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thatcrazycajunThe man who made the landmark TV series M*A*S*H most of what it was, Larry Gelbart, was late last year reported to have died. He responded with a brief and typically pithy e-mail debunking the report. Sadly, the news of his death has come again...and this time it appears to be true. The screenwriter responsible for the laughs in the 11-year CBS skein, as well as many films including Oh, God! and Tootsie and the Broadway hit A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, passed away of cancer at 81 in his Beverly Hills, CA home yesterday. The Associated Press carries his obituary here.
Launched during the height of our country's long involvement in the Vietnamese civil war, M*A*S*H had been based on a popular film of the same name, which in turn was based on a novel by Richard Hooker. The series became a decade-long course in why war should be avoided...and, I firmly believe, one of the driving forces behind our finally exiting Vietnam in the mid-'70s. Gelbart and his fellow writers had the ability to make us laugh even in the face of graphic depictions of the horrors of war.
My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and professional co-workers in this most difficult hour. Thank you, sir...and say hello to McLean Stevenson for us when you get up there.
Launched during the height of our country's long involvement in the Vietnamese civil war, M*A*S*H had been based on a popular film of the same name, which in turn was based on a novel by Richard Hooker. The series became a decade-long course in why war should be avoided...and, I firmly believe, one of the driving forces behind our finally exiting Vietnam in the mid-'70s. Gelbart and his fellow writers had the ability to make us laugh even in the face of graphic depictions of the horrors of war.
My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and professional co-workers in this most difficult hour. Thank you, sir...and say hello to McLean Stevenson for us when you get up there.
