About
“I'm proudest of having had the capability to make a fine living, writing things that I often felt were a cut above. Also, being acknowledged as a writer of quality by other writers, actors, and directors of quality. Being regaled by peers that you respect, I really value.”
In his two-and-a-half-hour interview, Ron Friedman talks about his early life and his first writing jobs, penning gags for the comedian Shelley Berman and for The Perry Como Show. He chronicles writing for The Jonathan Winters Show and for The Danny Kaye Show, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nomination in 1966. He recounts making the transition from writing variety to writing sitcoms with Bewitched and later Lucille Ball’s "Lucy in London" special on which he partnered with the boisterous Pat McCormick. He recalls writing several 1970s sitcoms, including The Odd Couple, Funny Face, All in the Family, and Barney Miller, and becoming story editor on Chico and the Man, where he expressed his concern for the well-being of star Freddie Prinze to the producers, who declined to get involved. Friedman speaks of yet another pivot in his career to writing dramas, including Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, and The Fall Guy. He details his final genre change to creating and writing animated series, including the wildly popular and iconic G.I. Joe and The Transformers cartoons, as well as Marvel Action Universe and Bionic Six. He concludes with a discussion of his writing process, how he deals with writer's block, his involvement with the Writers Guild, and advice to aspiring writers. John Dalton conducted the interview in a joint venture with the Writers Guild Foundation on November 7, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA, and Adrienne Faillace conducted a short, follow-up segment on August 18, 2017 in North Hollywood, CA.
Highlights
Ron Friedman on killing "Optimus Prime" on The Transformers, and on how he came to create G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on his writing partner, Pat McCormick with whom he wrote The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" and an unsold pilot for Stiller and Meara
Ron Friedman on writing for Starsky and Hutch
Ron Friedman on the chemistry between Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson on Chico and the Man, and on the death of Freddie Prinze
Ron Friedman on career achievements and regrets
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on radio he listened to growing up, and on his early memories of television; on his earliest writing jobs first for Shelley Berman and later for The Perry Como Show
On his early years writing gags for comedians like Vaughn Meader, and on writing for The Danny Kaye Show; on being nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on The Danny Kaye Show, and on leaving the show; on his writing partner, Pat McCormick with whom he wrote The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" and an unsold pilot for Stiller and Meara
On writing for The Jonathan Winters Show; on making the transition from writing for variety shows to writing sitcoms; on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
On writing for The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" starring Lucille Ball, The Partridge Family, and Funny Face; on writing for All in the Family and Barney Miller; on writing for Chico and the Man, as well as Big John, Little John, and Bridget Loves Bernie
Chapter 2
On making the transition from writing sitcoms to writing dramas; on writing for Starsky and Hutch; on working with Aaron Spelling
On writing for Fantasy Island and working with Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize on that show; on writing for The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors
On killing "Optimus Prime" on The Transformers, and on how he came to create G.I. Joe; on the character of "G.I. Joe" on G.I. Joe; on the conflict between "G.I. Joe" and "Cobra" on G.I. Joe, and on the politics of the show
On the groundbreaking female characters of G.I. Joe; on The Transformers and G.I. Joe toys
On working with Stan Lee on Marvel Action Universe; on creating Bionic Six; on the legacy of The Transformers and G.I. Joe
Chapter 3
On his acting roles; on his writing process and on dealing with writers block; on how his process for writing drama differs from his process for writing comedy
On joining the Writers Guild, and on how it benefits writers; on teaching writing, and on advice to aspiring television writers; on career achievements and regrets, and on how he'd like to be remembered
Chapter 4
On what it takes to succeed in the business and his gratitude for those who helped him along the way, particularly his wife and children
Shows
All in the Family
Ron Friedman on writing for All in the Family and working with Norman Lear
Barney Miller
Ron Friedman on acting as a troubleshooter for shows, including A Year at the Top, and on writing for Barney Miller
Bewitched
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
Big John, Little John
Ron Friedman on writing for Bridget Loves Bernie and Big John, Little John
Bionic Six
Ron Friedman on creating Bionic Six
Bridget Loves Bernie
Ron Friedman on writing for Bridget Loves Bernie and Big John, Little John
Chico and the Man
Ron Friedman on writing for Chico and the Man starring Jack Albertson and Freddie Prinze, and on Prinze's troubles during production
Ron Friedman on Chico and the Man creator James Komack
Ron Friedman on the chemistry between Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson on Chico and the Man, and on the death of Freddie Prinze
Ron Friedman on the legacy of Chico and the Man
Danny Kaye Show, The
Ron Friedman on writing for The Danny Kaye Show
Ron Friedman on being nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on The Danny Kaye Show, and on leaving the show
Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)
Ron Friedman on being nominated for an Emmy for his work on The Danny Kaye Show, and on leaving the show
Fall Guy, The
Ron Friedman on writing for The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors
Fantasy Island
Ron Friedman on writing for Fantasy Island, and working with Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize on that show
Funny Face
Ron Friedman on writing for the series Funny Face starring Sandy Duncan
