Lee Erwin (September 12, 1906, in Ada, Oklahoma - June 4, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) was a television writer from the 1950s to the 1970s. Erwin wrote for Mr. & Mrs. North, The Millionaire, Have Gun, Will Travel, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan and many other 1950s and 1960s TV shows. He is probably best known for his Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy",[1] and his two-part Tarzan episode "The Deadly Silence". His episode of The Lieutenant, "To Set It Right", was controversial behind the scenes because the subject matter, racial prejudice, was taboo for entertainment television at the time. Despite claims that it never aired, Gene Roddenberry said it did, and the segment was reviewed by Daily Variety.[2] The episode was included in the 2012 DVD set The Lieutenant: The Complete Series, Part 2, from Warner Media, and a copy exists at The Paley Center for Media. Erwin's last work for television was the script for the All in the Family episode "Writing the President" (1971).
Lee Erwin | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1906 Ada, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 1972 (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television screenwriter |
| Years active | 1953-1971 |
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Film | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | The Flying Fontaines | Written By | |
| 1970 | Tarzan's Deadly Silence | Written By | Co-Wrote screenplay with "John Considine", "Tim Considine", and "Jack H. Robinson" |
Television
edit| Year | TV Series | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Mr. and Mrs. North | Writer | 10 Episodes |
| Captain Midnight | Writer | ||
| 1955 | Tales of the Texas Rangers | Writer | |
| Sheena, Queen of the Jungle | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1955-56 | Jungle Jim | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| 1956 | The Millionaire | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| Crossroads | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin | Writer | 3 Episodes | |
| 1956-57 | Circus Boy | Writer | 12 Episodes |
| 1957 | Have Gun – Will Travel | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1957-58 | Casey Jones | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| White Hunter | Writer | 5 Episodes | |
| The New Adventures of Charlie Chan | Writer | 5 Episodes | |
| 1958-59 | Sea Hunt | Writer | 10 Episodes |
| Whirlybirds | Writer | 2 Episodes | |
| 1959 | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| The Man and The Challenge | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1959-62 | Laramine | Writer | 12 Episodes |
| 1960 | M Squad | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1961 | The New Bob Cummings Show | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1962 | Frontier Circus | Writer | 1 Episode |
| The Dick Van Dyke Show | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1962-63 | Ripcord | Writer | 6 Episodes |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitcock Hour | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1963-64 | The Lieutenant | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| 1964-65 | Flipper | Writer | 5 Episodes |
| 1965 | Please Don’t Eat The Daisies | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| Peyton Place | Writer | 7 Episodes | |
| The F.B.I. | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1966 | Bewitched | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| 1966-68 | Tarzan | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| 1967 | Felony Squad | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1968 | The Big Valley | Writer | 2 Episodes |
| Maya | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1968-69 | The Flying Nun | Writer | 3 Episodes |
| 1969 | Star Trek | Writer | 1 Episode |
| 1971 | All in the Family | Writer | 1 Episode |
| Make Room for Granddaddy | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| Monty Nash | Writer | 1 Episode | |
| 1973 | Love, American Style | Writer | 1 Episode, Segment: "Love and the Playwright" |
| 1988 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Writer | 1 Episode |
References
edit- ^ Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda, The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Pocket Books, 1999, ISBN 0-671-53609-5.
- ^ Kaufman, David (February 24, 1964). "Telepix Followup, THE LIEUTENANT ("To Set It Right")". Daily Variety: 8.
External links
edit- Lee Erwin at IMDb
- Lee Erwin at Memory Alpha
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