How prepared are you? C.EPLawyers.com obituaries Obituaries from page 67 Creator Of Sitcoms With A 'Deeper Significance' Center for Estate Planning www.ceplawyers.com • 248-593-5000 info@ceplawyers.com HONOR THE MEMORY OF Sherwood THOSE YOU LOVE Schwartz PLANT TREES JTA JEWISH NATIONAL FUND 1-800-542-TREE jnf.org r . lift Jewish National Fund CANISTERS or TRAYS From $10.99 and up 248-851-4450 1-800-966-7263 • We Ship Nationwide 6698 Orchard Lake Rd • W Bloomfield MI 48322 www.americangourmet.com Oats Regular Rolled Oats or Quick Oats 590 lb. With coupon. Limit 2 lbs. Expires 8/04/11 Bloonits Bloom's Jewish Cuisine "c+rtyi FREE Chocolate Dipped Strawberries on any condolence Tray upon request With coupon. Limit 2 lbs. Expires 8/04/11 www.NibblesAndNuts.com • Shiva dinners, Fish trays, Deli trays Delivered 248-855 9463 Jewishcateringcom ,Kosiaa- 'tuts and chocolaics 248-737-8088 NibblesAndNuts•coni T V writer and producer Sherwood Schwartz, whose contributions to the world of sitcoms included the classic series Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, died July 12, 2011, at age 94. The shows never received critical acclaim but went on to become cul- tural icons that spawned follow-up movies, theatrical productions and tell-all books by their former stars and more. Both managed to reverberate in viewers' heads through the years as few such series did, lingering in the language and inspiring parodies, spinoffs and countless stand-up comedy jokes, one writer said after Schwartz died. Gilligan's Island ran only three seasons, from 1964 to 1967, but was revived in three TV movies, a chil- dren's cartoon and a reality show. The Brady Bunch lasted five seasons, from 1969 to 1974, and was followed by three one-season spinoffs, a live production of the show's episodes and two films. Schwartz, in his own memoir of Brady, as well as in others' memoirs in which he was quoted, claimed a deeper significance for each show than as critically derided "gag- ridden corn" (Gilligan) or "a sugar- coated view of American family life" (Brady). Schwartz said that Gilligan's Island was really "a metaphor for the nations of the world, and their purpose was to show how the nations of the world have to get along together or cease to exist:' Schwartz was quoted as saying that such a description drew an out- burst by CBS President Bill Paley and almost cost him the show. But Schwartz insisted "it was a microcosm. I mean, here's a show about a group of people who have absolutely nothing in common, forced to live together and work hard toward a common goal of survival. That's the philosophy of the show. "Of course, we buried that mes- sage under a lot of pratfalls and bamboo and silly stuff, but I used to get a lot of mail from psychia- trists and philosophers who under- stood it." As for The Brady Bunch, Schwartz said he was inspired in 1965 by an article that described the growth of "blended" families in America: "Times were changing, and that one little newspaper item was all it took to provide that 'Eureka' moment that inspired me to create a new kind of TV family — a family that America was not only ready for, but maybe even needed." Schwartz was born in Passaic, N.J., and grew up in Brooklyn. His broth- er, who was working for Bob Hope, got him a job as a writer. Schwartz wrote comedies and pro- grams for Armed Forces Radio dur- ing World War II before becoming a staff writer for the original radio version of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He then became head writer of The Red Skelton Show, for which he, his brother and two others won an Emmy award. The movie and TV website IMDB has a full resume of Schwartz's writing, producing and songwrit- ing, which included co-writing the famous theme songs for both Brady and Gilligan. Schwartz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. He was married to his wife for 69 years. Obituaries on page 70 68 July 28 2011 Obituaries