Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Television producer and creator of shows The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island Sherwood Schwartz has died at the age of 94. His daughter Hope Juber announced his death. The cause of death was announced by his son Lloyd as natural causes. Schwartz had a career that lasted six decades after he starting writing jokes for Bob Hope’s radio show in 1939.

After his brother got Schwartz a role on Hope’s writing staff he went onto work for the Armed Forces Radio and became a writer for the radio series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He first entered television when he started to write for the show I Married Joan in the 1950s. Schwartz got his big break when he became head writer for The Red Skelton Show. He won an Emmy award in 1961 for his work on the show.

Gilligan’s Island was first broadcast in 1964 and featured stars such as Bob Denver, Jim Backus, and Alan Hale Jr. The show ran until 1967 but did feature several run off specials. Schwartz’s other big creation, The Brady Bunch, was first shown in 1969. The series focused on a couple of newlyweds with children from previous relationships. The show ended in 1974.

Schwartz is survived by Mildred, his wife, Ross, Lloyd and Dr. Donald Schwartz, his sons, Hope Juber, his daughter, and eight grandchildren, as well as four great-grandchildren.