Sherwood Schwartz’s 823,987-hour tour
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Sherwood Schwartz died today at age 94. Schwartz was the television writer and producer behind ‘The Brady Bunch’ and ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ where his name would flash in goofy font during the credits.
Schwartz’s name became known to some who saw his shows in primetime and later generations who saw them in syndication. With an eye for candy-colored costumes and a knack for cheesy storylines, Schwartz created shows that were perfectly suited to capture the attention of kids. And because he was a genius of syndication, kids growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, years afterthe episodes were originally produced, saw those shows over... and over... and over. They made a tremendous impact on those who grew up without any cable or Internet to dilute their cultural consumption.
Schwartz’s shows became indelible. A generation grew up saying lines from ‘The Brady Bunch’ like ‘oh, my nose’ and ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!’ I once won a radio contest singing the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ theme song (written by Schwartz). And just try and tell me that ‘Mad Men’s’ stacked redhead Joan Harris doesn’t owe a little something to Ginger, the stacked redhead of ‘Gilligan’s Island.’
Two books by Sherwood Schwartz are currently available. One is 1994’s ‘Inside Gilligan’s Island: A Three-Hour Tour Through the Making of a Television Classic’ and the other is ‘Inside Gilligan’s Island: From Creation to Syndication’ -- chances are that there is some overlap. For the Brady side of things, Schwartz appears in ‘Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg’ by Barry Williams. ‘Abundantly talented, and equally likable,’ Williams writes, ‘Mr. Schwartz is a charter member of Hollywood’s old school.’
Read our complete obituary of Sherwood Schwartz here.
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-- Carolyn Kellogg
