Bob Claver (May 22, 1928 - December 14, 2017) was the 'In-House' Director for Mork & Mindy's 4th Season directing 15 of the 22 Episodes that Season.
Biography[]
Bob was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA in 1928 to Louis and Sara (Sosna) Claver, Bob attended Senn High School and earned a Journalism degree from the University. of Illinois., Champaign. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, Bob moved to New York City in the 1950s for his first job in the entertainment industry - a career that ultimately spanned four decades as a writer, producer, and director. He married Catherine T.(Katy) Dowdalls, a script supervisor, and considered himself extremely lucky because he loved what he did for a living. He also loved to read, spend time with family and friends and listen to music while walking Chicago's Miracle Mile. Upon retirement, Bob returned to Chicago, then spent his final years in Redding, CA near his daughter Nancy. Bob died in Redding, in 2017, aged 89. [1]
Career[]
Bob began his career in television as a writer and producer then as a director. He worked on over 50 TV series including being co-creator with Bob Keeshan of Captain Kangaroo, which ran from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day and which he wrote on for many years. He got his first writing and production credits on The Monica Lewis Show in 1954, and worked as producer and director on shows like Ensign O'Toole (1962), The Farmer's Daughter (1964), The Second Hundred Years (1967) executive producing shows like Here Come The Brides, and perhaps most famously The Partridge Family. (1970-74) which was his last production credit, as after this he switched to Directing on a more full time basis.
During the 70s, Claver directed episodes of some of the most iconic sitcoms including The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Welcome Back Kotter, The Love Boat, moving into the 80s with The Facts Of Life, Gloria, Charlies In Charge, Small Wonder and Out of This World.
He also directed an episode of the short lived, but critically acclaimed, Texas Wheelers, created by Mork & Mindy co-creator, Dale McRaven.
Mork & Mindy[]
After the departure of Howard Storm, the experience of Bob Claver was called upon to take over as de facto In-House Director on the show.
"I should have paid them. That was the best time." was Bob Claver's summation of his time working on Mork & Mindy, and how much fun he had. His recollection was there being a lot of laughter on set. Of Robin Williams huge IQ and his doing things under the covers to Pam Dawber during bed scenes, with a lot of teasing between the two.[2]
Claver was responsible for directing some of the most pivotal episodes of the season including the first four dealing with the engagement, wedding, and honeymoon of Mork & Mindy, (Limited Engagement, The Wedding, The Honeymoon, then the birth of their child and introduction of Jonathan Winters to the cast Three the Hard Way. Winters he recalled could be finished by 2pm on his shoot, but you could leave the set at 5pm to head to your car and find Jonathan had not even reached the parking lot, as he would stop along the way because any 'three people' standing together constituted an audience for him.
Bob Claver Interview Part 3 of 4 - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG