Alvin Ganzer, who directed hundreds of movies and television shows, including "Hawaii Five-0" and "Hawaiian Eye," died Jan. 3 in Po'ipu, Kaua'i. He was 97.

Ganzer was born in Cold Springs, Minn., and moved to California at an early age. Desperate for work during the Great Depression, the young Ganzer took a job in the casting department at Paramount Pictures in 1932.

Murial Ganzer said her husband wouldn't have gotten that job if not for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to stimulate the economy by forcing the major movie studios to hire young people.

"I don't think he made $35 a month because nobody made any money those days," Murial Ganzer said. "His job was to go outside every morning with a board and hire extras for pictures that were being done by Cecil B. Demille and those people who had to hire hundreds of extras. They were hiring these extras for a buck or two a day."

It was with Paramount that Ganzer developed a love for movie production and met up-and-coming actors such as Anthony Quinn, who was hired as an extra by Ganzer. Ganzer worked his way up and served as first director on many popular films, including the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" shows.

In the 1950s, when many movie studios began to shut down, Ganzer made the move to the small screen as television began to gain in popularity. The transition went smoothly for Ganzer, who directed episodes of "Gunsmoke," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Route 66," and "The Twilight Zone." Later in his TV career, he directed several episodes of "Police Woman" and "Ironside."

Ganzer's career also brought him to Hawai'i, where he directed episodes of "Hawaiian Eye" and "Hawaii Five-0" when the crime series began in 1968. Murial Ganzer said her husband was asked to direct more episodes of "Hawaii Five-0," but had commitments on the Mainland.

Ganzer continued to work until the late 1970s before retiring. About six years ago, he and his wife moved to Kaua'i to live with their son.

Murial Ganzer said her husband led a "wonderful" life.

"He had a very interesting life. He had many people who loved him and adored him," she said. "He was a very talented, wonderful human being."

In addition to his wife, Ganzer is survived by son, Alvin; daughter, Carolynn Jacobs Finnegan; three grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Ganzer's life will be held later at Po'ipu Beach Park. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to: Kaua'i Hospice, 4457 Pahe'e St., Lihu'e, HI 96766.