Cy Chermak obit

Cy Chermak, ‘CHiPs’ and ‘Ironside’ Producer, Dies at 91

 

He was not on the list.

TV producer and writer Cy Chermak, who produced notable series including “CHiPs,” “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” and “Ironside,” died Friday of natural causes in Oahu, Hawaii. He was 91.

Chermak was born in 1929 in Bayonne, New Jersey as Seymour “Cy” Chermak. He began his career in Hollywood at the age of 17, going on to become a successful television producer on series like “Conway,” “The Virginian” and “The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.”

Chermak served as an executive producer on the drama series “Ironside” from 1967-1974, where he received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Drama Series. Some of his other producing credits include “Amy Prentiss,” “Kolchak: The Night Stalker,” “Barbary Coast” and “Murder at the World Series.” Most notably, he produced 125 episodes of the buddy crime action series “CHiPs,” which starred Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada as two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

In the early 1950s, Chermak was a head writer on “Rocky King, Detective,” contributing to 236 episodes from 1950-1954. Some of his other writing credits include “Rescue 8,” The Dakotas” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He also had a handful of small television roles in shows such as “The Goldbergs” and the anthology drama series “Studio One in Hollywood.” He also wrote the screenplay for the 1959 sci-fi film “4D Man.”

Later in life, Chermak went on to write a book titled “The Show Runner: An Insider’s Guide to Successful TV Production,” where he shared some of his real-life experiences and lessons learned. In addition to his three Emmy nominations, he garnered several Writers Guild nominations and other awards recognizing his contributions to the arts and society.

Chermak is survived by his daughters, Rabbi Malka Drucker, Pam Treiber and Bonnie Chermak; five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife, TV writer Francine Carroll, his parents Doris and Albert Chermak and his sister Edith Weber.

Producer

Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox in CHiPs (1977)

CHiPs

6.4

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1978–1983

125 episodes

 

The Circle Family (1982)

The Circle Family

TV Movie

producer

1982

 

Murder at the World Series (1977)

Murder at the World Series

6.0

TV Movie

producer

1977

 

Barbary Coast (1975)

Barbary Coast

6.8

TV Series

executive producer

1975–1976

13 episodes

 

Darren McGavin in Kolchak: Demon and the Mummy (1975)

Kolchak: Demon and the Mummy

7.9

TV Movie

producer

1975

 

Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974)

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

8.4

TV Series

producer

1974–1975

18 episodes

 

Jessica Walter in Amy Prentiss (1974)

Amy Prentiss

6.5

TV Series

producer

1974

2 episodes

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1967–1974

157 episodes

 

The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969)

The Bold Ones: The New Doctors

7.0

TV Series

producer

executive producer

1969–1972

19 episodes

 

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

The Virginian

7.6

TV Series

producer

1964–1967

18 episodes

 

Convoy (1965)

Convoy

7.7

TV Series

producer

1965

4 episodes

 

Writer

Linda Hamilton, Alfred Molina, Dana Delany, and Martin Donovan in Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples (1998)

Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples

6.1

TV Movie

story

teleplay (segment Marie Taquet)

1998

 

Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

8.7

TV Series

story by

1991

1 episode

 

Murder at the World Series (1977)

Murder at the World Series

6.0

TV Movie

written by

1977

 

Barbary Coast (1975)

Barbary Coast

6.8

TV Series

story (uncredited)

1975–1976

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

story

1973

1 episode

 

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

The Virginian

7.6

TV Series

story

teleplay

1964–1966

3 episodes

 

Bonanza (1959)

Bonanza

7.3

TV Series

written by

1963

1 episode

 

Jack Elam, Chad Everett, Michael Greene, and Larry Ward in The Dakotas (1962)

The Dakotas

8.0

TV Series

writer

teleplay

1963

4 episodes

 

Ty Hardin in Bronco (1958)

Bronco

7.2

TV Series

teleplay

1962

1 episode

 

Cheyenne (1955)

Cheyenne

8.0

TV Series

writer

1961

1 episode

 

Acapulco

7.8

TV Series

writer

1961

2 episodes

 

Lang Jeffries in Rescue 8 (1958)

Rescue 8

8.0

TV Series

written by

1959–1960

13 episodes

 

Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958)

Wanted: Dead or Alive

8.0

TV Series

writer

1959

1 episode

 

Robert Lansing and Lee Meriwether in 4D Man (1959)

4D Man

5.8

screenplay

1959

 

Beverly Garland in Decoy (1957)

Decoy

7.7

TV Series

script

script by

1957–1958

3 episodes

 

Kraft Theatre (1947)

Kraft Theatre

8.0

TV Series

Writer

1957

1 episode

 

The Ford Television Theatre (1952)

The Ford Television Theatre

7.5

TV Series

story

1957

1 episode

 

Front Row Center (1955)

Front Row Center

7.5

TV Series

writer

1956

1 episode

 

Roscoe Karns in Rocky King, Detective (1950)

Rocky King, Detective

7.7

TV Series

writer

1950–1954

50 episodes

 

Additional Crew

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

The Virginian

7.6

TV Series

story editor

1963–1965

49 episodes

 

Lang Jeffries in Rescue 8 (1958)

Rescue 8

8.0

TV Series

story editor

1958–1959

3 episodes