As you probably already heard, writer/director/TV show creator Gary David Goldberg died earlier today. Goldberg will of course be remembered mostly for being the creator of shows like Family Ties, Brooklyn Bridge, and Spin City (with Bill Lawrence).
He wrote for several other shows earlier in his career and one of them was The Tony Randall Show. Created by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, this was Randall's follow-up to his successful five year run on The Odd Couple.
While Jack Klugman hit it big after Odd Couple with Quincy Me, Randall never had another hit show and The Tony Randall Show was cancelled -- twice. Once by ABC and then by CBS.
Here's Goldberg's humorous and touching recollection about working with Randall and why the show was cancelled -- both times.
He wrote for several other shows earlier in his career and one of them was The Tony Randall Show. Created by Tom Patchett and Jay Tarses, this was Randall's follow-up to his successful five year run on The Odd Couple.
While Jack Klugman hit it big after Odd Couple with Quincy Me, Randall never had another hit show and The Tony Randall Show was cancelled -- twice. Once by ABC and then by CBS.
Here's Goldberg's humorous and touching recollection about working with Randall and why the show was cancelled -- both times.
- 6/25/2013
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Gary David Goldberg, the Emmy-winning creator of Family Ties and Spin City, died Sunday at age 68. After working on the writing staffs of Lou Grant, The Tony Randall Show, and The Bob Newhart Show, Goldberg created Family Ties, starring Michael J. Fox, in 1982.
In a statement to EW about Goldberg’s death, Fox said, “With a full heart I say goodbye to my mentor, benefactor, partner, second father and beloved friend, Gary David Goldberg. He touched so many with his enormous talent and generous spirit. He changed my life profoundly. Love to Diana and all of Gary’s family.”
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Gary David Goldberg,...
In a statement to EW about Goldberg’s death, Fox said, “With a full heart I say goodbye to my mentor, benefactor, partner, second father and beloved friend, Gary David Goldberg. He touched so many with his enormous talent and generous spirit. He changed my life profoundly. Love to Diana and all of Gary’s family.”
Read more:
Gary David Goldberg,...
- 6/24/2013
- by Erin Strecker
- EW - Inside TV
The creator of Family Ties, Gary David Goldberg, has died following a long battle with brain cancer. He passed away this morning at his home in Montecito, just two days short of his 69th birthday.
Goldberg began working in television in the early 1970s and in 1976, at the age of 32, became a writer on The Bob Newhart Show. He went on to write for many other legendary shows like Lou Grant, Alice, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, and M*A*S*H.
In addition to Family Ties, Goldberg created shows like Brooklyn Bridge and The Bronx Zoo, and co-created Spin City.
Family Ties ended after seven seasons and 176 episodes. The show had lost a lot of steam but 36.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the finale.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years and...
Goldberg began working in television in the early 1970s and in 1976, at the age of 32, became a writer on The Bob Newhart Show. He went on to write for many other legendary shows like Lou Grant, Alice, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, and M*A*S*H.
In addition to Family Ties, Goldberg created shows like Brooklyn Bridge and The Bronx Zoo, and co-created Spin City.
Family Ties ended after seven seasons and 176 episodes. The show had lost a lot of steam but 36.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the finale.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years and...
- 6/24/2013
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Gary David Goldberg, the Emmy-winning creator of Family Ties and Spin City, died yesterday in Montecito, Calif. He was 68. Goldberg was an experienced TV writer of 1970s programs like Lou Grant, The Tony Randall Show, and The Bob Newhart Show when he built Family Ties in 1982 for NBC, basing the idealistic hippie parents played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter on himself and his wife, Dr. Diana Meehan. The show became an essential part of the network’s Thursday-night lineup — pairing with The Cosby Show for a time as TV’s two biggest shows — and made Michael J. Fox a huge star.
- 6/24/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside TV
Longtime television producer Gary David Goldberg, best known for creating Family Ties, died of brain cancer in California yesterday, according to several outlets. He was 68. Goldberg got his start on the short-lived Norman Lear sitcom The Dumplings in 1976 and went on to write for Alice, The Bob Newhart Show, The Tony Randall Show, M*A*S*H*, and Lou Grant, among others. In 1982, he created the megahit and cultural touchstone Family Ties, which ran for seven seasons, and in 1991 he launched the critically beloved, largely autobiographical series Brooklyn Bridge. Then, in 1996, Goldberg co-created a second Michael J. Fox hit with Spin City.Goldberg won his first Emmy in 1979, for Lou Grant, and his second in 1987, for Family Ties, and he picked up five other nominations along the way. He won two Humanitas prizes and both Producers Guild and Writers Guild awards. If you watched a lot of...
