The John Charles Walters Company was a production company formed in 1978 by four former employees of
MTM Enterprises
MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' for CBS. The name for the producti ...
:
James L. Brooks,
David Davis,
Stan Daniels
Stanley Edwin Daniels (July 31, 1934 – April 6, 2007) was a Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and director, who won eight Emmy Awards for his work on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' and ''Taxi''.
Early life
Born in Toronto to Jewish pa ...
and
Ed. Weinberger. The company existed from 1978 until 1983 and produced the TV show ''
Taxi
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...
''.
The foursome who created John Charles Walters were part of the creative team that produced ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...
'' and its spinoff ''
Phyllis
Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to:
People
* Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper
* Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist
* Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress
* P ...
'', as well as ''
The Betty White Show'' among others, during the 1970s. They were lured away by
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
following the end of ''The Mary Tyler Moore Shows run. Paramount financed the John Charles Walters Company during its existence.
The company also produced ''
The Associates'', a TV
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
about a small group of young
Wall Street lawyers which ran during the 1979 television season starring
Martin Short. The show lasted for nine of the 13 episodes produced, but received two
Golden Globe nominations after its cancelation.
Company name
According to a 2003 interview, James L. Brooks said that the company was named the John Charles Walters Company because the foursome "wanted a venerable Protestant name." The book ''Hailing Taxi'' indicates that the partners discovered an old pub sign that said "Charles Walters." They bought it in order to make it their logo, but then discovered that there was a
director in Hollywood named Charles Walters. They added the name John to avoid legal problems.
The only known existence of Walters appears at the end of both ''Taxi'', “The Associates,” as well as the 1978 telefilm “Cindy,” a reworking of Cinderella with an all-Black cast. In the end credits, the back of Walters is seen leaving his office while a female voice off-screen wishes him good night (with the words "Night, Mr. Walters!" or "Merry Christmas, Mr. Walters!" in holiday-themed episodes); Walters merely groans in response while he puts his hat on as he exits.
Ed. Weinberger provided the voice of Walters during the sequence.
The woman is Weinberger's actual assistant.
References
{{reflist
External links
Museum of Broadcast Communications Ed Weinberger profile
nbcnews.com- TV Vanity Cards (includes John Charles Walters)
Walters
Television production companies of the United States