Tom Gammill and Max Pross
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tom Gammill and Max Pross are an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
comedy writing team. Together they have written episodes for such successful shows as ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...
'', '' The Critic'', ''
The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'', ''
It's Garry Shandling's Show ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' is an American sitcom that was initially broadcast on Showtime from September 10, 1986 to May 25, 1990. It was created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel. The series is notable for breaking the fourth wall. S ...
'', and ''
Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
''. They have also worked as producers on ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' and ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years ...
''.


Early career

Pross and Gammill started to write comedy sketches together for ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' in 1979. In 1981 they co-wrote
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
's fourth
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 ...
special "Steve Martin's Best Show Ever" with such notable comedy writers as
Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broad ...
,
Dan Aykroyd Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer. He was an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1979). During his tenure on ''SNL'' ...
, and
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
. They spent the next few years as part of the original writing staff of "Late Night With David Letterman," and also contributed short films for the show after leaving the staff. In 1984 they worked on the writing staff of another
Lorne Michaels Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
production, ''
The New Show ''The New Show'' is an NBC sketch comedy show produced by Lorne Michaels that ran for one season from January 6 to March 23, 1984. Apart from being 60 minutes in length and entirely pre-recorded, the show is similar in format to Michaels' own ''S ...
'' - a comedy sketch show with guests including
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
and
John Candy John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. Candy rose to fame in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its '' SCTV'' seri ...
, which was similar to ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'', but nowhere near as successful. It ran for less than one season. In 1987 they joined the writing staff on ''
It's Garry Shandling's Show ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' is an American sitcom that was initially broadcast on Showtime from September 10, 1986 to May 25, 1990. It was created by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel. The series is notable for breaking the fourth wall. S ...
'', and in 1989 they wrote an episode for ''
The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'' called "Math Class". They were both listed as contributors to the short-lived
zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...
Army Man in 1989. In 1992 they created and produced the Fox series '' Great Scott!'' starring
Tobey Maguire Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing the title character from Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007), a role he later reprised in '' Spider-Man: No Way Hom ...
and Kevin Connolly.


Work on ''Seinfeld''

Tom Gammill and Max Pross joined the ''Seinfeld'' writing team during the show's fifth season (1993-1994) and stayed until the show's penultimate eighth season (1996-1997). On the Seinfeld DVDs, Jerry Seinfeld credits the pair with bringing a "buoyancy" to the writing staff that aided the development of fresh ideas during the show's middle years. Seinfeld mentioned that he and co-creator Larry David were initially worried about Gammill and Pross' writing style, as the pair created stories that were a "level of silliness" that the show had never gone to before. Ultimately the worry was unfounded, as the pair ended up writing some of the most famous Seinfeld shows during the series' run. The episodes they wrote were: ;SEASON 5 * " The Glasses" * "
The Cigar Store Indian "The Cigar Store Indian" is the 74th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It is the tenth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on December 9, 1993. In this episode, Jerry has troubles with appearing racially insensitive in front of a N ...
" * "
The Pie "The Pie" is the 79th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the 15th episode for the fifth season. It aired on February 17, 1994. The episode's main running theme is characters adamantly refusing to eat certain foods served to them with ...
" * " The Raincoats, Part 1" with Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David * "
The Raincoats, Part 2 "The Raincoats" is a two-part episode of the American sitcom '' Seinfeld.'' It is the 82nd and 83rd episode of the show, and the 18th and 19th episodes of the fifth season. The episode was first shown on NBC on April 28, 1994, and garnered an Emm ...
" with Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David ;SEASON 6 * "
The Pledge Drive "The Pledge Drive" is the 89th episode of NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the third episode of the sixth season. It aired on October 6, 1994. The episode revolves around Jerry, George, and Kramer's volunteer efforts with a PBS pledge drive. Su ...
" * " The Mom & Pop Store" * " The Race" with Larry David * " The Doorman" * "
The Diplomat's Club "The Diplomat's Club" is the 108th episode of NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This is the 22nd episode for the sixth season. It aired on May 4, 1995. The episode was the final appearance of Justin Pitt, Mr. Pitt as a recurring character (though he appears ...
" ;SEASON 7 * " The Wink" * " The Gum" * " The Doll" ;SEASON 8 * "
The Checks "The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the seventh episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on November 7, 1996. In this episode, the last to feature the writing team of Tom Gammill and Max Pross, El ...
" with Steve O'Donnell


''The Critic'' episode

Tom Gammill and Max Pross wrote one episode of '' The Critic'' titled "Marty's First Date", in which Marty invites his dad Jay to career day at his school where Marty develops a crush on a Cuban girl named Carmen. They go on a date but when Carmen decides to fly back to Cuba, Marty follows her and Jay must get his son back. It was the second episode of season 1 and aired on 2/2/1994.


Work on ''The Simpsons''

Gammill and Pross have been producers on ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'' since 1999, they started as consulting producers then they got promoted to producers in 2001. They won an
Emmy Award 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 ...
for Outstanding Animated Program in 2001 for the episode "
HOMR "HOMR" (styled as "HOMЯ") is the ninth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The 257th episode overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 7, 2001. In the e ...
". For season 24 Tom Gammill and Max Pross wrote the episode: " Hardly Kirk-ing, which was nominated for a WGA Award. For season 28, they also wrote the episode: " Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus". For Season 29, they wrote the episodes: " Whistler's Father", "
The Old Blue Mayor She Ain't What She Used to Be "The Old Blue Mayor She Ain't What She Used to Be" is the sixth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 624th episode of the series overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastu ...
" and "
3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage "3 Scenes Plus a Tag from a Marriage" is the thirteenth episode of the The Simpsons (season 29), twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 631st episode of the series overall. The episode was directe ...
" and for season 31, they wrote the episode: " The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby".


Film

Gammill and Pross worked as uncredited writers on '' Son of the Mask'', the Raspberry Award-winning
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to the 1994
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
, ''
The Mask The Mask may refer to: Books and comics * ''The Mask'' (comics), a comic book series by publisher Dark Horse Comics * Mask (DC Comics), an opponent of Wonder Woman * ''The Mask'' (novel), a 1981 novel written by Dean Koontz under the pseudonym ...
''. They are also given story credits on the 2007 comedy ''
Full of It ''Full of It'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Christian Charles and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Starring Ryan Pinkston, Kate Mara and Teri Polo, the film follows a teenage boy whose outrageous lies magically come true ...
'', in which a teenage boy is forced to live out the lies he had told in order to become popular. Dialogue in ''
Ghostbusters II ''GhostbustersII'' is a 1989 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and A ...
'' refers to a "Gammill and Pross Infant Acuity Test" though their contribution to the film is unknown.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gammill, Tom American television writers American male television writers American television producers Screenwriting duos 1957 births Living people Primetime Emmy Award winners