Barry Oringer obit

Barry Oringer Obituary

 

He was not on the list.

Barry Oringer died January 10, 2021, peacefully at his home in Novato, CA, from complications of Lewy Body Disease. He was 85 years old. He is survived by his daughters Tobi and Annie and quasi son-in-law Alijah; his big sister Selma; his grandsons Brooklyn, Noah, and Logan; the rest of his extended family, nephews, niece, their children, and theirs, and countless cousins; and his beloved and loving wife, Janine. He was once the baby in the family.

He was born December 3, 1935 in New York and grew up on the lower East side, attending Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva, referred to by the boys there as the Penitentiary, and where he was known for his creative acts of rebellion. It was later determined he would be happier at a different school, and he transferred to and graduated from Yeshiva University High School where he won a New York State Scholarship. Before college, he spent four months hitchhiking through Israel, ending with a grueling 100K hike across the southern Negev to the austere army outpost that was then Eilat, the only American among over a hundred pre-army Israeli kids on a survival trek. It was a trip that forever formed him.

He studied dramatic writing and received his B.A. in English and Drama from Brooklyn College, where he won first prize in the Samuel French National Collegiate Playwriting Contest for his one act play, Son of the Revolution. Unsuited for the usual occupations for Jewish boys, Barry moved to Hollywood to become a writer. There he attended U.C.L.A.'s Theater Arts Department where he won the Samuel Goldwyn Award for a still unfinished novel. His breakthrough came via a screenplay about the first rehab community for recovering drug addicts, Synanon. Barry later moved into Synanon with his family. They left there in 1973, before Synanon imploded. Barry wrote for many series, his favorites being the old classics: Ben Casey, The Fugitive, I Spy, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, and The F.B.I. He was proud to have written one of the first gay-themed television shows that aired on network television with his episode "Impasse," written for Medical Center, that aired on October 1, 1973. Barry also wrote many television movies and produced several of his own and others.

Barry lived in Northern California after retiring, met Janine in Los Angeles in 1998, and married her in 2001 after she moved to the Bay Area in 2000 to share with him her life, much love, and many laughs.

Barry enjoyed and valued his friendships – those of his childhood, youth, school, and years in the Jewish Socialist Israel Kibbutz Movement; the friends of his maturity, including a group of men who call themselves the Liars Club with roots stretching back to the Synanon "game;" and finally to a friend in fellowship he never met but had known for over 31 years.

 

Writer

Night Trap (1992)

Night Trap

6.2

Video Game

writer: additional footage

1992

 

Intruders (1992)

Intruders

6.4

TV Series

story

teleplay

1992

2 episodes

 

Anne Baxter, James Brolin, and Connie Sellecca in Hotel (1983)

Hotel

6.3

TV Series

developed for television by

written by

1983–1988

115 episodes

 

The Return of Ben Casey

6.3

TV Movie

Writer

1988

 

Paul Sorvino, Loni Anderson, and Amanda Wyss in My Mother's Secret Life (1984)

My Mother's Secret Life

6.8

TV Movie

Writer

1984

 

Life, Liberty and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes (1980)

Life, Liberty and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes

5.5

TV Movie

Writer

1980

 

The Death of Ocean View Park (1979)

The Death of Ocean View Park

5.3

TV Movie

written by

1979

 

Superdome (1978)

Superdome

2.9

TV Movie

story by

teleplay by

1978

 

Westside Medical (1977)

Westside Medical

6.3

TV Series

creator

1977

13 episodes

 

The Swiss Family Robinson (1974)

The Swiss Family Robinson

6.9

TV Series

writer

1976

1 episode

 

Doctors' Hospital (1975)

Doctors' Hospital

7.2

TV Series

written by

teleplay

1975–1976

4 episodes

 

Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones (1973)

Barnaby Jones

6.9

TV Series

written by

story

1973–1975

3 episodes

 

James Daly in Medical Center (1969)

Medical Center

7.1

TV Series

written by

writer

1971–1975

17 episodes

 

The Manhunter (1974)

The Manhunter

7.0

TV Series

written by

1974

1 episode

 

Planet of the Apes (1974)

Planet of the Apes

7.0

TV Series

written by

1974

1 episode

 

The F.B.I. (1965)

The F.B.I.

