Carl Kleinschmitt obit

Carl Kleinschmitt, Writer on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ and ‘M*A*S*H,’ Dies at 85

He also created two 1970s series that starred Sandy Duncan and the HBO football comedy '1st and Ten.' 

He was not on the list.

Carl Kleinschmitt, the sitcom writer who worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show and M*A*S*H and created two series starring Sandy Duncan and the football comedy 1st and Ten, has died. He was 85.

Kleinschmitt died Thursday night of complications from MDS cancer (a blood disorder) at his Atwater Village home in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kleinschmitt, who wrote often with the late Dale McRaven, penned episodes of such other series as Hey Landlord, Good Morning World, The Doris Day Show, That Girl, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Love, American Style, My World and Welcome to It, Karen, Welcome Back, Kotter and The Love Boat.

He also wrote two features: Middle Age Crazy (1980), starring Bruce Dern and Ann-Margret, and Kiss Shot (1989), starring Whoopi Goldberg.

In 1971, Kleinschmitt created the CBS sitcom Funny Face, loosely based on the 1957 Audrey Hepburn film musical of the same name, with Duncan starring as Sandy Stockton, a student teacher who acts and models on the side.

The show was highly touted but dismissed by critics and didn’t survive the year, lasting just 13 episodes. (Duncan also was diagnosed with a tumor behind her left eye and needed surgery, and that contributed to its brief run.)

Kleinschmitt returned the next fall with The Sandy Duncan Show, a retooled comedy with new supporting players (including Tom Bosley) that now had the Stockton character working for an advertising agency. Alas, that version lasted just 13 episodes, too.

He had much better success with HBO’s 1st and Ten, which starred Delta Burke, Reid Shelton and O.J. Simpson and ran for 80 episodes and six seasons from 1984-90.

Carl David Kleinschmitt was born in Los Angeles on Aug. 28, 1937. He grew up in the Atwater Village area and graduated from John Marshall High School. After attending Occidental College, he worked as a copywriter.

In 1963, he met future Happy Days creator Garry Marshall, who introduced him to McRaven, another fledgling writer, and put the pair to work on the fourth and last season of NBC’s The Joey Bishop Show. By 1965, all three were writing for CBS’ The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Kleinschmitt and McRaven wrote nine episodes of the legendary comedy over its final two seasons, sharing a WGA award for their first effort, “Br-rooom, Br-rooom,” in which Rob (Van Dyke) buys a motorcycle.

His first agent and lifelong friend, Arnold Margolin, recounted how Kleinschmitt, when teaming with McRaven, always had to be in control. “Carl and Dale would sit side-by-side at the typewriter, but only Carl was allowed to type,” he said.

Without McRaven, Kleinschmitt received a WGA nomination for his work on the 1973 M*A*S*H episode “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet,” and he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1985 for outstanding children’s series for Pryor’s Place, starring Richard Pryor.

Survivors include his wife of 20 years, Los Angeles artist Pamela Burgess; daughter Kerry; grandchildren Devon and Dustin; and great-grandchildren Natalie and Sophia. Donations in his name may be made to the animal resource center Pasadena Humane.

Kleinschmidt and McRaven shared an office on Sunset Boulevard with Marshall and Jerry Belson and a third writing team, Margolin and Jim Parker. Every five years, they would reunite for lunch and take a photo in front of their old digs.

“We were a zany but productive group who quickly became known as ‘The Sunset Six,'” Margolin, the last surviving member of the group, said. “Between the six writers, we created at least a dozen primetime comedy series, and just as importantly, remained close friends to the end. Five of us were always competing to be the class clown, but Carl was the grown-up of the group — the one who always had to figure out what each of us owed for lunch.”

Writer

Hi Honey - I'm Dead (1991)

Hi Honey - I'm Dead

4.7

TV Movie

written by

1991

 

1st & Ten (1984)

1st & Ten

6.6

TV Series

created bywritten by

1984–1991

80 episodes

 

Whoopi Goldberg and Dorian Harewood in Kiss Shot (1989)

Kiss Shot

4.9

TV Movie

written by

1989

 

Sadie and Son (1987)

Sadie and Son

6.2

TV Movie

Writer

1987

 

Richard Pryor in Pryor's Place (1984)

Pryor's Place

7.0

TV Series

teleplay by

1984

1 episode

 

Middle Age Crazy (1980)

Middle Age Crazy

5.6

screenplay

1980

 

Another Day (1978)

Another Day

4.2

TV Series

Writer

1978

1 episode

 

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)

Welcome Back, Kotter

7.1

TV Series

contributing writerwritten by

1976–1977

2 episodes

 

Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)

The Love Boat

6.3

TV Series

written by (segment "Oh, Dale!")

