Andy Sidaris, 76, an Emmy Award-winning director for ABC Sports who moved on to make B-movies in a genre he called "Bullets, Bombs and Babes," died Wednesday of throat cancer, his wife, Arlene, told the Associated Press.
Known for his ebullient personality and creative approach to televised sports, Sidaris directed the first broadcast of ABC's "Wide World of Sports" in 1961.
He won several Emmy Awards while working for ABC Sports, and he directed the network's Olympics coverage starting with the 1964 Winter Games in Grenoble, France, and continuing through the 1988 Summer Games in Calgary, Canada.
He helped develop techniques that are standard today, including instant replay, slow-motion replay and split-screen views.
He also directed college football games for ABC's Game of the Week and was responsible for introducing "honey shots," close-ups of cheerleaders and pretty girls in the stands at sporting events.
