In The News

Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz passes away

Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz passes away

Sherwood Schwartz, who created the hit TV comedy show The Brady Bunch, has passed away. He was 94.

The show, which ran from 1969 to 1974, was panned by the critics but it became a hit with viewers in not only the US but also in the UK and was repeated for years after production had ended.

Featuring a clean-cut family formed by the marriage of a widow and a widower and their six children, the show reflected a sociological change which was taking place in America at the time.

Mr. Schwartz revealed he had been inspired to write the show after reading that one-third of US households in the late 1960s included a child from a previous marriage.

He was also responsible for creating another highly successful US television sitcom Gilligan’s Island.

The show, which was about a group of travellers marooned on a Pacific island, ran from 1964 to 1967.

As with The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island did not enjoy good reviews but this did not prevent it from becoming a hit with viewers.

Mr. Schwartz had begun his writing career along with his brother Albert on Bob Hope’s radio show in the late 1930s. He went on to write for other popular radio shows before moving into television in the 1950s.

He was honoured with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008.

To see an interview with Sherwood Schwartz click here.

 

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