Jerry Belson (July 8, 1938 – October 10, 2006) was a writer, director, and producer of Hollywood films for over 40 years.

Career

Belson's writing credits include the Steven Spielberg films '' Always'' and ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

'', several episodes of ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Prod ...

''; ''

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Sho ...

'', and ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

''. During the early 1960s, concurrent with contributing scripts for TV sitcoms with then writing partner

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play '' The Odd C ...

, Belson contributed stories for

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

. He also helped produce ''

The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995 to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalize ...

'', ''

The Norm Show ''The Norm Show'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from March 24, 1999, to April 6, 2001. Starting in September 1999, the show's title was shortened to ''Norm''. The series starred Norm Macdonald, who created the series with Br ...

'', and '' The Tracey Ullman Show''. In the

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

2006 documentary ''The 100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases'',

Lowell Ganz Lowell Ganz (born August 31, 1948 in New York City) is an American screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is the long-time writing partner of Babaloo Mandel. Ganz grew up in Queens, New York, attending Martin Van Buren Hi ...

credits Belson with including in the script of the season 3 '' Odd Couple'' episode "My Strife in Court" (originally aired Friday, February 16, 1973) the catchphrase "Never ASSUME, because when you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME." Ganz noted that Belson had heard it used years ago by a teacher in a typewriter repair class. He won three

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

: two for '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' in 1989 and 1990, and one for '' Tracey Takes On...'' in 1997.

Death

Belson died of cancer on October 10, 2006 at his home in Los Angeles. His sister, screenwriter

Monica Johnson Monica Johnson (February 21, 1946 – November 1, 2010) was an American screenwriter whose film credits included ''Mother'', ''Lost in America'', '' Modern Romance'', '' Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again'' and '' The Muse''. Her television credi ...

, died on November 1, 2010.

Television credits

*''

'' (1961–1966) *''

Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theater ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...

'' (1964) *''

Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.''The show (and CBS) renders the title as ''Gomer Pyle – USMC''. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spin-off of ''The Andy Griffith Show' ...

'' (1964–1969) *''

'' (1965–1968) *'' Hey Landlord!'' (1966–1967) *'' Sheriff Who?'' (pilot) (1967) *''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

'' (1969–1974) *'' The Murdocks and the McClays'' (1970) *''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ''Barefoot ...

'' (1970) *'' The Odd Couple'' (1970–1975) *''

Evil Roy Slade ''Evil Roy Slade'' is a 1972 American made-for-television Western comedy film about the "meanest villain in the West". It was directed by Jerry Paris and co-produced and co-written by Garry Marshall. The film is considered a cult classic. ...

'' (1972) *'' Cops'' (1973) *''Mixed Nuts'' (pilot) (with Michael J. Leeson) (1977) *''Young Guy Christian'' (pilot) (with Michael J. Leeson) (1979) *'' The Tracey Ullman Show'' (1987–1990) *'' Tracey Takes On...'' (1996–1999) *''

'' (consulting producer) (1995–2004) *''

'' (consulting producer) (1999–2001)

Film credits

*''

How Sweet It Is! ''How Sweet It Is!'' is a 1968 comedy film starring James Garner and Debbie Reynolds, with a supporting cast including Terry-Thomas and Paul Lynde. Garner plays a photographer who accompanies his wife and teenage son on an assignment in Paris, w ...

'' (1968) (with

) *'' The Grasshopper'' (1970) *''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

'' (1975) *'' Fun with Dick and Jane'' (with David Giler and

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...

) (1977) *''

'' (1977) (uncredited) *''

The End The End may refer to: Films * ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1997 film), a Canadian film of 1997 * ''The End'' (1998 film), a skateboarding document ...

'' (1978) *''

Smokey and the Bandit II ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film ''Smokey and the Bandit''. ...

'' (with

Brock Yates Brock Wendel Yates (October 21, 1933 – October 5, 2016) was an American print and TV journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was longtime executive editor of ''Car and Driver'', an American automotive magazine. In 1971 Yates, his son, and a f ...

) (1980) *''

Student Bodies ''Student Bodies'' is a 1981 American parody slasher film written and directed by Mickey Rose, with an uncredited Michael Ritchie co-directing. A spoof of slasher horror films such as ''Halloween'', ''Friday the 13th'' and '' Prom Night'', '' ...

'' (1981) (executive producer) *'' Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again'' (with

, Harvey Miller and Michael J. Leeson) (1982) *''

Surrender Surrender may refer to: * Surrender (law), the early relinquishment of a tenancy * Surrender (military), the relinquishment of territory, combatants, facilities, or armaments to another power Film and television * ''Surrender'' (1927 film), an ...

'' (1987) *'' Always'' (1989)

Theater credits

*''

The Roast ''The Roast'' was a flagship Australian satirical news show that screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television channel ABC2. The daily ten-minute show was hosted by Tom Glasson and featured Mark Humphries, Clarke Richard ...

'' (1980, with

) *''

'' (1986, adapted from the screenplay)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belson, Jerry 1938 births 2006 deaths Deaths from prostate cancer American male screenwriters American television directors American television writers Deaths from cancer in California Emmy Award winners Film directors from California People from El Centro, California Screenwriters from California American male television writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters