Larry Gelbart

Larry Gelbart
Born Larry Simon Gelbart
(1928-02-25)February 25, 1928
Chicago, Illinois
Died September 11, 2009(2009-09-11) (aged 81)
Beverly Hills, California
Resting place Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California
Other names Francis Burns, Elsig
Occupation Author, playwright
Years active 1944–2009
Spouse(s) Patricia Marshall
(1956–2009; his death; 2 children)
Signature

Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009)[1] was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series M*A*S*H, and as co-writer of Broadway musicals City of Angels and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Biography

Early life

Gelbart was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Jewish immigrants Harry Gelbart, "a barber since his half of a childhood in Latvia,"[2] and Frieda Sturner, who migrated to America from Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland. Marcia Gelbart Walkenstein was his sister.

His family later moved to Los Angeles and he attended Fairfax High School. Drafted shortly after World War Two, Gelbart worked for the Armed Forces Radio Service in Los Angeles.[3]

Television

Gelbart began as a writer at the age of sixteen for Danny Thomas's radio show after his father, who was Thomas's barber, showed Thomas some jokes Gelbart had written. During the 1940s Gelbart also wrote for Jack Paar and Bob Hope. In the 1950s, his most important work in television involved writing for Red Buttons, for Sid Caesar on Caesar's Hour, and in Celeste Holm's Honestly, Celeste!, as well as with writers Mel Tolkin, Michael Stewart, Selma Diamond, Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen on two Caesar specials.[4]

In 1972, Gelbart was one of the main forces behind the creation of the television series M*A*S*H, writing the pilot (for which he received a "Developed for Television by __" credit); then producing, often writing and occasionally directing the series for its first four seasons, from 1972 to 1976. M*A*S*H earned Gelbart a Peabody Award and an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series and went on to considerable commercial and critical success.

Films

Gelbart's best known screen work is perhaps the screenplay for 1982's Tootsie, which he co-wrote with Murray Schisgal. He was nominated for an Academy Award for that script, and also was Oscar-nominated for his original screenplay for 1977's Oh, God! starring John Denver and George Burns. On his relationship with actor Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, Gelbart is reported to have said, "Never get involved in a film where the Oscar-winning star is smaller than the statuette." He later retracted this statement, saying that it was just a joke.

He collaborated with Burt Shevelove on the screenplay for the 1966 British film The Wrong Box. Gelbart also co-wrote the golden-era film spoof Movie Movie (1978) starring George C. Scott in dual roles, the racy comedy Blame It on Rio (1984) starring Michael Caine and the 2000 remake of Bedazzled with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser.

His script for Rough Cut (1980), a caper film starring Burt Reynolds, Lesley-Anne Down and David Niven, was credited under the pseudonym Francis Burns.

Gelbart-scripted films for television included Barbarians at the Gate (1993), a true story about the battle for control of the RJR Nabisco corporation starring James Garner that was based on the best-selling book of that name; the original comedy Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) starring Ben Kingsley and Gabriel Byrne as rival media moguls; and And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) starring Antonio Banderas as the Mexican revolutionary leader.

Broadway

Gelbart co-wrote the long-running Broadway musical farce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Burt Shevelove and Stephen Sondheim in 1962. After the show received poor reviews and box-office returns during its previews in Washington, D.C., rewrites and restaging helped; it was a smash Broadway hit and ran for 964 performances. Its book won a Tony Award. A film version starring Zero Mostel and directed by Richard Lester, was released in 1966. Gelbart was critical of the movie, as most of his and Shevelove's libretto was largely rewritten.

Gelbart's other Broadway credits include the musical City of Angels, which won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical and an Edgar Award. He also wrote the Iran-contra satire Mastergate, as well as Sly Fox and a musical adaptation of the Preston Sturges movie Hail the Conquering Hero, whose grueling development inspired Gelbart to utter what evolved into the classic quip, "If Hitler is alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical."[5]

Memoirs

In 1997, Gelbart published his memoir, Laughing Matters: On Writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God! and a Few Other Funny Things.[2]

Blogger

Gelbart was a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post, and also was a regular participant on the alt.tv.mash Usenet newsgroup as "Elsig".

Honors

In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[6]

He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1974 for M*A*S*H.

In 2002, Gelbart was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.[7]

In 2008, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.[8]

Death

Gelbart was diagnosed with cancer in June and died at his Beverly Hills home on September 11, 2009. His wife of 53 years, Pat Gelbart, said that after being married for so long, "we finished each other's sentences." She declined to specify the type of cancer he had.[1][9] He was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.[10]

Writing credits

M*A*S*H episodes

The following is a list of M*A*S*H episodes (42 Total) written and/or directed by Gelbart.

Season one (9/17/72–3/25/73)

Season two (9/15/73–3/2/74)

Season three (9/10/74–3/18/75)

Season four (9/12/75–2/24/76)

References

  1. 1 2 McLellan, Dennis (2009-09-11). "'MASH' writer Larry Gelbart dies at 81". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  2. 1 2 Gelbart, Larry (1998). Laughing Matters: On Writing MASH, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a Few Other Funny Things. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-42945-X.
  3. ↑ "Larry Gelbart dies at 81; 'MASH' writer - Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. 1928-02-25. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  4. ↑ Malarcher, Jay (2003). The Classically American Comedy of Larry Gelbart. Lanham, Md.: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4772-8.
  5. ↑ See e.g. Barthel, Joan (February 25, 1968). "Life for Simon—-Not That Simple". The New York Times. p. D9., cited in Popik, Barry (September 11, 2009). "If Hitler's still alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical (Larry Gelbart)". The Big Apple. Retrieved March 8, 2016.. According to Martin Gottfried, when producer Robert Whitehead tried to divert Gelbart by musing about how the ongoing war crimes trial of Adolf Eichmann might turn out, Gelbart shot back, "They ought to send him out of town with a musical." Gottfried, Martin (2003). All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse (2nd ed.). New York: Da Capo. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-306-81284-2.
  6. ↑ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars : Listed by Date Dedicated" (PDF). Palmspringswalkofstars.com. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  7. ↑ "32nd Annual Theatre Hall of Fame Inductees Announced; Mamet, Channing, Grimes Among Names – Playbill.com". 209.183.229.132. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  8. ↑ "Television Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List". Emmys.com. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  9. ↑ "'M-A-S-H' writer Larry Gelbart dies at 81". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  10. ↑ Larry Gelbart at Find a Grave

Bibliography

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