1977

1 episode

 

Florence Henderson, Susan Olsen, Robert Reed, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Maureen McCormick, Geri Reischl, and Barry Williams in The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (1976)

The Brady Bunch Variety Hour

3.8

TV Series

writerwriting supervisor

1976–1977

9 episodes

 

The Love Boat II (1977)

The Love Boat II

6.7

TV Movie

written by (segment "Unfaithfully Yours")

1977

 

Cloris Leachman in The Love Boat (1976)

The Love Boat

5.7

TV Movie

written bywritten by (segment "Mona Lisa Speaks", segment "Till Death Do Its Part")

1976

 

Karen (1975)

Karen

7.2

TV Series

created bycreatorwritten by

1975

13 episodes

 

"Phyllis" Carmine Caridi, Cloris Leachman TV Pilot

Pete 'n' Tillie

6.2

TV Movie

teleplay

1974

 

Alan Alda, David Ogden Stiers, Gary Burghoff, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, and Loretta Swit in M*A*S*H (1972)

M*A*S*H

8.5

TV Series

written bystory by

1973

2 episodes

 

M. Emmet Walsh, Tom Bosley, Sandy Duncan, Marian Mercer, and Pam Zarit in The Sandy Duncan Show (1972)

The Sandy Duncan Show

6.6

TV Series

creator

1972

13 episodes

 

Ken Berry and Connie Stevens in Every Man Needs One (1972)

Every Man Needs One

5.6

TV Movie

Writer

1972

 

Sandy Duncan in Funny Face (1971)

Funny Face

6.4

TV Series

created by

1971

13 episodes

 

Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in The Odd Couple (1970)

The Odd Couple

7.9

TV Series

written by

1970

1 episode

 

From a Bird's Eye View (1970)

From a Bird's Eye View

6.2

TV Series

written by

1970

1 episode

 

My World and Welcome to It (1969)

My World and Welcome to It

8.6

TV Series

written by

1969–1970

2 episodes

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

written by (segment "Love and the Pick-Up")

1970

1 episode

 

Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969)

The Courtship of Eddie's Father

7.3

TV Series

additional dialoguewritten by (uncredited)

1969

3 episodes

 

That Girl (1966)

That Girl

7.3

TV Series

written by

1966–1969

5 episodes

 

Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)

Gomer Pyle: USMC

7.0

TV Series

written by

1965–1969

7 episodes

 

Doris Day in The Doris Day Show (1968)

The Doris Day Show

7.2

TV Series

written by

1968

1 episode

 

Goldie Hawn, Joby Baker, Billy De Wolfe, Julie Parrish, and Ronnie Schell in Good Morning World (1967)

Good Morning World

6.7

TV Series

written by

1968

1 episode

 

Accidental Family (1967)

Accidental Family

6.2

TV Series

story by

1967

1 episode

 

Hey, Landlord (1966)

Hey, Landlord

7.4

TV Series

written by

1966–1967

5 episodes

 

Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)

The Dick Van Dyke Show

8.5

TV Series

written by

1965–1966

9 episodes

 

The Joey Bishop Show (1961)

The Joey Bishop Show

6.6

TV Series

written byteleplay by

1964–1965

14 episodes

 

Producer

Richard Pryor in Pryor's Place (1984)

Pryor's Place

7.0

TV Series

supervising producer

1984

13 episodes

 

Karen (1975)

Karen

7.2

TV Series

produced byproducer

1975

13 episodes

 

"Phyllis" Carmine Caridi, Cloris Leachman TV Pilot

Pete 'n' Tillie

6.2

TV Movie

producer

1974

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

6.8

TV Series

producer (segment "Love and the Happy Days")

1972

1 episode

 

Sandy Duncan in Funny Face (1971)

Funny Face

6.4

TV Series

producer

1971

4 episodes

 

God Bless Mr. Ferguson

TV Movie

producer

1971

 

Valentine's Day (1964)

Valentine's Day

7.5

TV Series

producer

1965

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

From a Bird's Eye View (1970)

From a Bird's Eye View

6.2

TV Series

story editor

1970–1971

16 episodes

 

Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in The Odd Couple (1970)

The Odd Couple

7.9

TV Series

executive story consultant

1970

7 episodes

 

Hey, Landlord (1966)

Hey, Landlord

7.4

TV Series

story consultant

1967

1 episode

 

Script and Continuity Department

Jack Klugman and Tony Randall in The Odd Couple (1970)

The Odd Couple

7.9

TV Series

executive script consultant

1970

1 episode

 

Hey, Landlord (1966)

Hey, Landlord

7.4

TV Series

script consultant

1967

1 episode

 

Thanks

Memories of M*A*S*H (1991)

Memories of M*A*S*H

8.1

TV Movie

special thanks

1991

 

Alan Alda, David Ogden Stiers, Gary Burghoff, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, and Loretta Swit in M*A*S*H (1972)

M*A*S*H

8.5

TV Series

special thanks

1978

1 episode