On this day, November 14, 1916, television screenwriter and producer Sherwood Schwartz was born.

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Sherwood Schwartz


Schwartz receiving his star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame (2008)

Born: Sherwood Charles Schwartz; November 14, 1916; Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: July 12, 2011 (aged 94); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place: Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California
Occupations: Television producer, Radio and television screenwriter
Years active: 1938–2011
Spouse: Mildred Seidman ​{m. 1941}​
Children: 4, including Lloyd
Awards: Hollywood Walk of Fame

Sherwood Charles Schwartz (/ʃwɔːrts/ SHWORTS; November 14, 1916 – July 12, 2011) was an American television screenwriter and producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, but he now is best known for creating the 1960s television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC. On March 7, 2008, Schwartz, at the time still active in his 90s, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same year, Schwartz was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Early life

Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. His parents were Herman and Rose Schwartz. He was a younger brother of writer Al Schwartz. His younger brother, Elroy Schwartz (1923–2013), a comedy writer, became a principal screenwriter for Gilligan's Island and other series. Sherwood Schwartz is the uncle of Douglas Schwartz (who created the Baywatch TV series), Bruce Schwartz and Judithe Randall.

Career

Schwartz had hoped to become a doctor, but found that he was unable to be admitted to medical school at that time, due to a quota limiting the number of Jewish students.

He went on to write for Ozzie Nelson's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and other radio shows. Schwartz served in the United States Army for over four years. While serving, he was a writer on the Armed Forces Radio Network before he got his break in television. From 1956 to 1962, Schwartz was head writer for The Red Skelton Show, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1961. He went on to create and produce Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch. He wrote the theme song for three of his shows: Gilligan's Island (co-wrote), It's About Time, and The Brady Bunch.

Syndication turned his two major successes into TV institutions with cultural relevance. He made them icons and as a result became a television icon himself.

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Clip - The Ballad of Gilligans Island, Gilligans Island opening and closing credits _0001_xvid.avi

4458RobertC
1.93K subscribers

2,269,401 views Mar 11, 2012
Better copy; for all you "Gilligan's Island"-a-philes; of the now- well know opening, and then closing, credits of "Gilligan's Island," with the also now- famous song "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," [ Seasons 2 and 3 version - with, "..The Professor and Mary Ann / Here on Gilligan's Island," rather than, ".. and the rest / are here on Gilligan's Island" ( Season 1. ) ]

The Brady Bunch Season 1 Closing Credits

Brady Salow
256 subscribers

42,464 views Jul 30, 2012
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