Edwin "Ed" Samson Friendly Jr. (April 8, 1922 – June 17, 2007) was an American

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

. He was responsible for creating the television programs ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

'', ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

'', and ''

Backstairs at the White House ''Backstairs at the White House'' is a 1979 NBC television miniseries based on the 1961 book ''My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House'' by Lillian Rogers Parks (with Frances Spatz Leighton). The series, produced by Ed Friendly Productions, ...

''.''Los Angeles Times'', "Ed Friendly, 85; helped bring 'Laugh-In' and 'Little House' to TV" June 20, 2007
/ref> Born in New York City, Ed Friendly served with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. After the war, he worked at the

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

agency of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. He began his television career in 1949, working for ABC as director of

sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...

before moving to

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

as a contract producer and then, in 1959, to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

as vice president of special programs. Friendly moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1967 and formed his own production company, Ed Friendly Productions, Inc. He received the Western Heritage Award from the

National Cowboy Hall of Fame The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

in 1975 for ''Little House on the Prairie'' and in 1978 for ''

Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion ''Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion'' is a television movie starring Leif Garrett which aired November 6, 1977 on NBC. It is based on the novel ''San Domingo, The Medicine Hat Stallion'' by Newbery Medal award winner Marguerite Henry. The ...

'', an adaptation of the 1972 children's novel ''San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion'' by

Marguerite Henry Marguerite Henry (' Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for ''King of the Wind'', a 19 ...

Thoroughbred horse racing

Friendly was introduced to

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

Thoroughbred horse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are con ...

ownership in 1970, when he bought a racehorse in partnership with his close friend

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; 12 February 1915 – 11 September 1987) was a Canadian actor, musician, singer and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Ad ...

. He subsequently expanded his racing interests, partnering with his first wife, Natalie, in a large (around 70) stable of horses. Some of their successful horses include: * Vivid Angel – won 1997

Oak Leaf Stakes The Chandelier Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at the end of September at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is restricted to two-year-old fillies. The Grade II race is contested at a distance of one and one ...

* Friendly Michelle – won 2004 Santa Paula Stakes * Gray Slewpy – multiple stakes winner including the 1992 Ancient Title Handicap A founding member of the National Thoroughbred Association, Friendly established the Thoroughbred Owners of California in 1993. He also served as the president of California Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.California Breeder/Owner Ed Friendly Dies
at BloodHorse.com; published June 22, 2007; retrieved November 3, 2013

Personal life

Friendly married the former Natalie Brooks Coulson on January 31, 1952; the couple remained married for 50 years, until her death on May 9, 2002. With his wife Natalie, Friendly was well known on the Southern California Thoroughbred racing circuit. They had two children; their daughter, Brooke Friendly, is the director of the Ashland Center for Theatre Studies at

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

, and their son Edwin S. Friendly III, who is known as "Trip", is a former Ticketmaster International executive who had been developing projects with his father. After his first wife's passing, Friendly married the former Paula Zinnemann on November 27, 2003; they remained married until his death.

Death

Friendly died in 2007 at his home in

Rancho Santa Fe, California Rancho Santa Fe is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California, United States, within the San Diego metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the 2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, ...

He was survived by his second wife, Paula, his children, and three granddaughters.

References

External links

* *
Ed Friendly’s Life and LegacyEmmy Awards & Nominations: Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-InEmmy Awards & Nominations: Backstairs at the White HouseNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Past Western Heritage Award Winners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friendly, Ed United States Army personnel of World War II American racehorse owners and breeders Television producers from New York City 1922 births 2007 deaths