Theodora Lois Sherman (sometimes credited as Lois Sherman;

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

, Gayle Lord; April 1, 1921 – January 16, 2019) was an American actress, TV writer, and screenwriter known for her work in the

Western genre The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

Biography

Theodora Lois Sherman was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, to Harry Sherman and Lillian Mazur. She spent her childhood traveling the country, and eventually went to a finishing school on the East Coast. Afterward, she studied acting at the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

for four years. In the early 1940s, she arrived in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Her father had become a successful producer, known for

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...

films. Not wanting to capitalize off his name, she used the stage name of Gayle Lord. While her father was out of town, she auditioned for a role on a Hopalong Cassidy. When she got the part, her father insisted she use her real name. She appeared in a few films her father produced and was popular as an actress, but found she enjoyed writing. In 1946, she was named assistant

story editor Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called supervising producer. The responsibilities of the story editor vary depending on the production; this article describes the duties the role most commo ...

at her father's independent production studio, Enterprise Pictures, where she wrote half a dozen Westerns (including the Gary Cooper film) as well as dozens of television episodes. She collaborated on several scripts with writer Graham Baker. She was reportedly engaged to actor Rod Cameron at one point in the early '40s, but that never led to marriage. She was also engaged to her father's assistant, Vernon Clark, in the late '40s, but that was called off. In 1957, she married Allan Baylin. The pair had a daughter together. Sherman died on January 16, 2019, at the age of 97 due to natural causes.

Selected filmography

Film: * ''

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

'' (1966) * ''

4 for Texas ''4 for Texas'' is a 1963 American comedy Western film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg and Ursula Andress, Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by Arthur Godfrey and the Three Stooges. The film was writ ...

'' (1963) * ''10 Seconds to Hell'' (1959) * ''

Tennessee's Partner ''Tennessee's Partner'' is a 1955 American Western film, directed by Allan Dwan, written by: Graham Baker, D.D. Beauchamp, Milton Krims and Teddi Sherman, with uncredited rewrites by Dwan, and starring: John Payne, Ronald Reagan, Rhonda Fl ...

'' (1955) * ''

The Man from Bitter Ridge ''The Man from Bitter Ridge'' is a 1955 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Jack Arnold (director), Jack Arnold and starring Lex Barker, Mara Corday and Stephen McNally. Plot A special investigator, Jeff Carr (Lex Barker), is depl ...

'' (1955) * ''

Four Faces West ''Four Faces West'' is a 1948 American Western film starring Joel McCrea, his real-life wife Frances Dee, and Charles Bickford. It is based on the novel ''Pasó por aquí'' by Eugene Manlove Rhodes. Its plot concerns a down-on-his-luck cowboy ...

'' (1948) * ''

The Woman of the Town ''The Woman of the Town'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud and written by Aeneas MacKenzie. The film stars Claire Trevor, Albert Dekker, Barry Sullivan, Henry Hull, Porter Hall, Percy Kilbride and Clem Bevans. T ...

'' (1943) * '' Colt Comrades'' (1943) TV: * ''

Then Came Bronson ''Then Came Bronson'' is an American adventure/drama television series starring Michael Parks that aired on NBC. It was created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, and produced by MGM Television. ''Then Came Bronson'' began with a television film pilot t ...

'' (1 episode; 1970) * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'' (1 episode; 1968) * '' The Rounders'' (1 episode; 1966) * '' The One Who Never Was'' (2 episodes; 1966) * ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' (3 episodes; 1962–1966) * ''

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 ...

'' (1 episode; 1964) * '' Ripcord'' (3 episodes; 1962–1963) * '' The Virginian'' (3 episodes; 1961–1962) * ''

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of flooded grasslands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the K ...

'' (3 episodes; 1961–1962) * '' The Roaring 20's'' (1 episode; 1961) * ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

'' (1 episode; 1960) * '' Lock-Up'' (1 episode; 1960) * ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges ...

'' (4 episodes; 1960) * ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'' (2 episodes; 1959–1960) * ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the seco ...

'' (2 episodes; 1960) * ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882) was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County War in Texas during which h ...

'' (1 episode; 1960) * ''

Law of the Plainsman ''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native American U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart was introduced in two episodes ("The ...

'' (1 episode; 1960) * '' The Rough Riders'' (3 episodes; 1958–1959) * '' The Millionaire'' (1 episode; 1958) * ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' (1 episode; 1958) * ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

'' (2 episodes; 1957

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Teddi American women screenwriters Screenwriters from Minnesota 1921 births 2019 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American actresses Western (genre) film actresses 21st-century American women