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George Burditt
Personal details
Born
George Henry Burditt

(1923-07-29)July 29, 1923
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died June 25, 2013(2013-06-25) (aged 89)
Burbank, California, U.S.
Buried 34°16′25.48″N 118°28′1.71″W / 34.2737444°N 118.4671417°W / 34.2737444; -118.4671417
Parents John and Dorothy Burditt
Spouse Joyce Rebeta (m. 1957)
Children 3, including Jack Burditt
Occupation Writer, producer

George Henry Burditt (July 29, 1923 – June 25, 2013) was an American television writer and producer. He wrote sketches for variety shows and other television shows, such as Three's Company, for which he was also an executive producer in its last few seasons.

Early life[]

George Henry Burditt was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 29, 1923, to John and Dorothy Burditt.[1][2] He had one brother.[2] He served in the United States Marine Corps around the Pacific Ocean during World War II.[1] In Cleveland, Ohio, he worked for American Greetings[1] and married his former employee Joyce Rebeta-Burdett on May 11, 1957.[2][3]

Career[]

Burditt moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles to become a television writer.[1] Burditt, together with his writing partner Paul Wayne[4][5] and other writers, received three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Series. The nominations were received in 1972[6] and 1974[7] for The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, and in 1977 for Van Dyke and Company,[8] a variety show starring Dick Van Dyke. Burditt and Wayne co-wrote mainly the first three seasons (1977–79) of the television series Three's Company,[5] and Burditt served as an executive producer of the series from 1981 to 1984.[1] They also wrote one episode of All in the Family, "Archie Eats and Runs" (1974),[9] and (along with Aaron Ruben) the 1974 Sanford and Son[10] episode "The Way to Lamont's Heart".

Individually[5] or with other writers, Burditt also earned an Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Variety or Music Special Emmy nomination in 1976, for the television special Van Dyke and Company,[11] a predecessor to the short-lived television series of the same name. Burditt also wrote episodes of its short-lived spinoffs, The Ropers (1979–80) and Three's a Crowd (1984–85), which he also produced;[1] the first season of Doc (1975–76);[12] and The Jeffersons[1] episode "George vs. Wall Street" (1975). He also wrote sketches for other variety shows of the Hudson Brothers;[12] of Joey Heatherton and her father Ray;[12] of Lola Falana;[12] and of Sonny Bono.[12] Though he did not write for the shows, Burditt was executive producer of Silver Spoons and 227.[1]

Selected filmography[]

Unless otherwise indicated, years refer to the duration of the show, not the duration of Burditt's work.
  • The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour (1971–74)
  • All in the Family, "Archie Eats and Runs" (1974; Season 4, Episode 21) – with Paul Wayne
  • Sanford and Son, "The Way to Lamont's Heart" (1974; Season 3, Episode 23) – with Paul Wayne (story/teleplay) and Aaron Ruben (teleplay only)
  • The Sonny Comedy Revue (1974)
  • The Hudson Brothers Show (1974) – later renamed The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Comedy Show (1974–77), for which Burditt did not write
  • The Jeffersons, "George vs. Wall Street" (1975; Season 2, Episode 15)
  • Joey and Dad (1975) – starring Joey and Ray Heatherton
  • Doc (1975–76) – first season only
  • Lola (1975–76) – three specials, starring Lola Falana
  • Van Dyke and Company (1975–77) – starring Dick Van Dyke
  • Three's Company (1977–84) – writer and executive producer
  • The Ropers (1979–80)
  • Three's a Crowd (1984–85) – writer and executive producer

Executive producer (only)

  • Silver Spoons (1982–87)
  • 227 (1985–90)

Award nominations[]

Burditt earned four Emmy Award nominations alongside writing crew of the television variety series that he wrote for:

  • 24th Primetime Emmy Awards, 1972 – Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety or Music, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour[6]
  • 26th Primetime Emmy Awards, 1974 – Best Writing in Variety or Music, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour[7]
  • 28th Primetime Emmy Awards, 1976 – Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special, Van Dyke and Company[11]
  • 29th Primetime Emmy Awards, 1977 – Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series, Van Dyke and Company[8]

Personal life and death[]

Burditt and his wife Joyce were the parents of two sons (Paul and Jack) and a daughter (Ellen).[2][13] Joyce later became a network executive and a mystery writer;[14] Jack is a TV writer and producer.[1]

Burditt resided for 46 years in Burbank, California. He had nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, one of whom predeceased him. He died at age 89 on June 25, 2013, and was buried at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles.[2]

Bibliography[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "R.I.P. George Burditt". Deadline. June 26, 2013. https://deadline.com/2013/06/r-i-p-george-burditt-530607/. Retrieved January 21, 2017. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "George Henry BURDITT – Obituary". Los Angeles Times via Legacy. June 26, 2013. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=165529597. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  3. O'Sullivan, Joan (April 19, 1978). "Close-up of New Author—Her Novel Approach to Alcoholism". The Hour. Norwalk, Connecticut. p. 24. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1OggAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cm4FAAAAIBAJ&dq=george%20burditt%20writer%20%7C%20producer&pg=1752%2C3619177. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  4. "CTV's New Sitcom Laughs at French-English Mixups". The Calgary Herald. September 6, 1974. TV Times pullout, September 6–13, 1974 issue, p. 37 (page number not shown in source). https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iG5kAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y30NAAAAIBAJ&dq=george-burditt%20all-in-the-family&pg=4174%2C1991169. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lewellen 2013, p. 10 "The Writers"
  6. 6.0 6.1 "24th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners: OUTSTANDING WRITING ACHIEVEMENT IN VARIETY OR MUSIC". Emmys. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1972/writing-variety-special#sthash.uLo8fWZZ.dpufl. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "26th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners: BEST WRITING IN VARIETY OR MUSIC – 1974". Emmys. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1974/writing-general. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 "29th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners: OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY-VARIETY OR MUSIC SERIES – 1977". Emmys. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1977/writing-variety-special#sthash.ASSKbIBd.dpuf. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 
  9. Lewellen 2013, p. 60 "Careening to a Wall"
  10. Lewellen 2013, p. 85 "We Had to Cut the Laugh"
  11. 11.0 11.1 "28th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners: OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY-VARIETY OR MUSIC SPECIAL – 1976". Emmys. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1976/writing-variety-special#sthash.F9nVLarJ.dpuf. Retrieved December 5, 2013.  There is no mistake from this source.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Terrace 1985, pp. 112–13. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FOOTNOTETerrace1985" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FOOTNOTETerrace1985" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FOOTNOTETerrace1985" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FOOTNOTETerrace1985" defined multiple times with different content
  13. Gennis, Sadie (June 27, 2013). "Three's Company Producer George Burditt Dies at 89". TV Guide. https://www.tvguide.com/news/george-burditt-dies-1067228.aspx. 
  14. Biederman, Patricia Ward (June 20, 1996). "Valley Weekend: Writer Finding Elusive Secret to Success". Los Angeles Times. https://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-20/entertainment/ca-16934_1_mystery-writer. Retrieved December 5, 2013. 

External links[]

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