G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on killing "Optimus Prime" on The Transformers, and on how he came to create G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on the character of "G.I. Joe" on G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on the conflict between "G.I. Joe" and "Cobra" on G.I. Joe, and on the politics of the show
Ron Friedman on the groundbreaking female characters of G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on the feature film versions of G.I. Joe and The Transformers
Ron Friedman on The Transformers and G.I. Joe toys
Ron Friedman on the legacy of The Transformers and G.I. Joe
Jonathan Winters Show, The (1967-69)
Ron Friedman on writing for The Jonathan Winters Show
Lucy Show, The
Ron Friedman on his writing partner, Pat McCormick with whom he wrote The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" and an unsold pilot for Stiller and Meara
Ron Friedman on The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" starring Lucille Ball
Marvel Action Universe
Ron Friedman on working with Stan Lee on Marvel Action Universe
Odd Couple, The (1970-75)
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
Partridge Family, The
Ron Friedman on writing for The Partridge Family
Starsky and Hutch
Ron Friedman on writing for Starsky and Hutch
Ron Friedman on working with Paul Michael Glaser on Starsky and Hutch, and on the popularity of the show
Transformers, The
Ron Friedman on killing "Optimus Prime" on The Transformers, and on how he came to create G.I. Joe
Ron Friedman on the feature film versions of G.I. Joe and The Transformers
Ron Friedman on The Transformers and G.I. Joe toys
Ron Friedman on the legacy of The Transformers and G.I. Joe
Topics
Advice
Ron Friedman on advice to aspiring writers, and on his children who are writers
Emmy Awards
Ron Friedman on being nominated for an Emmy for his work writing for The Danny Kaye Show, and on leaving the show
Representation on Television
Ron Friedman on the groundbreaking female characters of G.I. Joe
Television Industry
Ron Friedman on how the industry has changed since he started
Ron Friedman on advice to aspiring writers, and on his children who are writers
Women
Ron Friedman on the groundbreaking female characters of G.I. Joe
Professions
Writers
Ron Friedman on making the transition from writing for variety shows to writing sitcoms
Ron Friedman on acting as a troubleshooter for shows, including A Year at the Top, and on writing for Barney Miller
Ron Friedman on making the transition from writing sitcoms to writing dramas
Ron Friedman on his writing process
Ron Friedman on dealing with writers block
Ron Friedman on how his process for writing drama differs from his process for writing comedy
Ron Friedman on joining the Writers Guild, and on how it benefits writers
Ron Friedman on what he enjoys about teaching writing
Ron Friedman on advice to aspiring writers, and on his children who are writers
Genres
Adventure/Espionage Series
Ron Friedman on writing for The Fall Guy
Animation
Ron Friedman on creating and writing G.I. Joe and The Transformers
Ron Friedman on writing for Marvel Action Universe and on creating Bionic Six
Ron Friedman on the legacy of his animation work, specifically G.I. Joe and The Transformers
Comedy Series
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple
Ron Friedman on The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London"
Ron Friedman on writing for the series Funny Face
Ron Friedman on writing for All in the Family and working with Norman Lear
Ron Friedman on acting as a troubleshooter for shows, including A Year at the Top, and on writing for Barney Miller
Ron Friedman on writing for Chico and the Man
Cop/Detective/Mystery Series
Ron Friedman on writing for Starsky and Hutch
Drama Series
Ron Friedman on writing for Fantasy Island
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Ron Friedman on writing for The Danny Kaye Show
Ron Friedman on writing for The Jonathan Winters Show
People
Jack Albertson
Ron Friedman on writing for Chico and the Man starring Jack Albertson and Freddie Prinze, and on Prinze's troubles during production
Ron Friedman on the chemistry between Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson on Chico and the Man, and on the death of Freddie Prinze
William Asher
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
Lucille Ball
Ron Friedman on The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" starring Lucille Ball
Shelley Berman
Ron Friedman on his earliest writing jobs, first for Shelley Berman and later for The Perry Como Show
Sandy Duncan
Ron Friedman on writing for the series Funny Face starring Sandy Duncan
Herb Edelman
Ron Friedman on writing for Bridget Loves Bernie and Big John, Little John starring Herb Edelman
Paul Michael Glaser
Ron Friedman on working with Paul Michael Glaser on Starsky and Hutch, and on the popularity of the show
Danny Kaye
Ron Friedman on writing for The Danny Kaye Show, and on working with guest stars on the show including Vincent Price
Jack Klugman
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
James Komack
Ron Friedman on Chico and the Man creator James Komack
Norman Lear
Ron Friedman on writing for All in the Family and working with Norman Lear
Stan Lee
Ron Friedman on working with Stan Lee on Marvel Action Universe
Lee Majors
Ron Friedman on writing for The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors
Garry Marshall
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
Pat McCormick
Ron Friedman on his writing partner, Pat McCormick, with whom he wrote The Lucy Show special "Lucy in London" and an unsold pilot for Stiller and Meara
Ricardo Montalban
Ron Friedman on writing for Fantasy Island, and working with Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize on that show
Vincent Price
Ron Friedman on writing for The Danny Kaye Show, and on working with guest stars on the show including Vincent Price
Freddie Prinze
Ron Friedman on writing for Chico and the Man starring Jack Albertson and Freddie Prinze, and on Prinze's troubles during production
Ron Friedman on the chemistry between Freddie Prinze and Jack Albertson on Chico and the Man, and on the death of Freddie Prinze
Tony Randall
Ron Friedman on writing for Bewitched and The Odd Couple starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, and working with producers William Asher and Garry Marshall
Aaron Spelling
Ron Friedman on working with Aaron Spelling
Herve Villechaize
Ron Friedman on writing for Fantasy Island, and working with Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize on that show
Jonathan Winters
Ron Friedman on writing for The Jonathan Winters Show