- 6/24/2013
- by Margaret Lyons
- Vulture
Gary David Goldberg, the creator of "Family Ties" and Spin City" shows, passed away on Saturday from cancer at his home in Montecito, California. He was 68-years old. Goldberg got his start in Hollywood by writing for "The Tony Randall Show," "The Bob Newhart Show," "Mash," and "Lou Grant," winning the first of his two Emmys. Then in 1982, his "Family Ties" show premiered, becoming a big his for Fox, averaging 28 million viewers per week and lasting for 180 episodes. The sitcom starred Michael J. Fox. In 1991, Goldberg returned with "Brooklyn Bridge" and then re-teamed with Michael J. Fox for "Spin City" in 1996. All his shows were produced through his Ubu Productions company that's recognized by a shot of Goldberg's dog and him saying "Sit, Ubu. Sit. Good dog." Goldberg also directed several theatrical releases, including 1989's "Dad," with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, and 2005's "Must Love Dogs," with John Cusack and Diane Lane.
- 6/24/2013
- WorstPreviews.com
Gary David Goldberg, the Emmy-winning creator of "Family Ties," died on June 23 of brain cancer, Variety reported. He was 68.
Born in Brooklyn, Goldberg was raised in a home with a close, extended family that was headed by a strong matriarch, his grandmother. He was a huge sports fan and a wanderer who had a bit of trouble figuring out what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Goldberg's collegiate career, which he described as "prolonged and checkered," involved attending numerous schools, including Brandeis University and San Diego State University. He only decided to become a scriptwriter at the urging of one of his professors.
Goldberg was working as a waiter at the Village Gate club in Greenwich Village in 1969 when he met his wife and the love his life, Dr. Diana Meehan. They were a couple of hippies -- a product of their time -- and spent the early...
Born in Brooklyn, Goldberg was raised in a home with a close, extended family that was headed by a strong matriarch, his grandmother. He was a huge sports fan and a wanderer who had a bit of trouble figuring out what he wanted to be when he grew up.
Goldberg's collegiate career, which he described as "prolonged and checkered," involved attending numerous schools, including Brandeis University and San Diego State University. He only decided to become a scriptwriter at the urging of one of his professors.
Goldberg was working as a waiter at the Village Gate club in Greenwich Village in 1969 when he met his wife and the love his life, Dr. Diana Meehan. They were a couple of hippies -- a product of their time -- and spent the early...
- 6/24/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Gary David Goldberg, an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer who created "Family Ties" and other series, has died.
Goldberg died Sunday (June 23) at his home in Montecito, Calif., near Santa Barbara, after fighting brain cancer. He would have turned 69 years old on Tuesday.
Goldberg began his TV writing career in the mid-1970s with scripts for "The Bob Newhart Show," "Alice" and "Phyllis." He won his first Emmy in 1979 as a producer of "Lou Grant," which took home the award for best drama series that year.
Three years later, "Family Ties" -- based in part on his own life and in part on those of friends -- premiered on NBC and made a star of Michael J. Fox. After moving behind "The Cosby Show" in 1984-85, it ranked in the Top 5 of the ratings for three straight seasons, peaking at better than 28 million viewers in Season 5. Goldberg won a writing...
Goldberg died Sunday (June 23) at his home in Montecito, Calif., near Santa Barbara, after fighting brain cancer. He would have turned 69 years old on Tuesday.
Goldberg began his TV writing career in the mid-1970s with scripts for "The Bob Newhart Show," "Alice" and "Phyllis." He won his first Emmy in 1979 as a producer of "Lou Grant," which took home the award for best drama series that year.
Three years later, "Family Ties" -- based in part on his own life and in part on those of friends -- premiered on NBC and made a star of Michael J. Fox. After moving behind "The Cosby Show" in 1984-85, it ranked in the Top 5 of the ratings for three straight seasons, peaking at better than 28 million viewers in Season 5. Goldberg won a writing...
- 6/24/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Gary David Goldberg, creator of the 1980s NBC sitcom "Family Ties," died Sunday following a battle with brain cancer, according to media reports. He was 68. Born in Brooklyn, Goldberg began writing his career as a writer working for "The Bob Newhart Show," moving on to "The Tony Randall Show" and "Lou Grant," serving as writer and producer on both series. After founding his own production company Ubu Productions (named after his dog, and featuring the line "Sit, Ubu, sit" in the closing credits for its shows; see video below), Goldberg created...
