He then became a second assistant director for Columbia Pictures Productions in 1949, moving up to first assistant director in 1952. While at Columbia, he worked on wide range of features such as The Palomino; Death of a Salesman; The Wild One; Cannibal Attack; Hellcats of the Navy; and many more. At Columbia he also worked on television series like The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin; Playhouse 90, and The Three Stooges. In the late 50s, Abby moved to Revue Studios where he worked on General Electric Theater, Tales of Wells Fargo, and Laramie, then he moved to Universal to work on popular series such as Wagon Train; Gunsmoke, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. As a Production Manager, he worked on The Doris Day Show and movies for television like Something For Joey and First, You Cry. During this period he also worked on features including Out of Sight; Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and Family Plan. A long career at MTM Enterprises followed as an Executive in Charge of Production on shows like Lou Grant; Remington Steele; Hill Street Blues; and St. Elsewhere. Abby also worked as a UPM on long-running shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. In the 1990s, he joined the faculty at the American Film Institute.
Abby has been a member of the DGA since 1949. He has served on the Western AD/UPM/TC Council for over 25 years, and on numerous committees including the Administrative Committee of the Pension Plan, as well as the DGA Foundation. Abby received the DGA’s Frank Capra Achievement Award in 1985 in recognition of his career achievement and his service to the Guild. In 2004, he received the Certificate of Service from the Western AD/UPM TC Council.