Leslie H. Martinson

Martinson was born to Gertrude and Lewis Martinson in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 16, 1915. He had a brother named Bertram. He was a newspaper journalist before accepting a long-term job as an MGM script clerk in 1936. He began directing TV western series in the early 1950s. His first feature film assignment was Republic Pictures' 1954 film The Atomic Kid, a Mickey Rooney matinée vehicle.^[1] Beginning with episodes of the series Conflict, Martinson became a prolific director for Warner Brothers Television.

In 1954-1955, he directed the first of Mickey Rooney's three failed situation comedy television series entitled The Mickey Rooney Show: Hey, Mulligan.^[2] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Martinson continued directing feature films and episodic television including Maverick, PT 109, Temple Houston, Batman, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Diff'rent Strokes, and the made-for-TV movie, Rescue from Gilligan's Island. During the 1980s, Martinson directed episodes of Harper Valley PTA, CHiPs, and Airwolf.

Martinson was President Emeritus of the West Coast Jewish Theatre.^[3]

He was married to television host and writer Connie Martinson.^[4] They resided in Beverly Hills, California.^[4] He turned 100 on January 16, 2015^[4] and died on September 3, 2016, at the age of 101.^[5][6] Prior to his marriage to Connie, Leslie was married to Louise Fish.