December 2, 2004
‘Night Gallery’ producer Sackheim dead at 83
William Sackheim, one of the producers who gave Steven Spielberg his first professional work on Universal’s “Night Gallery” series, died yesterday at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 83.
Sackheim contended in recent years that Spielberg wasn’t forced upon him by mentor Sid Sheinberg to direct the “Eyes” segment of the “Night Gallery” pilot in 1969. Rather, Sackheim says the suggestion of hiring Spielberg was made and when he screened Spielberg’s short film “Amblin’,” Spielberg’s sizeable talents were already apparent. This of course says a lot about Sackheim’s eye for judging new talent (especially in someone as young as Spielberg at the time) and the fact that Spielberg’s talents paved the way to his outstanding career more than legends of Sheinberg pushing his protégé off on producers would have people think.
So talented after only one short "student" film?