Posted on 03/10/2008 7:58:37 AM PDT by lowbridge
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sherwood Schwartz, who created the TV comedy classics "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Brunch," gleefully thanked the leading ladies of those shows Friday when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"To me, Dawn will always be Mary Ann on 'Gilligan's Island' and Florence will always be Mrs. Brady," said Schwartz, 91, referring to actresses Dawn Wells and Florence Henderson, who spoke during the ceremony.
Schwartz mused about his start in show biz, which happened "by accident," he said.
Schwartz said came to Southern California from New York in 1938 to get a master's degree in biological sciences. In need of work, he started writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show, which Schwartz's brother Al worked for.
"Bob liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff," Schwartz said. "I was faced with a major decision — writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change."
Schwartz went on to write for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" and other radio shows.
He turned to TV in the 1950s, eventually creating "Gilligan's Island" in 1963.
After the show ended in 1967, Schwartz created the blended family comedy "The Brady Bunch," for which he also wrote the theme song.
Syndicated reruns of both shows have made them longtime TV comedy staples.
"The title of the winning film at the Oscars this year was wrong. Who says this is 'No Country For Old Men?'" Schwartz joked.
Well-deserved. He was a creative genius.
Congrats to him but it saddens me that it took him so long to get one. I did a quick search and Britney Spears got hers in 2003 and Judge Judy got hers in 2006. What is the world coming to when this man who created family oriented goodtime shows has to wait close to 40 years to be recognized.
Oh yes, that eternal Question...
Ginger or Mary Ann?
The Answer is always Mary Ann!
Ping for later
Oh, Schwartz! I thought you had posted Mary Ann and Ginger, and I was going to say that Ginger had really aged horribly.
Ginger or Mary Ann?
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