Bernie Orenstein

In his two-hour interview, Bernie Orenstein talks about his early life in Canada and moving to New York City to write for Candid Camera. He discusses writing for The Hollywood Palace and the first project he worked on with his writing/producing partner Saul Turteltaub: the pilot of The Pat Boone Show. Orenstein then details the shows that he and Turteltaub wrote and produced: That Girl, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show before discussing Sanford and Son, which he and Turteltaub wrote and produced from 1974 to 1977. He goes on to talk about creating What’s Happening!! and his and Turteltaub’s later work, producing and consulting on Kate & Allie and Cosby. He concludes by giving advice to aspiring writers and producers, discussing his connection with the Writers Guild, and sharing how he would like to be remembered. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview in a joint venture with the Writers Guild Foundation on June 2, 2016 in New York, NY.