Robert M. Leeds; Directed ‘Beverly Hillbillies’

Robert M. Leeds, 79, director of “The Beverly Hillbillies” TV series. A native of New York City, Leeds went into the entertainment industry when he was stationed in Hollywood with the Army during World War II, making top-secret military films. In the early 1950s, he worked as a film editor for Jack Webb’s Mark VII Productions on “Dragnet” and two of Webb’s motion pictures, “30” and “Pete Kelly’s Blues.” He later directed the Webb company’s police series “Adam 12” in the 1970s. In between, Leeds scored his greatest success when producer Paul Henning selected him as principal director for his “Beverly Hillbillies,” starring Buddy Ebsen. Leeds also directed such television series as “77 Sunset Strip,” “Project UFO” and “Sam,” movies for television such as the 1981 “Return of the Beverly Hillbillies” and commercials for Texaco and Ford Motor Co. On Sunday in Hemet, Calif.