Richard Baer (screenwriter)

Richard Baer (April 28, 1928 – February 22, 2008) was an American writer and screenwriter. Baer wrote for more than 56 television shows, many of which were sitcoms, throughout his career, including ''The Munsters'', ''Leave It to Beaver'' and ''Bewitched''.

Early life

Richard Baer was born in New York City in 1928. He was the only child of Herbert Baer and Ede Sarnoff. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Yale University and his master's degree in cinema from the University of Southern California.

Career

Baer's maternal uncle was David Sarnoff, a broadcasting pioneer who headed the RCA company. Sarnoff is credited with beginning Baer's career and forming his interest in television. According to Baer's 2005 autobiography, Sarnoff called a vice president at NBC at 6 a.m. and ordered him to find Baer "a job by 9 o'clock" that same morning. The vice president obliged. Baer was hired in 1953 for his first job in television as an assistant for the William Bendix sitcom ''The Life of Riley'', which aired on the NBC network. He later wrote several episodes for the show.

Baer wrote the script for the film '' Life Begins at 17'' for Columbia Pictures in 1958.

Baer began writing for '' Hennesey'', which starred actor Jackie Cooper, in 1960. Baer wrote scripts for a total of 38 episodes for the series. His work on ''Hennesey'' earned him an Emmy nomination.

In the twenty five years that followed 1960, Baer wrote for over 56 separate television shows. This included ten episodes of the television classics ''That Girl'', twenty-three of ''Bewitched'', and five of ''The Munsters''. His favorite episode of ''The Musters'' which he personally penned was '' Just Another Pretty Face''. In the episode, the character Herman Munster is struck by lightning, which changes his face into that of a normal human being. The Munsters are shocked by how ugly they think Herman has become. His other sitcom credits included ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''F Troop'' and ''Petticoat Junction''.

Baer began working on television movies later in his career. His writing credits included the 1972 ABC comedic television movie '' Playmates'', which starred Alan Alda and Doug McClure as divorced single fathers. The Los Angeles Times called ''Playmates'' "spiced with biting wit" in its review of the movie. Baer also wrote the CBS movie '' I Take These Men'', which aired in 1983.

Baer's wrote his last television sitcom script for an episode of ABC's ''Who's the Boss?'' in the 1980s. He then successfully tried his hand as a playwright. Baer's ''Mixed Emotions'', a romantic comedy play about two widowed friends who start a romantic relationship during their later years, debuted in 1987. The play first opened in Los Angeles. Baer's play later debuted on Broadway in New York City in 1993 and ran for more than six weeks. ''Mixed Emotions'' was later performed in theaters worldwide, including Eastern Europe and Australia.

Baer was an active member of the Writers Guild of America. He served on the WGA's negotiating committee during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.

Personal life

Richard Baer died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, on February 22, 2008, at the age of 79. He had suffered a heart attack in January 2008. He was survived by his wife, Diane Asselin Baer, a television producer, whom he married in 1994, as well as his children, Josh, Matthew (who married Amy Bosley Baer, daughter of Tom Bosley), and Judy and three grandchildren. His first wife of 35 years, Louise Glenn, died in 1991.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baer, Richard
1928 births
2008 deaths
American male screenwriters
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
Jewish American dramatists and playwrights
Yale College alumni
USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
Writers Guild of America
American male television writers
American television writers
American male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American screenwriters
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews