Gary Belkin(1927-2005)

Born in 1927, Gary Belkin was an Emmy-winning comedy writer who during his long career worked on hit sitcoms and classic television shows including Sid Caesar's Caesar's Hour (1954), The Carol Burnett Show (1967) and Sesame Street (1969). Belkin began his career writing jokes for radio comedians and proposing cartoon ideas to the New Yorker magazine. His big break in television came when he was hired as a writer on Caesar's variety show, which ran from 1954 to 1957. Belkin found a home for his style of humor in television and the majority of his work was in this area. He spent eight years writing on The Carol Burnett Show (1967), and wrote for Get Smart (1965), The Doris Day Show (1968), Three's Company (1976), and Newhart (1982) as well as specials for celebrities including Frank Sinatra, Anne Bancroft, and Doris Day. He also ghost wrote quips and poetry for Muhammad Ali! According to the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Web site, Belkin was a part of the writing staff that won Emmy awards in 1970 for Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man (1970) and the staff that won for the 1974 and 1975 The Carol Burnett Show (1967), During his career, he was on writing staffs that were nominated for Emmys on four other occasions.