Gerald Mayer

By EILEEN KOWALSKI

Mayer

Director Gerald Mayer, son of MGM studio manager Jerry G. Mayer and nephew of MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer, died of complications from pneumonia Sept. 21 at St. Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 82.

Born in Montreal, he moved with his family to Los Angeles, where he grew up in the film industry. After graduating from Stanford U. in 1941 and serving as a Navy lieutenant in World War II, Mayer joined MGM as a director of screen tests and shorts. He went on to helm such feature films as "Dial 1119," "Inside Straight," "The Sellout," "Holiday for Sinners," "Bright Road," "The Maurauders," and "Diamond Safari."

Transitioning to television in the late 1950s, Mayer's credits as director, and sometimes producer, included "Thriller," "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza" "Ben Casey," "Perry Mason," "The Fugitive," "Mission: Impossible" and "The Invaders."

A member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he also worked in Canada, producing and directing such series as "Swiss Family Robinson," "New Director's Anthology" and "Police Surgeon."

Mayer is survived by wife Irene, three children and two grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations be made to the American Lung Assn.