Saul Turteltaub (May 5, 1932 – April 9, 2020) was an American comedy writer and producer. He was nominated for

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 ...

s in 1964 and 1965 as part of the writing team for ''

That Was the Week that Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pr ...

'', and in 1968 for ''

The Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harv ...

''. Most commonly working with collaborator Bernie Orenstein, he wrote and produced ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966, to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress who moves from her hometo ...

'', ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to ...

'' (and its spin-offs '' Grady'' and ''

Sanford Arms ''Sanford Arms'' is an American sitcom television series produced as a Spin-off (media), spin-off and continuation of ''Sanford and Son'', that aired on NBC from September 16 to October 14, 1977. After six seasons, Redd Foxx left ''Sanford and S ...

''), ''

What's Happening!! ''What's Happening!!'' is an American sitcom television series that first aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, premiering as a summer series. It also returned as a weekly series, that later aired for the rest of the three seasons, from November 1 ...

'', ''

Baby Talk Baby talk is a type of speech associated with an older person speaking to a child or infant. It is also called caretaker speech, infant-directed speech (IDS), child-directed speech (CDS), child-directed language (CDL), caregiver register, parente ...

'', and ''

Kate & Allie ''Kate & Allie'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from March 19, 1984, to May 22, 1989, starring Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin as two divorced mothers who decide to live together and raise their children in the same ...

'', among others. Born in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. The town is know for their pancake throwing contest held ...

, Turteltaub was raised in nearby Englewood. Turteltaub attended

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and received his bachelor's degree and then, in 1957, his law degree. He served in the Army.

Personal life

He married Shirley in 1960 and had sons named Adam and

Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes. Notable people * Jon Aaraas (born 1986 ...

. His sister-in-law was actress Fritzi Burr. Turteltaub died at his home in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

in April 2020, at the age of 87.Saul Turteltaub — Writer-Producer on 'Sanford and Son,' 'That Girl' and 'What's Happening!!' — Dies at 87
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References

External links

*
Interview at the Television AcademyFinding aid to Saul Turteltaub papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
1932 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews American television writers Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Mass media people from Beverly Hills, California Writers from Englewood, New Jersey Writers from Teaneck, New Jersey Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia Law School alumni Writers from Los Angeles County, California {{US-tv-writer-stub