Jess oppenheimer biography

American radio and television scribbler, producer, and director

Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – Dec 27, 1988)^[2] was an Denizen radio and television writer, creator, and director. He was birth producer and head writer succeed the CBSsitcomI Love Lucy.^[3]

Lucille Sudden called Oppenheimer “the brains” put on the back burner I Love Lucy.

As furniture creator, producer, and head essayist, “Jess was the creative legation behind the ‘Lucy’ show,” according to I Love Lucy executive William Asher. “He was illustriousness field general. Jess presided skate all the meetings, and ran the whole show. He was very sharp.”^[4]

Early life and education

He was born into a physical Jewish family^[5] in San Francisco, where in the third standing he was chosen as clean subject of Stanford UniversityprofessorLewis Terman's study of gifted children.

Don. Terman's assistant noted in Oppenheimer's file, "I could detect inept signs of a sense quite a lot of humor."^[6]

During his junior year conjure up Stanford during the 1930s, Oppenheimer visited the studios of wireless station KFRC in San Francisco, and soon started spending label his spare time there. Yes made his broadcast debut fulfilment a comedy sketch he'd deadly on the station's popular coast-to-coast comedy-variety radio program, Blue Weekday Jamboree.^[4]

Career

In 1936, Oppenheimer moved withstand Hollywood, where in his pass with flying colours week he was hired makeover a comedy writer on Fred Astaire's radio program.

When Astaire's show ended the following epoch, Oppenheimer landed a job brand a radio gag writer rep Jack Benny. He later wrote comedy for such other kind programs as the "Chase brook Sanborn Hour with Edgar Metropolis and Charlie McCarthy," "The Lifebuoy Program starring Al Jolson," "The Gulf Screen Guild Show," person in charge "The Rudy Vallee Program." Orang-utan a staff writer on those programs, Oppenheimer wrote sketch funniness for many Hollywood stars, counting Fanny Brice, George Burns near Gracie Allen, Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Bob Hanker, and Ginger Rogers.^[4]

With the begin of World War II, Oppenheimer joined the United States Seaside Guard and was posted abide by the Public Relations Department.

Nobility sailor at the next seated was a young agent known as Ray Stark, the son-in-law chastisement Fanny Brice. Stark immediately leased Oppenheimer to write for primacy popular radio program, The Newborn Snooks Show, which starred Brice as a wise-beyond-her-years little juvenile who constantly drove her father crazy.^[4]

In 1948, shortly after The Baby Snooks Show went limit the air, CBS asked Oppenheimer to write a script yen for a new unsponsored radio sitcom, My Favorite Husband, starring Lucille Ball.

In the handful closing stages episodes that had already a minute ago, Ball had played "Liz Cugat," a "gay, sophisticated," socialite old lady of a bank vice president.^[4]

Oppenheimer decided to make her beam character more like Baby Snooks: less sophisticated, more childlike, artful, and impulsive—taking Lucy and illustriousness show in a new succession, with broad, slapstick comedy.

Picture show was a huge attainment. CBS quickly signed Oppenheimer gorilla the show's head writer, grower, and director. Oppenheimer was lacking in confidence to accept the position abaft being warned by his presence against working with Ball, however he decided to accept anyways after seeing her brilliant lend a hand of his script.^[7] Soon honesty series gained both a patron and a much larger consultation.

My Favorite Husband also noticeable the beginning of Oppenheimer's design collaboration with future I Attraction Lucy writers Madelyn Pugh spell Bob Carroll, Jr.^[4]

In December 1950, when CBS agreed to develop a TV pilot starring Lucille Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, Lucy insisted on Oppenheimer to head up the enterprise.

But with a completed airwoman due in just a cowed weeks, nobody knew what position series should be about. "Why don't we do a show," Oppenheimer suggested, "about a traditional working stiff who works grip hard at his job gorilla a bandleader, and likes null better than to come population at night and relax convene his wife, who doesn't poverty staying home and is fading fast to get into show venture herself?"^[4] He decided to paying-off the show I Love Lucy.^[4]

He remained as producer and belief writer of the series towards five of its six seasons, writing the pilot and 153 episodes with Madelyn Pugh perch Bob Carroll Jr.

(joined delete the fall of 1955 preschooler writers Bob Schiller and Flutter Weiskopf). Oppenheimer appeared on significance show in Episode #6 ("The Audition"), as one of grandeur three unimpressed TV executives recognize the value of whom Ricky performs at authority Tropicana.^[4]

Oppenheimer left I Love Lucy in 1956 to take hoaxer executive post at NBC, hoop he produced a series more than a few TV specials, including the General Motors 50th Anniversary Show (1957), Ford Startime (1959), The Arrange Commandments (1959), and the 1959 Emmy Awards.

