February 3, 1998
Directors Guild of America President Jack Shea and Awards Committee Chairperson Howard Storm today announced the DGA’s nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for 1997 in the television categories of Dramatic Special, Dramatic Series Night, Comedy Series and Musical Variety. The winners will be announced at the 50th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, March 7, 1998 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and Windows on the World in New York.
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials for 1997 are (in alphabetical order):
JOHN FRANKENHEIMER
George Wallace - TNT
Unit Production Manager: Ephraim "Red" Schaffer
First Assistant Director: James Sbardellati
Second Assistant Director: Peter Merwin
This is Frankenheimer's third DGA Award nomination in a television category. He was previously nominated for Against the Wall (1994) and Andersonville (1996). He is also a three-time DGA nominee in the feature film category, for The Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Manchurian Candidate (also 1962) and Grand Prix (1966).
WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
12 Angry Men - Showtime
Unit Production Manager: Terence A. Donnelly
First Assistant Director: Newt Arnold
Second Assistant Director: Robin Oliver
This is Friedkin’s first DGA Award nomination in a television category. He won the DGA feature film award in 1971 for The French Connection and was nominated again in that category in 1973 for The Exorcist.
CHARLES HAID
Buffalo Soldiers - TNT
Unit Production Manager: Gordon Wolf
First Assistant Director: Robert Yannetti
Second Assistant Directors: Michael A. McCue, Philippe Dupont
This is Haid's fourth DGA Award nomination in a television category. He was a nominee in 1993 for the NYPD Blue episode "True Confessions," won the DGA Award in the Dramatic Series Night category in 1994 for ER's "Into That Good Night," and was nominated again in 1995 for the pilot of Murder One.
JOHN HERZFELD
Don King: Only in America - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Charles Skouras
First Assistant Director: James Freitag
Second Assistant Directors: Martin Jedlicka
This is Herzfeld's first DGA Award nomination.
JOSEPH SARGENT
Miss Evers' Boys - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Derek Kavanagh
First Assistant Director: James Griffin
Second Assistant Director: Jonathan Watson
This is Sargent's fourth DGA Award nomination. He won the Dramatic Specials Award in 1973 for The Marcus Nelson Murders, and was nominated in 1992 for Miss Rose White and again in 1994 for World War II: When Lions Roared.
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Night for 1997 are (in alphabetical order):
CHRIS CARTER
"The Post-Modern Prometheus" (The X-Files) - FOX
Unit Production Manager: Ron French
First Assistant Director: Tom Braidwood
Second Assistant Director: Mark D. Currie
This is Carter's second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in 1995 for The X-Files episode "The List."
CHRISTOPHER CHULACK
"Fathers and Sons" (ER) - NBC
Unit Production Manager: Michael Salamunovich
First Assistant Director: T.R. Babu Subramaniam
Second Assistant Director: Kelly Cantley
This is Chulack's third DGA Award nomination. He has won the Dramatic Series Night Award the past two years for directing the ER episodes "Hell and High Water" (1995) and "Fear of Flying" (1996).
JAMES FRAWLEY
"Pilot" (Ally McBeal) - FOX
Unit Production Manager: Gary M. Strangis
First Assistant Director: Victoria Rhodes
Second Assistant Director: Marge Piane
This is Frawley's first DGA Award nomination.
BARBARA KOPPLE
"The Documentary" (Homicide: Life on the Street) - NBC
Unit Production Manager: James Finnerty
First Assistant Director: Frank Ferro
Second Assistant Director: Ivan Fonseca
This is Kopple's third DGA Award nomination. She has twice won in the Documentary category, in 1991 (American Dream) and 1993 (Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson).
MARK TINKER
"Pilot" (Brooklyn South) - CBS
Unit Production Manager: Stephen Lim
First Assistant Director: Christopher Stoia
Second Assistant Director: Pamela Cederquist
This is Tinker's sixth DGA Award nomination. He has previously been nominated for the St. Elsewhere episodes "Sweet Dreams" (1984), "Afterlife" (1986), "Weigh In, Way Out" (1987), and "The Last One" (1988), as well as the NYPD Blue episode "A Death in the Family" (1996).
