Who was the director of the 1969 neo-noir film starring the actor who played Bret Maverick in the 1950s western comedy series "Maverick" ?
James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor, producer, and voice artist. He starred in several television series over more than five decades, including such popular roles as Bret Maverick in the 1950s western comedy series "Maverick" and Jim Rockford in "The Rockford Files", and played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including "The Great Escape" (1963) with Steve McQueen, Paddy Chayefsky's "The Americanization of Emily" (1964), "Grand Prix" (1966), Blake Edwards' "Victor/Victoria" (1982), "Murphy's Romance" (1985), for which he received an Academy Award nomination, "Space Cowboys" (2000) with Clint Eastwood, and "The Notebook" (2004).
The New Maverick The New Maverick is a 1978 made-for-TV movie based on the 1957 television series "Maverick", with James Garner as Bret Maverick, Charles Frank as newcomer cousin Ben Maverick (son of Beau Maverick), Jack Kelly as Bart Maverick, and Susan Sullivan as Poker Alice Ivers. Garner had been 29 years old at the beginning of the original series and was 50 while filming "The New Maverick". The TV-movie was a pilot for the series "Young Maverick", which featured Frank and only lasted a few episodes. Directed by Hy Averback and written by Juanita Bartlett, the movie was filmed while Garner's series "The Rockford Files" was on hiatus. Garner would later star in "Bret Maverick", another attempt at a television series revival inspired by this TV-movie, for the 1981-82 season.