Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series '' M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the Broadway musicals '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' and '' City of Angels''.

Biography

Early life

Gelbart was born in Chicago, Illinois, to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrants Harry Gelbart, "a barber since his half of a childhood in

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

," and Frieda Sturner, from what is now

Dąbrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza () is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula Rive ...

(Poland), who migrated to the United States. Larry Gelbart had a sister, Marcia Gelbart Walkenstein. His family later moved to Los Angeles and he attended Fairfax High School. Drafted into the U.S. Army near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Gelbart worked for the Armed Forces Radio Service in Los Angeles. Attaining the rank of sergeant, Gelbart was honorably discharged after serving 1 year and 11 days. Those last 11 days prevented Gelbart from being drafted for service during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Television

Gelbart began as a writer at the age of sixteen for

Danny Thomas Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz, (born January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) known professionally as Danny Thomas, was an American comedian, actor, singer, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in ''The Danny Thomas Show''. In additio ...

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

show after his father, who was Thomas's

barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...

, showed Thomas some jokes Gelbart had written. During the 1940s Gelbart also wrote for

Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, writer, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine's ob ...

and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

. In the 1950s, his most important work in

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

involved writing for

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and Golden Globe for '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his work such as ''Harlow'' (1965), '' They Shoot Ho ...

, Sid Caesar on '' Caesar's Hour'', and in

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in '' Come to the Stable'' (1949) and ''A ...

's ''

Honestly, Celeste! ''Honestly, Celeste!'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from October 10, 1954, to December 5, 1954. It starred Celeste Holm in her first regular TV series. Premise, cast and characters Celeste Anders left her position a ...

'', as well as with writers Mel Tolkin, Michael Stewart, Selma Diamond,

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

Carl Reiner Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...

and

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

on two Caesar specials. In 1972, Gelbart was one of the main forces behind the creation of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', writing the pilot (for which he received a "Developed for Television by __" credit); then producing, often writing and occasionally directing the series for its first four seasons, from 1972 to 1976. ''M*A*S*H'' earned Gelbart a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

and an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

for Outstanding Comedy Series and went on to considerable commercial and critical success.

Films

Gelbart's best known screen work is perhaps the screenplay for 1982's ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal and a story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It stars Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, D ...

'', which he co-wrote with Murray Schisgal. He was nominated for an Academy Award for that script, and also was Oscar-nominated for his adapted screenplay for 1977's '' Oh, God!'' starring

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...

and George Burns. On his relationship with actor Dustin Hoffman in ''

'', Gelbart is reported to have said, "Never work with an Oscar-winner who is shorter than the statue". He later retracted this statement, saying it was just a joke. He collaborated with Burt Shevelove on the screenplay for the 1966 British film '' The Wrong Box''. Gelbart also co-wrote the golden-era film spoof '' Movie Movie'' (1978) starring George C. Scott in dual roles, the racy comedy '' Blame It on Rio'' (1984) starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

and the 2000 remake of '' Bedazzled'' with Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser. His script for ''

Rough Cut In filmmaking, the rough cut (also known as the first cut or editor's cut) is the second of three stages of offline editing. The term originates from the early days of filmmaking when film stock was physically cut and reassembled, but is still ...

'' (1980), a caper film starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

, Lesley-Anne Down and David Niven, was credited under the pseudonym Francis Burns. Gelbart-scripted films for television included '' Barbarians at the Gate'' (1993), a true story about the battle for control of the

RJR Nabisco R. J. Reynolds Nabisco, Inc., doing business as RJR Nabisco, was an American conglomerate, selling tobacco and food products, headquartered in the Calyon Building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. R. J. Reynolds Nabisco stopped ...

corporation starring James Garner that was based on the best-selling book of that name; the original comedy '' Weapons of Mass Distraction'' (1997) starring

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...

and

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy L ...

as rival media moguls; and '' And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself'' (2003) starring

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...

as the Mexican revolutionary leader.

Broadway

Gelbart co-wrote the long-running Broadway musical farce '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' with Burt Shevelove and

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

in 1962. After the show received poor reviews and box-office returns during its previews in Washington, D.C., rewrites and restaging helped; it was a smash Broadway hit and ran for 964 performances. Its book won a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

. In a 1991 published edition of the musical, Gelbart wrote "it remains for me the best piece of work I've been lucky enough to see my name on." A film version starring Zero Mostel and directed by

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...