- 6/24/2013
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
"Family Ties" creator Gary David Goldberg, a two-time Emmy winner, died on Saturday (June 23) at his home in Montecito, California. According to media reports, the 68-year-old Goldberg died of cancer. Goldberg got his start in Hollywood writing and producing on "The Tony Randall Show" and "Lou Grant," winning the first of his Emmys for that Ed Asner vehicle. "Family Ties," which premiered in 1982, starred Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter-Birney, Michael Gross and Tina Yothers. The generation gap comedy developed into both a popular success, boosted by a pairing with "The Cosby Show" in 1984, and an...
- 6/24/2013
- by Daniel Fienberg
- Hitfix
David Lloyd was one of those TV writers whose work spread across the history of television. He worked on shows ranging from The Tonight Show in the 60s to Frasier in the 90s and early 2000s.
Lloyd died earlier today after a long illness.
Lloyd had a part in many memorable TV shows over the years, as a writer and/or a producer, including Cheers, Wings, Taxi, Lou Grant, Rhoda, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Dear John, The Dick Cavett Show, The Associate, and The Best of the West, and many other shows.
Ken Levine has a great tribute to Lloyd on his site, including a discussion of how Lloyd was as a writer. It includes an example of Lloyd's script for the classic Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites The Dust."
Filed under: Celebrities, Obituaries, Reality-Free
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Lloyd died earlier today after a long illness.
Lloyd had a part in many memorable TV shows over the years, as a writer and/or a producer, including Cheers, Wings, Taxi, Lou Grant, Rhoda, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Dear John, The Dick Cavett Show, The Associate, and The Best of the West, and many other shows.
Ken Levine has a great tribute to Lloyd on his site, including a discussion of how Lloyd was as a writer. It includes an example of Lloyd's script for the classic Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "Chuckles Bites The Dust."
Filed under: Celebrities, Obituaries, Reality-Free
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- 11/11/2009
- by Bob Sassone
- Aol TV.
Actor Tony Randall, the stage, screen and television actor best known as fussy Felix Unger on the 70s sitcom The Odd Couple, died in New York in his sleep Monday night after complications from a long illness; he was 84. An actor who specialized in playing comedic sidekicks and best friends, Randall first gained prominence onscreen by reprising his Broadway starring role in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in 1957. That film was followed two years later by his scene-stealing turn in Pillow Talk opposite Rock Hudson and Doris Day, the first of many supporting romantic comedy roles for which he would become best known (others included Let's Make Love, Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers), although he was also an effective and versatile lead in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Randall seamlessly transitioned to television in 1970 with The Odd Couple, based on the hit Neil Simon play, in which he was paired with Jack Klugman, who played the messy Oscar Madison; the show ran for five years and won both actors Emmy Awards for their roles. Innumerable television appearances followed, most notably The Tony Randall Show (1976-78) and Love, Sidney (1981-83), a pioneering sitcom in which his character's homosexuality was implied but never stated. Randall turned most of his energy to the stage in his later career, founding the non-profit National Actors Theatre in 1991, starring in and directing a number of the company's productions. The actor made a brief return to the screen last year in Down with Love, an homage to the Rock Hudson-Doris Day films in which he co-starred. Randall is survived by his wife Heather Harlan Randall . who was fifty years younger and made him a father for the first time at 77 . and their two children, a 7 year-old daughter and a 5 year-old son. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 5/18/2004
- IMDb News
Actor Tony Randall, the stage, screen and television actor best known as fussy Felix Unger on the 70s sitcom The Odd Couple, died in New York in his sleep Monday night after complications from a long illness; he was 84. An actor who specialized in playing comedic sidekicks and best friends, Randall first gained prominence onscreen by reprising his Broadway starring role in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in 1957. That film was followed two years later by his scene-stealing turn in Pillow Talk opposite Rock Hudson and Doris Day, the first of many supporting romantic comedy roles for which he would become best known (others included Let's Make Love, Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers), although he was also an effective and versatile lead in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Randall seamlessly transitioned to television in 1970 with The Odd Couple, based on the hit Neil Simon play, in which he was paired with Jack Klugman, who played the messy Oscar Madison; the show ran for five years and won both actors Emmy Awards for their roles. Innumerable television appearances followed, most notably The Tony Randall Show (1976-78) and Love, Sidney (1981-83), a pioneering sitcom in which his character's homosexuality was implied but never stated. Randall turned most of his energy to the stage in his later career, founding the non-profit National Actors Theatre in 1991, starring in and directing a number of the company's productions. The actor made a brief return to the screen last year in Down with Love, an homage to the Rock Hudson-Doris Day films in which he co-starred. Randall is survived by his wife Heather Harlan Randall . who was fifty years younger and made him a father for the first time at 77 . and their two children, a 7 year-old daughter and a 5 year-old son. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 5/18/2004
- WENN
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