Ray Parker obit

Writer Ray Parker Has Died 

He was not on the list.

Ray Parker was a writer on The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Scooby's All-Star Laff-A Lympics and The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, writer and story editor on The Scooby-Doo Show and story editor on The Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Scooby-Doo Show.

Parker was born on May 12, 1923 in Lorain, Ohio, USA. He was a writer, known for Spiral Zone (1987), C B Bears (1977) and Far Out Space Nuts (1975). He died on November 8, 2014 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

He directed Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan's play, "Mister Roberts," at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey with John Gavin in the cast.

Parker’s career in Hollywood as a comedy writer began when he was hired to write for “Art Linkletter’s House Party.” The show’s head writer for 12 years, he also wrote for Dinah Shore, Red Skelton, Dick Van Dyke and from 1968 to 1971, for Bob Hope.

“Bob Hope not only knew what’s funny,” Parker told The Durango Herald columnist Walt Dear in 2003, “but exactly how a gag should be worded. A good joke is put together with the precision of a fine watch.”

Parker finished his comedy career working at Hanna Barbera, retiring in the mid-1980s.

His destiny to work as a wordsmith developed early, his family said.

“Ray’s love for the written word and its comedic expression developed at a young age,” they said. “Whether it was a milk carton or a children’s book, he would immerse himself in words. In his teen years, while his classmates were working on their studies, Ray was in the back of the classroom reading stories in The New Yorker.”

Parker started in the newspaper business as a late-night copy boy at the now-defunct L.A. Examiner. His career was interrupted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Parker became a navigator for B-24 “Liberator” bombers with the 8th Air Force flying out of England. On his 10th mission, his bomber was shot down over France. Parker was captured and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in northern Germany.

During his 14 months as a POW, he continued to serve in the war effort as editor of the POW camp underground newspaper for his 9,000 fellow captive soldiers. Parker recounted the experience in his book Down in Flames, which he wrote during his time in Durango. He also starred in a short documentary “In Times of War,” which won awards in five different film festivals.

“His later years also offered him the time and opportunity to begin to understand and cope with his post-traumatic stress disorder,” his family said. “As a result, Ray became a fierce skeptic of war and a vocal advocate for his fellow veterans. Ultimately, he wanted his experience with PTSD to shed light on how war damages the human experience. He said, ‘Some day, leaders have to learn that war is no longer an option for human beings.’”

He returned to the news business after the war, eventually becoming a reporter on the staff of the Los Angeles Times before starting his career in show business.

After his retirement, Parker and his wife, Ethel, traveled the country in their RV with a variety of misadventures, leading to his first book, RV Having Fun Yet?

They lived in Durango for about 20 years, where he was active in politics, played Scrooge in a performance of “A Christmas Carol” and volunteered for a number of organizations.

“He was warm, witty and charming,” said Bob Chaput, who, with Parker and the late Marv Collentine, founded the Old Geezers coffee group. “I had the pleasure of meeting with him weekly at the Geezers, a conclave of grumpy old men who met to solve the problems of the world.”

 

Additional Crew

Pink Panther and Sons (1984)

Pink Panther and Sons

5.5

TV Series

story editor

1984–1985

26 episodes

 

The Dukes (1983)

The Dukes

5.6

TV Series

story editor

1983

20 episodes

 

Space Stars (1981)

Space Stars

7.4

TV Series

story supervisor

1981

66 episodes

 

Trollkins (1981)

Trollkins

7.5

TV Series

story supervisor

1981

13 episodes

 

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (1980)

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang

5.5

TV Series

story editorstory supervisor

1980–1981

24 episodes

 

The Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Scooby-Doo Show (1980)

The Ri¢hie Ri¢h/Scooby-Doo Show

6.3

TV Series

story supervisor

1980–1981

21 episodes

 

Adam West, Norman Alden, Jack Angel, Michael Rye, William Callaway, Danny Dark, Shannon Farnon, Casey Kasem, and Ted Knight in Super Friends (1973)

Super Friends

7.2

TV Series

story supervisor

1981

2 episodes

 

Laverne & Shirley in the Army (1981)

Laverne & Shirley in the Army

5.7

TV Series

story editor

1981

1 episode

 

William Callaway and Jerry Dexter in Drak Pack (1980)

Drak Pack

6.8

TV Series

story supervisor

1980

16 episodes

 

The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980)

The Flintstone Comedy Show

6.7

TV Series

story editorstory supervisor

1980

1 episode

 

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977)

Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

6.4

TV Series

story editor

1977–1980

2 episodes

 

The Scooby-Doo Show (1976)

The Scooby-Doo Show

7.6

TV Series

story editor

1976–1978

21 episodes

 

Buford and the Galloping Ghost (1978)

Buford and the Galloping Ghost

6.8

TV Series

story editor

1978

13 episodes

 

Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978)

