Danny Arnold(bornArnold Rothmann;[1]January 23, 1925 – August 19, 1995) was an Americanproducer,writer,comedian,actoranddirectorknown for producingBarney Miller,That Girl,andBewitched.
Danny Arnold | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Arnold Rothmann January 23, 1925 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 19, 1995(aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Occupations |
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| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editBorn inNew York City,Arnold started his career acting insummer stockand doing comedy invaudeville.DuringWorld War II,he served in theUnited States Marine Corpsin theSouth Pacific.He later moved toHollywoodto continue a career in show business.[2]
Career
editArnold appeared in films as an actor opposite the comic duoMartin and Lewis,and also wrote the screenplay for the Martin and Lewis vehicleThe Caddy(1953). In 1956, Arnold started writing for such television series asThe Tennessee Ernie Ford ShowandThe Rosemary Clooney Show.In the 1960s, he began writing and producing episodes for such sitcoms asThe Real McCoys,Bewitched,andThat Girl.RegardingBewitched,which he produced for its first season, Arnold noted, "With this show, I saw a great opportunity to accomplish something. Fantasy can always be a jumping-off place for more sophisticated work."[3]
Though his subsequent work was popular with audiences, Arnold frequently butted heads with TV executives regarding issues of content and fair shooting schedules. Television sitcom writer-directorKen Levinedescribed Arnold as "brilliant, unpredictable (a nice term for bi-polar), demanding, and kind."[4]Tapings onBarney Millerbecame legendary for lasting into the wee hours as Arnold worked on rewrites;[5]due to these extended tapings the show in its later seasons ceased having a live audience.[6]While working onBarney Miller,Arnold became so sick of the constant network battles that he founded his own distribution companyPro-Synd, Inc.,so he could syndicate shows as he wished, but with the cancellation of his subsequent seriesJoe BashandStat,his plans forBarney Millernever came to fruition. He eventually sued regarding what he felt was the unfair sharing of the profits fromBarney Millerand got a $50 million settlement.[7]
On August 28, 1986, Danny Arnold sold his production companyFour D Productions, Inc.toCoca-Cola'sColumbia Pictures TelevisionGroup for $50 million after Arnold dropped the federal and state lawsuits against Columbia Pictures Industries accusing them ofantitrustviolations,fraud,and breach offiduciary duty.[8]
Arnold won twoEmmy Awards,one forMy World and Welcome to Itand one for the series for which he is most famous,Barney Miller.This latter show also won Arnold aPeabody Award.He was honored with thePaddy ChayefskyAwardin 1985 by theWriters Guild of Americato celebrate his lifetime of achievement.[2]
Filmography
edit- Barney Miller(1975–1982, produced by Four D Productions)
- Fish(1977–1978, produced by the Mimus Corporation)
- A.E.S. Hudson Street(1978, produced by the Triseme Corporation)
- Joe Bash(1986, produced by Tetagram Ltd.)
- Stat(1986)
Personal life
editArnold was married twice and had two children. His first marriage was to the daughter of songwriterRay Gilbert,actressJoanne Gilbert,in 1955.[9]The marriage ended the following year.[10]
Arnold met his second wife, Donna, while he was working as a writer onThe Tennessee Ernie Ford Showand she was appearing as a singer and dancer on the program.[11]They married in 1961 and had two children, David and Dannel. The couple remained married until Arnold's death.[2]
Death
editOn August 19, 1995, Arnold died ofheart failureat his Los Angeles home at the age of 70.[12]He is buried atMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemeteryin Los Angeles.
References
edit- ^"Danny Arnold Biography (1925–1995)".filmreference.Retrieved2012-11-23.
- ^abc"Danny Arnold, 70, Creator of 'Barney Miller'".The New York Times.August 22, 1995.Retrieved2012-11-23.
- ^"TV's Witch to Watch".Pageant.April 1965.
- ^"Writing for Barney Miller".Ken Levineofficial blog. April 13, 2009.Retrieved2013-09-05.
- ^Evanier, Mark(April 25, 2010)."Barney Miller".OldTVTickets.Retrieved2013-09-05.
- ^Weinman, Jaime J. (March 26, 2006).""Bewitched": The Year of Danny Arnold ".Something Old, Something New.
- ^Harris, Mark (May 3, 1991)."Stat Man Danny Arnold".Entertainment Weekly.Archived fromthe originalon April 21, 2009.RetrievedJune 18,2009.
- ^"Coke to Buy Film Concern to Settle Suits".AP News Archive.August 29, 1986.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2013.Retrieved2013-11-30.
- ^Carroll, Harrison (1955-01-04)."Behind the Scenes In Hollywood".The Dispatch.p. 5.Retrieved2012-11-23.
- ^"Files for Divorce".The Register-Guard.Eugene, Oregon.June 17, 1956. p. 12C.Retrieved2012-11-23.
- ^Schmitz, David (September 27, 2011)."Hoping for an Encore: Donna Arnold".bloodhorse.Retrieved2012-11-23.
- ^"Danny Arnold, Television Producer".Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Milwaukee, Wisconsin.August 8, 1995.Retrieved2012-11-23.[permanent dead link]
