Veteran television comedy writer Earl Barret has died. He was 94, passing away of natural causes at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, on October 22, as announced by his daughter, J.K. Barret.
Earl Barret (Credits: Variety)
His daughter remembered him as a “lifelong learner with a keen, curious mind and a gift for impeccable comic timing.” He is survived by his wife, Barbara, his son, John, and five grandsons; a daughter, Lisa, died before him.
From Canton to a 30-Year Sitcom Career
Born on October 17, 1932, in Canton, Ohio, Barret launched his TV writing career in 1961 after taking a free weekly writing class taught by Robert C. Dennis. That same year he wrote for Sea Hunt, Hawaiian Eye and Ripcord, before a 1963 episode of My Favorite Martian set him on the sitcom path he would follow through the 1980s.
Over more than 30 years, Barret wrote for over 30 television series, including My Favorite Martian, Batman, Bewitched, The Andy Griffith Show, Get Smart, I Spy, The Partners, Sanford and Son and Welcome Back, Kotter. He even helped create the King Tut villain for the 1960s Batman series, played by Victor Buono across four episodes in 1966.
Barret’s Signature Hit: Too Close for Comfort
Barret’s biggest success was Too Close for Comfort, the Ted Knight sitcom he created, wrote and executive produced alongside longtime writing partner Arne Sultan. Debuting in 1980 as a vehicle for Knight after The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the series ran through 1987, with Barret also directing 13 episodes.
His final writing credit was another memorable one: the 1989 Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil, for which he was also credited as executive producer.
Few writers left fingerprints on as many eras of TV comedy as Earl Barret — from the camp of 1960s Batman to the workplace laughs of Sanford and Son and his own beloved sitcom.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