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for 1997 are (in alphabetical order):
ANDY ACKERMAN
"The Betrayal" (Seinfeld) - NBC
Unit Production Manager/First Assistant Director: Randy Carter
Second Assistant Director: Cherie Hankal
Technical Coordinator: John Witmer
This is Ackerman's fourth DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in 1994 for the Seinfeld episode "The Race," in 1995 for Seinfeld's "The Gum" and won the Comedy Series Award in 1996 for Seinfeld's "The Rye."
JAMES BURROWS
"Pilot" (Dharma and Greg) - ABC
Unit Production Manager/First Assistant Director: Leon Robinson
Second Assistant Director: Esther Bekhore-Sjodin
Technical Coordinator: John Yant
Burrows has now been a DGA Award nominee fourteen times, all in the Comedy Series category, and has taken home the trophy three times. His fourteen nominations places him second only to George Schaefer (fifteen) on the all-time list. Burrows' first nomination came in 1981 for the Taxi episode "Jim the Psychic." He was a ten-time nominee and two-time winner for Cheers, in 1982, 1983 (winner), 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990 (winner), 1991 and 1992. He also won in 1993 for directing the pilot of Frasier, and was nominated again in 1995 for the Friends episode "The One With the Birth."
PAMELA FRYMAN
"Halloween (Part I)" (Frasier) - NBC
Unit Production Manager: Bill Carroll
First Assistant Director: Katy Garretson
Second Assistant Director: Mark Stirdivant
Technical Coordinator: Jim Rose
This is Fryman's first DGA Award nomination.
GORDON HUNT
"The Birth (Season Finale)" (Mad About You) - NBC
Unit Production Manager/First Assistant Director: William Cosentino
Second Assistant Director: Laura Petticord
Technical Coordinator: Jim Rose
This is Hunt's second DGA Award nomination. He won the Comedy Series Award in 1995 for Mad About You's "The Alan Brady Show."
GIL JUNGER
"The Puppy Episode" (Ellen) - ABC
Unit Production Manager: Ken Ornstein
First Assistant Director: Lynn McCracken
Second Assistant Director: Joanne Keene
Technical Coordinator: John Yant
This is Junger's first DGA Award nomination.
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety for 1997 are (in alphabetical order):
ARTHUR FORREST
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Associate Directors: Yvonne De Mare, Susan Quinn
Stage Managers: Rose Riggins, Smith Sumroy
This is Forrest's first DGA Award nomination.
BRUCE GOWERS
Fleetwood Mac Reunion Special - MTV
Associate Director: Sandra Restrepo
Stage Manager: Ken Stein
This is Gowers' first DGA Award nomination.
LOUIS J. HORVITZ
The Kennedy Center Honors - CBS
Associate Director: James Tanker
Stage Manager: Garry W. Hood, Dency Nelson, Doug Smith, Arthur Lewis, Edward Ray
This is Horvitz's fourth DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in 1985 (Live Aid Concert), 1993 (The Kennedy Center Honors) and 1995 (Sinatra: 80 Years My Way).
DON SCARDINO
"Tracy Takes On Vegas" (Tracy Takes On...) - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Carey Dietrich
First Assistant Director: Janet Knutsen
Second Assistant Director: Andrew Flinn
This is Scardino's second DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in 1993 for Tracey Ullman Takes On New York.
THOMAS SCHLAMME
"1976" (Tracy Takes On...) - HBO
Unit Production Manager: Carey Dietrich
First Assistant Director: Jeff Rafner
Second Assistant Director: Robert Scott
This is Schlamme's second DGA Award nomination. He was nominated in 1996 for the Tracy Takes On... episode "Tracy Takes On...Romance."