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Larry Gelbart discovered his talent for eliciting laughter early on, and it has stayed with him throughout his distinguished career as a comedy writer, which spans the past 40 years. His credits trace back to the Golden Age of radio, aided by his father, a Beverly Hills barber who proudly told clients like Danny Thomas about his humorous 15-year-old son. Thanks to his father's informal advocacy, Larry became a professional comedy writer before finishing high school. Shortly after signing with the William Morris Agency, he joined the writing team of "Duffy's Tavern," working under Ed Gardner, known as one of radio's toughest bosses. "Seventy writers went through the mill while I was there," Gelbart recalls. "I was fortunate because I was young and everyone wanted me to succeed. They were all like godfathers to me."
Gelbart left "Duffy's Tavern" to write for the "Joan Davis Show," but was soon called into the Army. Serving with Armed Forces Radio Service for just over a year, he had a highly productive time, writing for the Army's "Command Performance" while continuing to contribute to Joan Davis and Jack Paar, who was then substituting for Jack Benny during the summer. Later, he wrote for Jack Carson and Bob Hope on both radio and television, and also contributed to the Red Buttons TV show.
In 1953, Gelbart joined the writing staff of TV's Your Show of Shows (1950), creating skits for Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca alongside fellow comedy legends Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Neil Simon. His work on the series earned him the Sylvania Award and two Emmy Awards. During the 1960s, he ventured into theater, writing "My L.A." and "The Conquering Hero," and collaborating with Burt Shevelove to adapt Plautus' work, resulting in the hit Broadway musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," starring Zero Mostel and winning them a 1962 Tony Award.
When "Forum" transferred to London, Gelbart and his family moved with it. Over his nine years there, he wrote the comedy film The Wrong Box (1966), the play "Jump," and several television scripts. Returning to Los Angeles, he wrote for the television series M*A*S*H (1972), contributing 97 episodes to one of TV's most intelligent and entertaining shows. In 1976, he revisited classic material by adapting Ben Jonson's "Volpone" into the successful Broadway play "Sly Fox," directed by Arthur Penn and starring George C. Scott.
Gelbart's film credits include The Notorious Landlady (1962), Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966), Oh, God! (1977), Movie Movie (1978) directed by Stanley Donen, Neighbors (1981), and Tootsie (1982), for which he received an Academy Award nomination and screenplay awards from the New York, Los Angeles, and National Film Critics organizations.
