Sherwood Charles Schwartz

Sherwood Charles Schwartz (born November 14, 1916) is an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC. On March 7, 2008, Schwartz, still active in his 90s, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Life and career

Schwartz's entertainment career came "by accident". He relocated from New York to southern California to pursue a master of science degree in biology. In need of employment, he began writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio program, for which Schwartz's brother, Al Schwartz, worked. Schwartz recalled that Hope "liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff. I was faced with a major decision — writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change."

He went on to write for Ozzie Nelson's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and other radio shows.

He was a writer on the Armed Forces Radio Network before he got his big break in television.

TV appearances

During the late 1990s and the 2000s, he has made many appearances on TV talking about his series, on shows such as the CBS Evening News, 20/20, TV Land's Top Ten and A&E's Biography. He also took part in a "Creators" marathon on Nick at Nite in the late 1990s.[3] He was also a guest at the 2004 TV Land Awards.

In 1988 Schwartz appeared on The Late Show with Ross Shafer for a Gilligan's Island reunion, along with all seven castaways from Gilligan's Island. This was the last time they were all together on television; castaways Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Bob Denver, and Alan Hale, Jr. have since died.

Personal life

Schwartz was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He is Jewish.

In his 1988 book Inside Gilligan's Island, he mentions he did not get along well with Red Skelton. In his early years as head writer it was in his contract that Schwartz would not have to meet face-to-face with Skelton. He named his daughter "Hope" after Bob Hope, whom he had good relations with. He is the father of Lloyd J. Schwartz, creator of The Munsters Today.

John F. Stossel

John F. Stossel (born March 6, 1947) is a consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author, libertarian columnist, and former co-anchor for the ABC News show 20/20. Stossel began his journalism career as a researcher for KGW-TV and later became a consumer reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City before joining ABC News as consumer editor and reporter on Good Morning America. Stossel went on to be an ABC News correspondent, joining the weekly news magazine program 20/20. In his decades as a reporter, Stossel has received numerous honors and awards. Stossel has also written two books entitled Give Me a Break and Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity.

Stossel practices advocacy journalism where he often challenges "conventional wisdom". His reports, a blend of commentary and reporting, reflect a libertarian political philosophy and his views on economics are largely supportive of the free market. ABC is reported to believe "his reporting goes against the grain of the established media and offers the network something fresh and different...[but] makes him a target of the groups he offends." Stossel has won nineteen Emmy awards.[5] John Stossel is doctor honoris causa from Universidad Francisco Marroquín.

It was announced in September 2009 that Stossel will be leaving ABC News and joining Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

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Natalie Schafer

Natalie Schafer (November 5, 1900 (1900-11-05) – April 10, 1991) was an American actress.

Early life and career

Born to a Jewish family in Red Bank, New Jersey, Schafer began her career as an actress on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles in 1941 to work in films. She played several supporting roles during the 1940s (such as the wife of a German officer in the 1942 film Reunion in France) and 1950s, and also appeared most notably in The Snake Pit (1948) and Anastasia (1956) while returning to New York City to live and work between film roles.

Schafer appeared on Broadway in 17 plays between 1928 and 1959, almost always playing supporting roles. Most of her Broadway appearances were in short-run plays, with the exceptions of Lady in the Dark (1941–42), The Doughgirls (1942–44), and Romanoff and Juliet (1957–58). She also appeared in stock and regional productions of plays.

Schafer is best known for the television series Gilligan's Island (1964–67), playing the role of the millionaire's wife, "Lovey Howell." She reprised her role in the made-for-TV, Gilligan's Island, movies that were made after the show's demise, along with the animated spinoff, Gilligan's Planet, in 1982. Originally written as a humorless grande dame, Schafer worked with the writers to create a character not unlike the scatterbrain roles played in 1930s films by Mary Boland and Billie Burke. Schafer specifically suggested that the writers read the George S. Kaufman-Marc Connelly play Dulcy for its dizzy title character.

She continued acting until her late-80s and was a guest star on many TV series, including I Love Lucy in the 1950s. In the 1970s, Schafer joined the cast of the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow. Her most notable film appearance in later life was in The Day of the Locust (1975).

Jewish Actress

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