Frank Peppiatt obit

‘Hee Haw’ co-creator Frank Peppiatt dies

Wrote and produced variety shows for Garland, Como, Sonny & Cher 

He was not on the list.

Frank Peppiatt, co-creator, writer and producer of “Hee Haw,” one of the longest-running and most profitable television variety programs, died Nov. 7 of bladder cancer in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He was 85.

Peppiatt created and/or wrote and produced variety shows for Andy Williams, Cher, Perry Como, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Steve Allen, Judy Garland, Jonathan Winters, Barbara Mandrell, Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews, Jackie Gleason and Grace Kelly, among others, amounting to nearly 2,500 hours of primetime shows.

Frank Grant Peppiatt was born in Toronto and began his entertainment industry career in the 1950s in that city, where he and John Aylesworth co-created and starred in the first Canadian variety show, “After Hours,” on CBC. Peppiatt and Aylesworth also appeared on the show as well on their CBC creation “On Stage”; much later, Peppiatt had a recurring role as Admiral Frank Borkman on the ABC sitcom “Operation Petticoat.”

Peppiatt’s memoir “When Variety Was King: Memoir of a TV Pioneer: Featuring Jackie Gleason, sonny and Cher, ‘Hee Haw’ and More” will be published in April.

He is survived by his wife, Caroline Peppiatt, two daughters from a previous marriage, Francesca-Robyn and Marney Peppiatt, and four grandchildren.

In addition to Hee Haw, Peppiatt and Aylesworth teamed up to write or produce Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, The Judy Garland Show, Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music, The ABC Comedy Hour, The Julie Andrews Hour, and Hullabaloo.

Writer

Barbara Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell, and Louise Mandrell in Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters (1980)

Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters

6.9

TV Series

writer

1981–1982

6 episodes

 

The Steve Allen Comedy Hour

6.0

TV Series

Writer

1980

2 episodes

 

Hee Haw (1969)

Hee Haw

7.0

TV Series

writing supervisor

writer

supervising writer ...

1969–1980

89 episodes

 

Kathie Lee Gifford, Kenny Price, Lulu Roman, Misty Rowe, and Gailard Sartain in Hee Haw Honeys (1978)

Hee Haw Honeys

5.4

TV Series

creator

1978–1979

24 episodes

 

Dorothy Hamill Presents Winners

1.4

TV Special

Writer

1978

 

Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell Jansson in Shields and Yarnell (1977)

Shields and Yarnell

6.4

TV Series

Writer (1977)

1977

 

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971)

The Sonny and Cher Show

6.9

TV Series

additional material

writer

1976–1977

33 episodes

 

Gailard Sartain in Keep on Truckin' (1975)

Keep on Truckin'

5.8

TV Series

writer

1975

4 episodes

 

Perry Como in The Perry Como Christmas Show (1974)

The Perry Como Christmas Show

8.2

TV Special

written by

1974

 

Everything Goes

TV Series

Writer

1974

 

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine (1974)

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine

7.3

TV Series

Writer

1974

1 episode

 

Julie Andrews and Jackie Gleason in Julie and Jackie: How Sweet It Is (1974)

Julie and Jackie: How Sweet It Is

8.6

TV Special

Writer

1974

 

The Perry Como Sunshine Show

TV Special

Writer

1974

 

"The Julie Andrews Hour" Julie Andrews

The Julie Andrews Hour

8.9

TV Series

head writer

1972

2 episodes

 

The Jud Strunk Show

TV Movie

Writer

1972

 

Robert Young, Charlie Callas, Frank Gorshin, George Kirby, Steve Lawrence, Rich Little, and Marilyn Michaels in The ABC Comedy Hour (1972)

The ABC Comedy Hour

7.8

TV Series

Writer

1972

1 episode

 

The Brass Are Comin'

TV Special

Writer

1969

 

Wake Me When the War Is Over (1969)

Wake Me When the War Is Over

5.3

TV Movie

written by

1969

 

The Jonathan Winters Show (1967)

The Jonathan Winters Show

8.1

TV Series

Writer

1968

1 episode

 

Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose

7.5

TV Special

writer

1968

 

The Kraft Music Hall (1967)

The Kraft Music Hall

6.3

TV Series

written by

1967–1968

7 episodes

 

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

TV Special

Writer

1967

 

Man in the Square Suit

8.0

TV Movie

Writer

1966

 

Hullabaloo (1965)