, was released in 1966. Gelbart was critical of the movie, as most of his and Shevelove's

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

was largely rewritten. Gelbart's other Broadway credits include the musical '' City of Angels'', which won him the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical, the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical, and an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

and an off-Broadway musical, ''In The Beginning'', a satirical take on the Bible, with music and lyrics by

Maury Yeston Maury Yeston (born October 23, 1945) is an American composer, lyricist and music theorist. Yeston has written the music and lyrics for several Broadway musicals and is also a classical orchestral and ballet composer. Among his Broadway music ...

. He also wrote the Iran-Contra

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

'' Mastergate'', as well as '' Sly Fox'' and a musical adaptation of the

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He is credited as being the first screenwriter to find success as a director. Prior to Sturges, other ...

movie '' Hail the Conquering Hero'', whose grueling development inspired Gelbart to utter what evolved into the classic quip, "If

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

is alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical."

Memoirs

In 1997, Gelbart published his memoir, ''Laughing Matters: On Writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God! and a Few Other Funny Things''.

Blogger

Gelbart was a contributing blogger at ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', and also was a regular participant on the alt.tv.mash

Usenet Usenet (), a portmanteau of User's Network, is a worldwide distributed discussion system available on computers. It was developed from the general-purpose UUCP, Unix-to-Unix Copy (UUCP) dial-up network architecture. Tom Truscott and Jim Elli ...

newsgroup as "Elsig". (His user name was derived from El for Larry, si for Simon and g for Gelbart.)

Honors

In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him. He won a Tony Award for the book of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.'' He won a Tony Award for the book of ''City of Angels''. He won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1974 for ''M*A*S*H''. In 2002, Gelbart was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Death

Gelbart was diagnosed with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in June and died at his Beverly Hills home on September 11, 2009, aged 81. His wife of 53 years, Pat Gelbart, said that after being married for so long, "we finished each other's sentences." She declined to specify the type of cancer he had. He was interred at the

Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery The Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California, United States. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried there. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (designed by Los Angeles ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

.''Resting Places''
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Writing credits

* '' Duffy's Tavern'' (1941–1951) (Radio) * '' The Red Buttons Show'' (1952) (TV) * ''

'' (1954) (TV) * '' Caesar's Hour'' (1954–1957) (TV) * '' The Patrice Munsel Show'' (1957) (TV) * '' The Dinah Shore Chevy Show'' (1958) (TV) * '' The Art Carney Show'' (1959) (TV) * '' Startime'' (1959) (TV) * ''The Best of Anything'' (1960) (TV) * ''Hooray for Love'' (1960) (TV) * '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (with Burt Shevelove) (1962) (Theater) * '' The Notorious Landlady'' (with

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...

) (1962) * ''Judy and her guests,

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity w ...

and Robert Goulet'' (1963) (TV) * '' The Thrill of It All'' (1963) (story only) * '' The Danny Kaye Show'' (1963) (TV) * '' The Wrong Box'' (with Burt Shevelove) (1966) * '' Not with My Wife, You Don't!'' (with Norman Panama and Peter Barnes) (1966) * '' A Fine Pair'' (1967) (uncredited) * ''Eddie'' (1971) (TV) * '' The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine'' (1971) (TV) * '' M*A*S*H'' (1972–1983) (TV) (also Co-Creator, with Gene Reynolds) * '' Roll Out'' (1973) (TV) * ''If I Love You, Am I Trapped Forever?'' (1974) (TV) * '' Karen'' (1975) (TV) * '' Sly Fox'' (1976) (Theater) * '' Three's Company'' (1976) (TV) (unaired pilot) * '' Oh God!'' (1977) * '' Movie Movie'' (1978) * ''

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

'' (1980) (TV) * ''

'' (1980) (as Francis Burns) * '' Neighbors'' (1981) * ''

'' (screenplay credit with Murray Schisgal); (story credit with Don McGuire) (1982) * '' AfterMASH'' (1983–1984) (TV) (also Creator) * '' Blame it on Rio'' (1984) (with Charlie Peters) * ''In The Beginning'' (1988) (with

) (Theater) * '' City of Angels'' (1989) (Theater) * '' Mastergate'' (1990) (Theater) * '' Barbarians at the Gate'' (1993) (TV) * '' Weapons of Mass Distraction'' (1997) (TV) * ''Laughing Matters: On writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God! And A Few Other Funny Things'' (1999) (Autobiography) * ''C-Scam'' (2000) (TV) * '' Bedazzled'' (with Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan) (2000) * '' And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself'' (2003) (TV)

''MAS*H'' episodes

The following is a list of ''M*A*S*H'' episodes (42 Total) written and/or directed by Gelbart.

