Bill Idelson Written Out of the Show of Life

TV actor, writer and producer Bill Idelson died Dec. 31 in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 88.

Idelson appeared in episodes of TV shows including "Dragnet," "Perry Mason," "The Twilight Zone," "My Favorite Martian," "The Odd Couple," "Happy Days" and "Will & Grace." He went on to write for shows including "The Andy Griffith Show," "Get Smart," "The Odd Couple," "Love American Style," "MASH," "Happy Days" and "The Bob Newhart Show."

Two of his scripts won Writers Guild awards for episodic comedy: "Get Smart" and "The Andy Griffith Show," for which he also shared an Emmy nom for comedy series in 1971. The Chicago native co-starred as a kid in the popular radio show "Vic and Sade," where he was inspired to become a writer by the show's creator, Paul Rhymer. The show ran from 1932 to 1944 and had 7 million listeners at its peak in the early 1940s.

Notes from Idelson's workshops were turned into a book and released earlier this month. In the book, he taught people how to write a comedy. Unfortunately for Bill, the writer of his story slotted him inside a tragedy.

[Variety]