7.4

TV Series

written by

1968–1973

2 episodes

 

Madame Sin (1972)

Madame Sin

5.7

screenplay

1972

 

Sam Groom in Police Surgeon (1971)

Police Surgeon

6.3

TV Series

Writer

1971

1 episode

 

The Deadly Dream (1971)

The Deadly Dream

6.9

TV Movie

written by

1971

 

The Name of the Game (1968)

The Name of the Game

7.6

TV Series

story by

written by

1970–1971

2 episodes

 

The Interns (1970)

The Interns

7.4

TV Series

writer

1970

1 episode

 

The Young Lawyers (1969)

The Young Lawyers

7.1

TV Series

written by

1970

1 episode

 

Along Came a Spider (1970)

Along Came a Spider

6.4

TV Movie

screenplay by

1970

 

Mike Connors in Mannix (1967)

Mannix

7.4

TV Series

written by

teleplay

1967–1969

4 episodes

 

Insight (1960)

Insight

7.5

TV Series

written by

1969

1 episode

 

Lancer (1968)

Lancer

7.1

TV Series

writer

1969

1 episode

 

Carl Betz and Stephen Young in Judd for the Defense (1967)

Judd for the Defense

7.7

TV Series

written by

1968

1 episode

 

Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy (1965)

I Spy

7.2

TV Series

written by

1966–1968

5 episodes

 

The Invaders (1967)

The Invaders

8.0

TV Series

written by

1967–1968

2 episodes

 

David Janssen in The Fugitive (1963)

The Fugitive

8.1

TV Series

written by

teleplay by

1966–1967

5 episodes

 

The Felony Squad (1966)

The Felony Squad

7.5

TV Series

written by

1967

1 episode

 

Ben Casey (1961)

Ben Casey

7.1

TV Series

written by

adaptation

teleplay

1963–1966

14 episodes

 

James Drury, Doug McClure, and John McIntire in The Virginian (1962)

The Virginian

7.6

TV Series

teleplay

writer

1965–1966

2 episodes

 

Stella Stevens, Richard Conte, Chuck Connors, Alex Cord, Eartha Kitt, and Edmond O'Brien in Synanon (1965)

Synanon

5.8

story

1965

 

G.E. True (1962)

G.E. True

8.0

TV Series

teleplay

1963

1 episode

 

Damon and Pythias (1962)

Damon and Pythias

5.0

screenplay (english version)

1962

 

Producer

Going to the Chapel (1988)

Going to the Chapel

5.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1988

 

Power's Play

7.3

TV Movie

executive producer

1986

 

Paul Sorvino, Loni Anderson, and Amanda Wyss in My Mother's Secret Life (1984)

My Mother's Secret Life

6.8

TV Movie

executive producer

1984

 

Rage of Angels (1983)

Rage of Angels

6.0

TV Movie

producer

1983

 

The Intruder Within (1981)

The Intruder Within

4.7

TV Movie

executive producer

1981

 

The Hustler of Muscle Beach (1980)

The Hustler of Muscle Beach

5.6

TV Movie

executive producer

1980

 

The Death of Ocean View Park (1979)

The Death of Ocean View Park

5.3

TV Movie

producer

1979

 

The Girls in the Office (1979)

The Girls in the Office

6.0

TV Movie

producer

1979

 

Serpico (1976)

Serpico

6.8

TV Series

producer

1976–1977

8 episodes

 

Additional Crew

Doctors' Hospital (1975)

Doctors' Hospital

7.2

TV Series

story editor

executive story editor

1975–1976

11 episodes