Name Milt Josefsberg | Role Writer | |
Full Name Milton Josefsberg Born June 29, 1911 ( 1911-06-29 ) New York City, New York, U.S. Occupation Television screenwriter/producer Movies The Claudette Colbert and Basil Rathbone Show Books Comedy Writing for Television and Hollywood, The Jack Benny show Awards Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series Similar People George Balzer, Sam Perrin, Mel Tolkin, Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller | ||
Years active 1960–1987 (his death) | ||
Milt Josefsberg (June 29, 1911 – December 14, 1987) was a radio writer for The Jack Benny Program, and later a writer for many television sitcoms, such as Archie Bunker's Place, All in the Family, Here's Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Odd Couple and The Jack Benny Show. He wrote books on the Jack Benny Show and comedy writing. Jim Wickey of The Green House, The Rip Borsley Show once commented about Josefsberg:
"Milt Josefsberg is an American success story. I doubt I would be writing if I had not been influenced by Milt, and I know that can be said for many of today's writers. The WGA picket line would be thinner without him!"
Also a producer and script reader, Josefsberg, who was called by Mel Shavelson, one-time creative partner and three-time Writers Gould of America (WGA) president "the maven of comedy", did such for the television show, The Joey Bishop Show from 1961 to 1965, the film Butterfly (1979), as well as the TV series, You Can't Take It with You which ran from 1987 to 1988. He also penned the books The Jack Benny Show and Comedy Writing for Television and Hollywood.
Family life and death
Josefsberg and his wife Hilda had two sons, Steven and Alan. Alan had two children, Suzi and Dean. Josefberg's great grandchildren, Amber and Taylor Ellison (Suzi's) and Mason and Matthew Josefsberg (Dean's), live today in Southern California. Josefsberg died in Burbank, California.