David G.B. Brown obit

TV Writer David G.B. Brown Dies at 67

He scripted such shows as 'Scarecrow and Mrs. King,' 'Max Headroom,' 'Hunter' and 'Flo' 

He was not on the list.

David G.B. Brown, who wrote episodes of Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Max Headroom and Hunter, died Sept. 6 in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 67.

Brown also penned a 1981 episode of Flo, the short-lived Alice spinoff that starred Polly Holliday as the waitress best known for the catchphrase “Kiss my grits!”

He served as a story editor on the 1981-82 fireman series Code Red, starring Lorne Greene.

Brown was among the 165 TV writers who in 2000 filed a class-action age-discrimination suit against the industry, and in 2010, the group received a $70 million settlement from networks, production studios and talent agencies.

A former newspaper reporter and editor in Florida, Brown also handled media relations for the School of Engineering at UCLA.

Survivors include his wife Diana, father Leonard and brother Carl.

David G.B. Brown was born on January 18, 1947 in Florida, USA. He was a writer, known for Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) and Hunter (1984). He was married to Diana. He died on September 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Brown, a screenwriter and journalist whose work covered a wide spectrum of subjects, died September 6, 2014 in Los Angeles. He was 67 years old. David served as story editor and executive script consultant on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", an episodic television series about a housewife caught up in the intrigue of Washington's espionage community. He wrote multiple additional television programs which included "Simon & Simon", "Hunter", "Tales of the Gold Monkey", and "Max Headroom", a critically acclaimed cyberpunk cult series, as well as the comedy sitcom "Flo", and a comedy-variety series starring singer Donna Fargo and others. David once told a class of aspiring actors and writers that he what he loved about writing was combining quirky, 'off-type' characters with inventive staging and authentic dialogue to create scenes so realistic you'd swear they were clips for a documentary reel. However, at the height of his career, David found himself on the Gray List of writers who were over the age of forty and deemed no longer able to write for television. In 2000, he joined a group of other writers in a class action discrimination suit against the industry, and in 2010, the group was successful in winning a multi-million dollar settlement from industry studios, networks and talent agencies. As a young newspaper reporter in Florida, David chased stories about smugglers, spies, and crooked politicians around South Florida, revealing a previously 'secret' report a police chief kept locked away in his desk and uncovering the misappropriation of federal funds by a city official. He also covered the Florida Legislature before serving as an editor at the Tampa Times. In later years, David operated his own writing agency, serving clients as diverse as performers, small businesses and scientists. For a number of years, he handled media relations for the School of Engineering at UCLA. He is survived by his wife, Diana of Los Angeles, his father, Leonard Brown, Tampa, Florida, and his brother Carl Brown (Jan) also of Tampa, Florida. A Celebration of Life for David will be held at a later date.

 

Writer

Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer in Hunter (1984)

Hunter

6.9

TV Series

written by (as David Brown)

1989

1 episode

 

Max Headroom (1987)

Max Headroom

7.3

TV Series

written by (as David Brown)

1987

1 episode

 

Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson in Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

7.1

TV Series

written by (as David Brown)

1985–1987

7 episodes

 

Ian McShane in Lovejoy (1986)

Lovejoy

7.9

TV Series

by (as David Brown)

1986

1 episode

 

Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)

Simon & Simon

7.1

TV Series

teleplay (as David Brown)

1984

1 episode

 

Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982)

Tales of the Gold Monkey

8.0

TV Series

written by (as David Brown)

1983

1 episode

 

Lorne Greene, Andrew Stevens, Julie Adams, and Sam J. Jones in Code Red (1981)

Code Red

7.1

TV Series

story editor

1981–1982

7 episodes

 

Jim Baker, Joyce Bulifant, Leo Burmester, Polly Holliday, Stephen Keep Mills, and Geoffrey Lewis in Flo (1980)

Flo

5.7

TV Series

written by (as David Brown)

1981

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

Lorne Greene, Andrew Stevens, Julie Adams, and Sam J. Jones in Code Red (1981)

Code Red

7.1

TV Series

story editor (as David Brown)

1982

1 episode