Biography
Arne Sultan was born on June 7, 1925, in New York and raised in Brooklyn. Before becoming a writer, he worked as a nightclub performer. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he wrote for numerous Steve Allen television shows and contributed to The Judy Garland Show (1963).
He co-wrote the story for Boys' Night Out (1962), a comedy featuring Kim Novak, James Garner, and Tony Randall. He also co-wrote the original story for Arthur Hiller's romantic comedy Promise Her Anything (1966), starring Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron, as well as the story for Three on a Couch (1966). His final credited work was as co-writer of See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), collaborating with Marvin Worth, his writing partner on all these films. Sultan was also a story editor and writer for Get Smart (1965), eventually becoming an executive producer. During this period, he produced and wrote for He & She (1967), a short-lived romantic comedy series.
Together with Leonard Stern, a fellow Get Smart executive producer and creator of He & She, Sultan created The Governor & J.J. (1969). After its conclusion, he executive produced and wrote numerous episodes of The Partners (1971), created by and starring Don Adams, the star of Get Smart. He then created The Sandy Duncan Show (1972), which featured Tom Bosley prior to his role in Happy Days (1974). Earl Barret was his writing partner for most episodes of these shows.
In 1975, Sultan returned to television writing, penning nine episodes of Barney Miller (1975) while also serving as a producer. His writing partners on Barney Miller were Danny Arnold and Chris Hayward. He co-wrote several episodes of Holmes and Yoyo (1976) alongside Earl Barret. Sultan co-wrote the Get Smart movie, The Nude Bomb (1980), with Leonard Stern and Bill Dana. That same year, he co-developed Too Close for Comfort (1980), an American adaptation of the British sitcom Keep It in the Family (1980). The series ended in 1986 following the deaths of both Sultan and the show's star, Ted Knight.
