Ed Jurist

Television pioneer Ed Jurist majored in Theater at the University of Michigan before beginning his career in 1949, writing and directing one of the first sitcoms, "The Aldrich Family," adapted from the popular radio series of the '40s. In '53, he moved on to the comedies "Colonel Humphrey Flack" starring Alan Mowbray, and "The Betty Hutton Show." During the late '50s, Jurist was implicated in one of the notorious "quiz show" scandals. As one of the producers of "Dotto," Jurist acknowledged that he and his fellow producers had coached the contestants, stating, "You cannot ask random questions of people and have a show. You simply have failure...and that does not make entertainment." In the early '60s, Jurist wrote for the detective series "Hawaiian Eye" and "77 Sunset Strip" and produced the sticom "Room for One More." In addition to writing episodes of "My Three Sons," "The Patty Duke Show," and the long-running "Bewitched," Jurist produced and wrote for "The Flying Nun," starring Sally Field, from '68 to '70. In the '70s and '80s, Jurist's television history made him a valued story consultant and writer on many hit series of the era, including "M.A.S.H.," "Diff'rent Strokes," "One Day at a Time," and "Gimme a Break!." Jurist worked on his last series, the stcom "Small Wonder," in '85, and died in Hollywood, from heart failure, in '93.