RIP Sam Manners

Producer Sam Manners dies at 91

Was Emmy nominated for pair of telepics

By Variety Staff

Sam Manners, an Emmy-nominated producer and production manager for television and film, died June 1. He was 91.

He began his long career as a production supervisor on "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin"; associate producer, production executive and second unit director on "Naked City"; and associate producer, executive in charge of production and second unit director on "Route 66." A little later he was a unit production manager on "The Wild Wild West."

Manners' feature credits as production manager included "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula," "Heaven With a Gun," "Valdez Is Coming," "Cleopatra Jones" and "The Last Hard Men." He produced the 1979 feature "Jamaican Gold" and the 1980s film comedies "Mischief" and "Bad Medicine."

By the late 1970s, Manners began to produce a steady stream of made-for-television movies. These included "Dummy" and "Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones," both Emmy nominated for outstanding special. Others included the miniseries "Pearl" as well as "The Pride of Jesse Hallam," "Divorce Wars: A Love Story," an adaptation of "Casanova," "Bloodlines: Murder in the Family," "Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg" and "Beyond Betrayal." In addition, in the 1990s he produced three telepics based on "The Waltons": "A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion," "A Walton Wedding" and "Walton Easter"

Manners even found time for small roles in "Guyana Tragedy" and "The Pride of Jesse Hallam."

Manners was born Savino Maneri in Cleveland, Ohio. His son Kim Manners, a producer and director for television, died in 2009.

Survivors include Manners' wife, Joyce; a son, TV producer Kelly A. Manners; a daughter, TV assistant director Tana M. Manners; and two granddaughters.

Services will be held on Saturday, June 16, at 3 p.m. at the Church of the Hills Chapel at Hollywood Forrest Lawn.

MANNERS, Sam (Savino Maneri)

Born: 3/29/1921, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

Died: 6/1/2012, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Sam Manners’ westerns – producer, production manager:

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (TV) – 1957, 1958 (production supervisor)

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter – 1966 (producer)

Billy the Kid vs Dracula – 1966 (production manager)

The Wild Wild West (TV) – 1968, 1969 (production manager, assistant director)

Heaven With a Gun – 1969 (production manager)

Valdez is Coming! – 1971 (assistant producer, production manager)

Bearcats! – 1971 (production manager)

The Deadly Trackers – 1973 (production executive)

Barbary Coast (TV) – 1975 (production manager)

The Last Hard Men – 1976 (production manager)