Hullabaloo

7.4

TV Series

written by

writer

1965–1966

48 episodes

 

Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music (1965)

Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music

8.3

TV Special

Writer

1965

 

The Jonathan Winters Specials

TV Series

Writer

1964–1965

4 episodes

 

Your All-Time Favorite Songs

TV Special

Writer

1964

 

Jim Henson, Jimmy Dean, and Rowlf in The Jimmy Dean Show (1963)

The Jimmy Dean Show

7.9

TV Series

Writer

1963–1964

20 episodes

 

The Judy Garland Show (1963)

The Judy Garland Show

8.9

TV Series

writer

1963–1964

17 episodes

 

Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall (1948)

Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall

7.5

TV Series

writer

written by

1960–1963

39 episodes

 

Flashback

6.8

TV Series

creator (1962)

1962

 

The Judy Garland Show (1962)

The Judy Garland Show

8.7

TV Special

special material

1962

 

Coke Time

TV Movie

Writer

1960

 

The Secret World of Eddie Hodges (1960)

The Secret World of Eddie Hodges

8.0

TV Movie

Writer

1960

 

The Bing Crosby Show (1959)

The Bing Crosby Show

TV Series

Writer

1960

1 episode

 

The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams

TV Series

writer

1959

3 episodes

 

The Andy Williams Show (1959)

The Andy Williams Show

7.7

TV Series

Writer (1959)

1959

 

"Steve Allen Show, The" Fred Astaire & Steve Allen c. 1960/NBC

The Steve Allen Plymouth Show

8.6

TV Series

writer

1957–1959

75 episodes

 

The Bing Crosby Special

TV Special

Writer

1959

 

The Steve Lawrence-Eydie Gorme Show

TV Series

Writer

1958

1 episode

 

The Barris Beat

TV Series

Writer (1956)

1956

 

The Jackie Rae Show

TV Series

Writer

1955

 

On Stage

TV Series

Writer

1954

 

After Hours

TV Series

writer

1953

 

The Big Revue

TV Series

Writer

1952

 

Producer

Don Adams in Check It Out (1985)

Check It Out

6.0

TV Series

supervising producer

1987

1 episode

 

Hee Haw (1969)

Hee Haw

7.0

TV Series

executive producer

1969–1985

179 episodes

 

Barbara Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell, and Louise Mandrell in Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters (1980)

Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters

6.9

TV Series

producer

1981–1982

6 episodes

 

Everything Goes

8.8

TV Series

executive producer (1981)

1981

 

The Steve Allen Comedy Hour

6.0

TV Series

executive producer

producer

1980–1981

4 episodes

 

Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell Jansson in Shields and Yarnell (1977)

Shields and Yarnell

6.4

TV Series

producer

1977

 

The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1971)

The Sonny and Cher Show

6.9

TV Series

producer

1976–1977

33 episodes

 

Gailard Sartain in Keep on Truckin' (1975)

Keep on Truckin'

5.8

TV Series

producer

1975

4 episodes

 

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine (1974)

The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine

7.3

TV Series

executive producer

1974

1 episode

 

The Bobbie Gentry Show

6.9

TV Series

producer (1974)

1974

 

The Addams Family Fun House (1973)

The Addams Family Fun House

6.5

TV Special

producer

1973

 

The Jud Strunk Show

TV Movie

producer

1972

 

Happy Days

7.5

TV Series

executive producer

1970

1 episode

 

Don Knotts' Nice Clean, Decent, Wholesome Hour

TV Special

producer

1970

 

The Brass Are Comin'

TV Special

producer

1969

 

The Jonathan Winters Show (1967)

The Jonathan Winters Show

8.1

TV Series

producer

executive producer

1967–1969

16 episodes

 

Continental Showcase

TV Series

producer

1966

2 episodes

 

Actor

Jamie Lee Curtis, John Astin, Bond Gideon, Richard Gilliland, Melinda Naud, and Dorrie Thomson in Operation Petticoat (1977)

Operation Petticoat

6.6

TV Series

Admiral Frank Borkman

1978–1979

5 episodes

 

Anne Fielding in Folio (1955)

Folio

7.7

TV Series

1958

1 episode

 

William Shatner in Encounter (1952)

Encounter

7.5

TV Series

1957

1 episode

 

On Stage

TV Series

Various (1954)

1954

 

Playbill (1953)

Playbill

TV Series

1953

1 episode

 

After Hours

TV Series

Regular

1953