Alan Handley

Alan Handley (March 11, 1912 – January 5, 1990) was an American actor, television producer, director, and novelist born in Indiana. His career spanned stage, television, and print, with notable contributions in each field.

Handley's stage work took place primarily during the 1930s and into the early 1940s, both on and off Broadway. His Broadway credits include the drama The Seventh Trumpet, The Fabulous Invalid, The Greatest Show on Earth, As You Like It, and the musical The Fireman's Flame, among other productions, with his Broadway appearances running from 1936 to 1941. His acting career ended with the onset of World War II, during which he served in the Army Engineers.

Following the war, Handley transitioned into television, joining NBC as a producer. His early television work was closely associated with The Dinah Shore Show, on which he served as producer from 1951 to 1957. Walter Ames, television critic for the Los Angeles Times, described him as "Dinah Shore's guardian angel." In 1954, Handley made his directorial debut as one of seven directors on Light's Diamond Jubilee, a television spectacular marking the 75th anniversary of the invention of the incandescent light bulb. He subsequently directed the telecasts of the 30th, 31st, and 32nd Academy Awards, covering the years 1958 through 1960. In 1966, he received an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music for his direction of The Julie Andrews Show, which aired in 1965.

Handley also worked as a novelist. In 1948, he published Kiss Your Elbow, a whodunnit set within the New York theatrical world. In 2009, Harlequin NA republished the novel, with its original text and cover art, as one of six titles selected to mark the publisher's sixtieth anniversary. Handley died of a heart attack at the age of 77 on January 5, 1990.