James Komack (August 3, 1924 – December 24, 1997) was an American television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for producing several hit television series, including '' The Courtship of Eddie's Father'', ''

Chico and the Man ''Chico and the Man'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 13, 1974, to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run-down garage in an East Los ...

'', and ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class nicknamed the Sweathogs. Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the ser ...

''. Over the course of his career, Komack was nominated for two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

and two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

Career

Komack performed in both the film and the original Broadway cast of the musical ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

''. In both productions, he played the role of a baseball player performing the song "(You Gotta Have) Heart". Komack also appeared in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

's film ''

A Hole in the Head ''A Hole in the Head'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color CinemaScope American comedy film directed by Frank Capra and starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Carolyn Jones and Thelma Ritter and released by United Artists.' ...

'' as Julius Manetta, the inept son of Mario ( Edward G. Robinson) and Sophie (

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American character actor, character actress who, known for her strong New York City English, New York City accent, diminutive size, and plain look, favored working-class roles. She ear ...

). Early in his career, Komack worked as a

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

and was cast in sixteen episodes over three seasons as

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

millionaire dentist Harvey Spencer Blair III, in the

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

military sitcom/drama, '' Hennesey'', starring Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton. The second season he began writing some of the scripts. From there he went on to directing, including episodes of the '' Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''Gallant Men'', ''Combat'', ''77 Sunset Strip'', the ''Lloyd Bridges Show'', and received an Emmy nomination for ''Dr. Kildare''. Komack's first hit of writing was topical night club material. In addition to writing for himself, he sold songs and patter to other performers, notably Eartha Kitt and Robert Clary. He recorded a gold hit record, "The Knickname Song". Komack made a record album of his comedy routine, ''James Komack at the Waldorf''. He also recorded a music album on

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

in 1957 titled ''Inside Me'', under the orchestra direction of Dennis Farnon. In total, he made 8 albums and 14 singles, mostly comedy routines but also some songs. Also in 1957, he guest starred as “Buck Pierce”, a helpful & kind cowboy who was part of the crew heading west on ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' (S1E14 - “The Julie Gage Story”). In December 1960, Komack appeared as Dr. Franklin in the episode "Emergency" of the CBS

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

, '' The DuPont Show with June Allyson''. Komack was the guiding force behind several television hits. After directing "Some Tarzans" for TV in Mexico, he returned to Los Angeles in the late 1960s to create '' The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' and also appeared as "Uncle Norman" Tinker. He appeared in and created '' Me and Maxx'', whose title character was inspired by and named after his daughter. He also appeared in ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'', created ''

'' (including directing the "Sammy Steps In" episode with Sammy Davis Jr.) and helped produce ''

''. Komack is credited with discovering and launching the careers of

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

and Freddie Prinze. He was director of the '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode " A Piece of the Action". Komack was the creator and

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

of the short-lived 1978

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Another Day'' and directed the last of the original Porky's films, '' Porky's Revenge!'', in 1985. During his career peak years, he lived with his wife Cluny and daughter Maxine in Beverly Hills, where their lifestyle could easily serve as the premise for another TV comedy, "it is like open house 24 hours a day," he described it.

Death

Komack died of

heart problems Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on December 24, 1997, at the age of 73.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Komack, James 1924 births 1997 deaths American male screenwriters American male stage actors American male television actors American television directors American television show creators Television producers from California American television writers Male actors from New York City Male actors from Los Angeles Screenwriters from Los Angeles 20th-century American male actors American male television writers 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from New York City 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers 20th-century American screenwriters