You may have never heard his name, but if you’re my age or older, you may well have laughed about his punchlines.
Writer and producer Larry Gelbart, most known for his work on the hit television series “M*A*S*H,” died Friday morning in his Beverly Hills, California, home, his wife said. He was 81.
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In 1972, Gelbart helped create the Korean War comedy drama “M*A*S*H.” The show went on for another 11 years, although Gelbart only wrote and produced “M*A*S*H” for the first four seasons. “M*A*S*H” won 50 awards, including eight Golden Globes.
“M*A*S*H” was so popular it lasted much longer than the Korean War itself, and was seen as a commentary on American involvement in the Vietnam War. Gelbart also was involved in the short-lived sequel, “After MASH.”
For Gelbart, “M*A*S*H” mixed a bit of comedy with drama, allowing viewers to connect more with the story.
“I said once that the only way before ‘M*A*S*H’ you would get any feeling out of your television set is if you touched it while you were wet,” Gelbart said. [Full article on cnn.com]
Gelbart’s parents were Jewish immigrants to the US from Poland and Latvia respectively.
Thanks for the laughs, Larry.
