Years active 1953-1999 Movies Return to Mayberry Spouse Deana Ward (m. ?–1999) | Role Television writer Name Everett Greenbaum | |
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Occupation TV and film screenwriter and actor Children 1 daughter, Billie Shane Died July 11, 1999, Los Angeles, California, United States Books The Goldenberg who Couldn't Dance Similar People Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds, David Swift, Harvey Bullock, Bob Sweeney | ||
The Writer Speaks: Everett Greenbaum
Everett Greenbaum (December 20, 1919 – July 11, 1999) was an American television and film writer and actor who contributed to such shows as The Andy Griffith Show (24 Episodes), Mash (35 Episodes), Love American Style, The Real McCoys (32 Episodes), Sanford and Son, and The George Gobel Show. Greenbaum was a co-creator with Jim Fritzell of Mister Peepers an important early television show which starred Wally Cox. He wrote the Hollywood feature film Good Neighbor Sam, as well as a series of films starring Don Knotts that included The Shakiest Gun in the West, The Reluctant Astronaut, and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.
Contents
- The Writer Speaks Everett Greenbaum
- Everett Greenbaum on writing for The George Goebel Show TelevisionAcademycomInterviews
- Life and career
- References
Everett Greenbaum on writing for "The George Goebel Show" - TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews
Life and career
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Greenbaum studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Sorbonne in Paris. Following service as a Navy pilot during World War II, Greenbaum moved to New York City to try his luck as a writer. He began work in radio as writer, producer and star of "Greenbaum's Gallery". He also wrote continuity for a radio series starring the Canadian folk singer Oscar Brand.
In the mid 1950s, Greenbaum teamed with Jim Fritzell and collaborated on scripts for the TV series Mister Peepers (1952), a stylish sitcom starring Wally Cox as a timid small-town science teacher; it also gave Tony Randall his first important role. When the series was cancelled, NBC-TV received over 10,000 letters of protest. A month later Mr. Peepers returned, running for three years and winning a Peabody Award.
In a 32-year partnership, Greenbaum and Fritzell also won three Writers' Guild awards and four Emmy nominations, and collaborated on more than 150 scripts. These included the Walter Brennan sitcom The Real McCoys (1957–62), The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68) and M*A*S*M*A*S*H, on which they worked for five years, contributing 35 episodes. On his own, Greenbaum wrote two books, including the memoir The Goldenberg Who Couldn't Dance, and 'The Tenth Life of Osiris Oaks' (with Wally Cox), and worked on The George Gobel Show. He also acted in brief roles on "Mr. Peeper's" (recurring), Griffith's ``Matlock (recurring), and series and other programs.
Greenbaum died at the age of 79 in Los Angeles, California; he was survived by his wife Deane, and a daughter, Billie Shane.