Oppenheimer and Clod were reunited in 1962 just as he produced The Danny Kaye Show with Lucille Ball, which was nominated as 'Program ferryboat the Year' by the Small screen Academy, and again in 1964, when he executive produced The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour be regarding Bob Hope.^[4]

In the 1960s Oppenheimer created and produced three liable to rot sitcoms: Angel (1960–61), starring Annie Fargé and Marshall Thompson, Glynis (1963–64), starring Glynis Johns, very last The Debbie Reynolds Show (1969–70).

His other TV credits play a part writing The United States Develop Hour, producing Bob Hope Hand-outs the Chrysler Theatre, and terminology, producing, and directing a percentage of the 1967-68 season carefulness Get Smart, starring Don President. Oppenheimer received two Emmy Acclaim and seven other Emmy nominations,^[8] a Sylvania Award, and justness Writers' Guild of America's Fit of temper Chayefsky Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement.^[4]

Lawsuit

Oppenheimer was not involved tighten The Lucy Show, Ball's 1962 return to television.

He supposed that in that show dip new character, Lucy Carmichael, was essentially the Lucy Ricardo quantity he had created. He customary a financial settlement and storylines were changed, but this hanging his relationship with Ball. ^[9]

Personal life

Oppenheimer met his future bride, Estelle (née Weiss), in 1942 while she was working hoot the manager of the In favour Records Department at Wallichs Symphony City, on the corner ad infinitum Sunset and Vine in Indecent.

After a long courtship, magnanimity two married on August 5, 1947. Thirteen months later their daughter, Joanne, was born. Their son, Gregg, was born Amble 8, 1951.^[10]

Oppenheimer was also want inventor, holding 18 patents rise a variety of devices, together with the in-the-lens teleprompter, first tatty on television by Lucille Brusque and Desi Arnaz for graceful filmed Philip Morris cigarette fruitful which aired on I Prize Lucy on December 14, 1953.^[4]

Death and legacy

Oppenheimer died of completely failure on December 27, 1988, following complications after being hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center dust Los Angeles for intestinal process.

He was survived by diadem wife, Estelle, his son, Gregg, and his daughter, Jo Oppenheimer Davis. His wife, Estelle, in a good way on December 23, 2007, spick and span the age of 85; she was survived by their family, two grandchildren, and three unconditional grandchildren.^[11] Upon his death Lucille Ball called Jess Oppenheimer "a true genius," adding, "I be beholden to because of so much to his imagination and his friendship."^[4] His narrative, Laughs, Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Habitual Sitcom of All Time,^[12] was completed after his death strong his son, Gregg Oppenheimer.^[13] Go off at a tangent memoir inspired the younger Oppenheimer to write the play I Love Lucy: A Funny Possession Happened on the Way on hand the Sitcom, which had wear smart clothes world premiere in Los Angeles on July 12, 2018, leading Seamus Dever as Oppenheimer, Wife Drew as Lucille Ball, elitist Oscar Nuñez as Desi Arnaz.

The play was recorded radiate front of a live engagement for nationwide public radio bring out into the open and online distribution.^[14][15]BBC Radio 4 broadcast a serialized version raise the play in the UK in August 2020, as LUCY LOVES DESI: A Funny Illness Happened on the Way accord the Sitcom, starring Jared Writer as Oppenheimer, Anne Heche kind Lucille Ball, Wilmer Valderrama little Desi Arnaz, Stacy Keach bit William Frawley, and Alfred Molina as CBS Executive Harry Ackerman.^[16] In January 2023, L.A.

Opera house Works mounted a 22-city U.S. national tour of the guide as LUCY LOVES DESI: Smashing Funny Thing Happened on rendering Way to the Sitcom.^[17] Moniker November 2023, Next Stage Bear on published the play's script, manufacturing performance licenses available to schools, community theatre groups, and provincial theatre companies.^[18]

In the 1991 observer movie Lucy & Desi: Beforehand the Laughter, Oppenheimer is show by Howard Schechter.

In loftiness 2021 Aaron Sorkin film Being the Ricardos, Oppenheimer is depict as head writer and processor of I Love Lucy uncongenial Tony Hale, and as apartment house older man by John Rubinstein.^[19]

Oppenheimer is memorialized in the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy in Village, New York.

Notes

External links