Theodora Lois Sherman (sometimes credited as Lois Sherman;

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

, 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 set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...

Biography

Theodora Lois Sherman was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

, to

Harry Sherman Harry "Pop" Sherman was an American film producer known for his work in the Western genre during the 1930s and 1940s. He introduced the character Hopalong Cassidy to the silver screen, and is the father of screenwriter Teddi Sherman. Biography ...

and Lillian Mazur. She spent her childhood traveling the country, and eventually went to a finishing school on the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a radio station in Co. Wicklow, Ireland * East Coast Swing, a f ...

. Afterward, she studied acting at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. 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) * Hollywoo ...

. 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 w ...

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". In live action television, a story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits scripts, pitches stories, and reports ...

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-per ...

'' (1966) * ''

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

'' (1963) * ''10 Seconds to Hell'' (1959) * '' Tennessee's Partner'' (1955) * ''

The Man from Bitter Ridge ''The Man from Bitter Ridge'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Lex Barker, Mara Corday and Stephen McNally. Plot A stranger comes to the town of Tomahawk to investigate who is behind a series of stagecoach ...

'' (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 w ...

'' (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. Th ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1 episode; 1970) * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private in ...

'' (1 episode; 1968) * '' The Rounders'' (1 episode; 1966) * ''

The One Who Never Was ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (2 episodes; 1966) * ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama 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 Sam Jaff ...

'' (3 episodes; 1962–1966) * ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

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

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point o ...

'' (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 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' (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 a ...

'' (4 episodes; 1960) * ''

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

'' (2 episodes; 1960) * ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, 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 W ...

'' (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 (" ...

'' (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. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian languages, Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized tribe, federally recognize ...

'' (1 episode; 1958) * ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...

'' (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