Perfect Marriage,” with David Niven and Loretta Young; “Another Time, Another Place,” with Lana Turner and Sean Connery; “Desert Fury,” with Burt Lancaster; “Appointment with Danger” and “Chicago Deadline,” both starring Alan Ladd; and “Illegal” and “A Bullet for Joey,” both with Edward G. Robinson. As television developed, Allen directed shows for several major series, beginning with early 1950s dramas such as “Four Star Playhouse” and continuing through the 1970s. He directed segments for such hit shows as “Bonanza,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Mission Impossible,” “The Fugitive,” “The Rifleman,” “Perry Mason,” “Route 66,” “To Catch a Thief,” “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Cannon.” On Wednesday in Santa Monica.