Season one (9/17/72–3/25/73)

* Episode 1: The Pilot (Written) * Episode 4: "Chief Surgeon Who?" (Written) * Episode 11: "Germ Warfare" (Written) * Episode 12: "Dear Dad" (Written) * Episode 18: "Dear Dad...Again" (Written with Sheldon Keller) * Episode 21: "Sticky Wicket" (Teleplay with Laurence Marks) * Episode 23: "Ceasefire" (Teleplay with Laurence Marks) * Episode 24: "Showtime" (Teleplay with Robert Klane; Story)

Season two (9/15/73–3/2/74)

* Episode 1: " Divided We Stand" (Written) * Episode 2: "Five O'Clock Charlie" (Written with Laurence Marks & Keith Walker) * Episode 6: "Kim" (Written with Marc Mandel & Laurence Marks) * Episode 7: "L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)" (Written with Carl Kleinschmitt & Laurence Marks) * Episode 9: "Dear Dad...Three" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 11: " Carry On, Hawkeye" (Written with Bernard Dilbert & Laurence Marks) * Episode 12: "The Incubator" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 13: "Deal Me Out" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 16: "Henry in Love" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 19: "The Chosen People" (Written Laurence Marks & Sheldon Keller) * Episode 20: "As You Were" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 21: "Crisis" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 23: "Mail Call" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 24: "A Smattering of Intelligence" (Written with Laurence Marks; Directed)

Season three (9/10/74–3/18/75)

* Episode 1: "The General Flipped at Dawn" (Directed) * Episode 2: "Rainbow Bridge" (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 4: "Iron Guts Kelly" (Written with Sid Dorfman) * Episode 5: "O.R." (Written with Laurence Marks) * Episode 10: "There's Nothing Like a Nurse" (Written) * Episode 16: "Bulletin Board" (Written with Simon Muntner) * Episode 17: " The Consultant" (Story) * Episode 19: "

Aid Station An aid station is a temporary facility (often a frame tent, tent, table, or general rest area) established to provide supplies to endurance event participants or medical first aid and provisions during major events, disaster response situations, o ...

" (Written with Simon Muntner) * Episode 23: " White Gold" (Written with Simon Muntner) * Episode 24: " Abyssinia, Henry" (Directed)

Season four (9/12/75–2/24/76)

* Episode 1: " Welcome to Korea" (Written with Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell) * Episode 3: "It Happened One Night" (Teleplay with Simon Muntner) * Episode 9: " Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" (Directed) * Episode 13: "The Gun" (Written with Gene Reynolds) * Episode 15: "The Price of Tomato Juice" (Written with Gene Reynolds) * Episode 18: "Hawkeye" (Written with Simon Muntner; Directed) * Episode 21: "Smilin' Jack" (Written with Simon Muntner) * Episode 22: "The More I See You" (Written with Gene Reynolds) * Episode 23: "Deluge" (Written with Simon Muntner) * Episode 24: " The Interview" (Written and Directed)

References

Bibliography

* Isenberg, Barbara. ''State of the Arts: California Artists Talk About Their Work.'' 2005 * Gelbart, Larry. ''Laughing Matters: On Writing MASH, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a Few Other Funny Things.'' 1998

External links

* *
Larry Gelbart
– Daily Telegraph obituary
''Abrogate'' – Larry Gelbart play, online @ BBC Radio 4

Old Time Radio Researchers Database of People and Programs

Larry Gelbart Archive of American Television Interview

Larry Gelbart, TIME Magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Gelbart, Larry 1928 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American screenwriters American comedy writers American male dramatists and playwrights American male non-fiction writers American male screenwriters American male television writers American television directors American television producers American television show creators American television writers Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Drama Desk Award winners Edgar Award winners Emmy Award winners Film producers from Illinois Film producers from New York (state) HuffPost writers and columnists Jewish American comedy writers Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Jewish American military personnel Jewish American screenwriters Military personnel from Chicago Military personnel from Illinois Screenwriters from Illinois Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from Illinois Television producers from New York City Tony Award winners United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II Writers from Chicago Writers from Greater Los Angeles Writers Guild of America Award winners