Gerald Gardner obit

Gerald Gardner – RIP

 

He was not on the list.

Screenwriter, gag writer, humorist, author Gerald Gardner has passed away.

The notice of death from The Monkees Film and TV Vault Facebook page:

From his son Lindsey Gardner – Gerald Clifford Gardner, legendary screenwriter … died peacefully yesterday evening at the Motion Picture and Television Home in Woodland Hills, several weeks after the appearance of an aggressive cancer that spread to his lungs. He was 91.

Gerald had a long career in television:

Gerald Gardner is an American television writer most known for comedy. Not much is known about his career which spans two decades. He wrote episodes for “Gilligan’s Island, “The Monkees,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Get Smart,” “Bewitched,” “The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,” “The Bill Cosby Show,” “Happy Days,” “Love, American Style,” “What’s Happening!!” and “Sledge Hammer!” He also wrote the movies, “How to Break Up a Happy Divorce” and “The World’s Greatest Athlete.” He won the “Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment” award in 1964 and 1965.

Gerald’s rise to fame came with his 1962 Who’s In Charge Here? The book inserted gag word balloons into photos of political figures. While the idea didn’t originate with Gardner, the book attained best-seller status and spawned a flood of like books and magazines in the 1960s.

Of course Gerald rode that wave for a few decades while also getting the name recognition to go the Hollywood route.

Above is a page from MAD #73 (1962) with excerpts from Who's In Charge Here?

Gerald’s gags and captions were of a gentle nature, not the vitriolic stuff of today’s comedy. And he was a John Kennedy admirer (he accepted an invitation to the Kennedy White House). His amiable gag writing was perfect for a project he collaborated with Frank Johnson for publisher Gold Medal.

The early 1963 mass market paperback was popular enough to interest a syndicate, and by late 1963 a daily panel was offered to newspapers. Unfortunately the panel about “the little girl in the big white house” debuted on November 4, 1963. Less than three weeks later President Kennedy was assassinated putting an end to the panel.

A month before Miss Caroline the panel appeared and months after Miss Caroline the book had hit the shelves Gerald wrote a column about the success of paperback “comic books.”

Miss Caroline was Gerald’s only entry in the comic world. He continued with his photo captioning, and became successful writing TV shows and movies.

Now he knows who’s in charge out there?

Writer

The Nutt House (1989)

The Nutt House

7.3

TV Series

written by

1989

1 episode

 

Anne-Marie Martin, Harrison Page, and David Rasche in Sledge Hammer! (1986)

Sledge Hammer!

8.1

TV Series

written by

1987

2 episodes

 

America Censored

TV Movie

Writer

1985

 

Ron Glass and Demond Wilson in The New Odd Couple (1982)

The New Odd Couple

4.7

TV Series

suggested by a story by

1983

1 episode

 

The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.4

TV Series

writer

1983

2 episodes

 

What's Happening!! (1976)

What's Happening!!

7.0

TV Series

written by

1978

1 episode

 

Sorority '62

4.2

TV Movie

written by

1978

 

The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa

6.8

TV Movie

Writer

1977

 

ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)

ABC Afterschool Specials

7.1

TV Series

teleplay

1976

1 episode

 

A Special Olivia Newton-John (1976)

A Special Olivia Newton-John

7.9

TV Special

Writer

1976

 

How to Break Up a Happy Divorce (1976)

How to Break Up a Happy Divorce

5.8

TV Movie

Writer

1976

 

Happy Days

7.5

TV Series

writer

1970–1976

4 episodes

 

Rickles

5.4

TV Movie

Writer

1975

 

The Fireman's Ball

5.4

TV Movie

Writer

1975

 

Break Up

TV Movie

Writer

1973

 

ABC Late Night (1973)

ABC Late Night

8.1

TV Series

writer

1973

1 episode

 

NBC Follies (1973)

NBC Follies

TV Series

written by

1973

1 episode

 

The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)

The World's Greatest Athlete

5.6

written by

1973

 

Help, Inc. (1972)

Help, Inc.

TV Movie

developed by

teleplay by (creator)

1972

 

Call Holme

6.7

TV Movie

written by

1972

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

Writer (segment Love and the Waitress)

1971

1 episode

 

Jerry Lewis in Which Way to the Front? (1970)

Which Way to the Front?

4.6

screenplay

story

1970

 

The Don Adams Special: Hooray for Hollywood

8.0

TV Movie

Writer

1970

 

Bill Cosby in The Bill Cosby Show (1969)

The Bill Cosby Show

6.1

TV Series

written by

1969

1 episode

 

Harlen Carraher, Kellie Flanagan, Hope Lange, Edward Mulhare, and Charles Nelson Reilly in The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968)

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir

7.7

TV Series

written by

1969

1 episode

 

Jack Benny's Birthday Special (1969)

Jack Benny's Birthday Special

7.8

TV Special

written by

1969

 

The Jerry Lewis Show (1967)

The Jerry Lewis Show

6.4

TV Series

written by

1968–1969

4 episodes

 

Don Adams and Barbara Feldon in Get Smart (1965)

Get Smart

8.2

TV Series

story by

written by

1965–1968

11 episodes

 

...and Debbie Makes Six

TV Special

Writer

1968

 

Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in The Monkees (1965)

The Monkees

7.5

TV Series

teleplay by

story editor

written by ...

1966–1968

34 episodes

 

The Pickle Brothers

5.5

TV Movie

created by

written by (creator)

1967

 

Jim Backus, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, Natalie Schafer, and Dawn Wells in Gilligan's Island (1964)

Gilligan's Island

7.4

TV Series

written by

1966

1 episode

 

My Brother the Angel (1965)

My Brother the Angel

7.2

TV Series

writer

1965

2 episodes

 

Mickey Rooney and Tim Rooney in Mickey (1964)

Mickey

6.4

TV Series

written by

1964

1 episode

 

Steve Allen, 1965 - Copyright 1968, 2000 MPTV.NET - photo credit: Gabi Rona

That Was the Week That Was

8.2

TV Series

writer

1964

4 episodes

 

Script and Continuity Department

Red Skelton in The Red Skelton Hour (1951)

The Red Skelton Hour

8.1

TV Series

script supervisor

1970–1971

6 episodes

 

Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and The Monkees in The Monkees (1965)

The Monkees

7.5

TV Series

script editor

1966–1967

32 episodes

 

Producer

What's Happening!! (1976)

What's Happening!!

7.0

TV Series

producer

1978–1979

3 episodes

 

Sorority '62

4.2

TV Movie

producer

1978

 

How to Break Up a Happy Divorce (1976)

How to Break Up a Happy Divorce

5.8

TV Movie

producer

1976

 

ABC Late Night (1973)

ABC Late Night

8.1

TV Series

producer

1973

1 episode

 

Red Skelton in The Red Skelton Hour (1951)

The Red Skelton Hour

8.1

TV Series

co-producer

producer

1970–1971

10 episodes

 

The Pickle Brothers

5.5

TV Movie

producer

1967