Galaxy Goof-Ups

6.8

TV Series

story editor

1978

13 episodes

 

Yogi's Space Race (1978)

Yogi's Space Race

6.1

TV Series

story editor

1978

13 episodes

 

The All-New Popeye Hour (1978)

The All-New Popeye Hour

7.0

TV Series

story supervisor (1980-1981)

1978–1984

 

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics (1977)

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics

7.3

TV Series

story editor (1977-1979)

1977–1979

 

Jabberjaw (1976)

Jabberjaw

5.9

TV Series

story editor

1976

16 episodes

 

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch (1974)

Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch

6.4

TV Series

story editor

1974

13 episodes

 

Writer

Spiral Zone (1987)

Spiral Zone

7.4

TV Series

written by

1987

2 episodes

 

Lucille Bliss, Danny Goldman, Don Messick, and Alan Oppenheimer in The Smurfs (1981)

The Smurfs

7.2

TV Series

story

1984–1985

2 episodes

 

Snorks (1984)

Snorks

6.4

TV Series

story

1984

2 episodes

 

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (1984)

The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries

7.2

TV Series

story

1984

1 episode

 

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince (1983)

Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince

7.8

TV Series

written by

1983

3 episodes

 

The Flintstone Comedy Show (1980)

The Flintstone Comedy Show

6.7

TV Series

story

1980

1 episode

 

Godzilla (1978)

Godzilla

6.1

TV Series

story

1979

6 episodes

 

Lorenzo Lamas, Marc McClure, Jimmy McNichol, and Michele Tobin in California Fever (1979)

California Fever

7.5

TV Mini Series

written by

1979

1 episode

 

The New Fred and Barney Show (1979)

The New Fred and Barney Show

7.0

TV Series

story

1979

1 episode

 

Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978)

Galaxy Goof-Ups

6.8

TV Series

story

1978

13 episodes

 

Yogi's Space Race (1978)

Yogi's Space Race

6.1

TV Series

story

1978

13 episodes

 

The Scooby-Doo Show (1976)

The Scooby-Doo Show

7.6

TV Series

story editor

1976–1978

5 episodes

 

Buford and the Galloping Ghost (1978)

Buford and the Galloping Ghost

6.8

TV Series

story (1979)

1978

 

Blast-Off Buzzard (1977)

Blast-Off Buzzard

5.5

TV Series

story editor

1977

13 episodes

 

Heyyy, It's the King! (1977)

Heyyy, It's the King!

6.2

TV Series

story editorwriter

1977

13 episodes

 

Shake, Rattle and Roll (1977)

Shake, Rattle and Roll

6.9

TV Series

story editor

1977

13 episodes

 

Posse Impossible (1977)

Posse Impossible

6.7

TV Series

story editor

1977

13 episodes

 

Undercover Elephant (1977)

Undercover Elephant

6.2

TV Series

story editor

1977

13 episodes

 

C B Bears (1977)

C B Bears

5.5

TV Series

story editor

1977

12 episodes

 

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics (1977)

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics

7.3

TV Series

story (1978)

1977–1979

 

Bob Denver, Patty Maloney, Chuck McCann, and The Krofft Puppets in Far Out Space Nuts (1975)

Far Out Space Nuts

6.1

TV Series

story editorwritten by

1975

15 episodes

 

The Great Grape Ape Show (1975)

The Great Grape Ape Show

6.9

TV Series

story (1977)

1975

 

Partridge Family 2200 AD (1974)

Partridge Family 2200 AD

4.9

TV Series

Writer (1974)

1974–1975

 

Speed Buggy (1973)

Speed Buggy

6.6

TV Series

story

1973

16 episodes

 

Yogi's Gang (1973)

Yogi's Gang

6.5

TV Series

story

1973

4 episodes

 

I've Got a Secret (1972)

I've Got a Secret

6.6

TV Series

idea

1972–1973

26 episodes

 

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (1972)

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

6.3

TV Series

story

1972

15 episodes

 

Nicole Jaffe, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North, and Frank Welker in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

7.6

TV Series

story

1972

16 episodes

 

Bob Hope in The Bob Hope Show (1950)

The Bob Hope Show

7.3

TV Series

written by

1970–1972

2 episodes

 

The Bob Hope Vietnam Christmas Show

8.3

TV Special

Writer

1972

 

The Bob Hope Special

TV Special

Writer

1971

 

The Bob Hope Christmas Special

TV Movie

Writer

1971

 

Script and Continuity Department

Forrest Gardner, Sandey Grinn, Karen Hartman, Michael B. Moynahan, Gary Schwartz, Stevie Louise Vallance, and Ben Vereen in Zoobilee Zoo (1986)

Zoobilee Zoo

8.2

TV Series

script supervisor

1986

32 episodes

 

Editor

The Scooby-Doo Show (1976)

The Scooby-Doo Show

7.6

TV Series

story editor

1978

1 episode