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 produc ...

James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. He co-created the sitcoms ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', and ''The Simpsons'' and directed the films '' Terms of ...

, 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 p ...

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 Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

''. 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 September 19, 1970 ...

'' and its spinoff '' Phyllis'', as well as ''

The Betty White Show The Betty White Show refers to several shows hosted by Betty White: * The Betty White Show (1952 TV series), which aired on NBC in 1954, having originated locally two years prior * The Betty White Show (1977 TV series), which aired on CBS in ...

'' 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. **Paramount Picture ...

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 (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 ...

about a small group of young

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

lawyers which ran during the 1979 television season starring

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...

. The show lasted for nine of the 13 episodes produced, but received 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 ...

nominations, two

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

nominations and one

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

nomination 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. A representation of Walters appears at the end of ''Taxi'', ''The Associates'' and the 1978 telefilm ''Cindy''. 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. The logo was shot by assistant cinematographer Larry Foster. Ed. Weinberger provided the voice of Walters during the sequence. The woman is Weinberger's actual assistant.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1978–1983) * ''

Cindy Cindy may refer to: People *Cindy (given name), a list of people named Cindy, Cindi, Cyndi or Cyndy *Tugiyati Cindy (born 1985), Indonesian footballer *Cindy (singer), Japanese singer Music * ''Cindy'' (musical), an off-Broadway production in 1 ...

'' (1978) * '' The Associates'' (1979–1980)

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

Company name

Filmography

See also

References

External links