Dick Chevillat (December 31, 1905 – May 10, 1984) was an American writer and producer who worked in radio, film, and television. Early in his career, Chevillat wrote for ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th century American comedy. He played one role throughout his radio and televis ...

'' and for the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

, and then for

Sealtest Sealtest Dairy is a Good Humor-Breyers brand for dairy products. Formerly a division of National Dairy Products Corporation (precursor to Kraft Foods) of Delaware, it produced milk, cream, ice cream, and lemonade. The Sealtest brand was also late ...

-sponsored radio programs '' The Rudy Vallée Show'' and ''

The Joan Davis Show . ''The Joan Davis Show'' is a title applied — in some cases specifically and in other cases generically — to several old-time radio comedy programs in the United States, some of which had other distinct titles as indicated below. Comedian Joa ...

,'' on which he was teamed with

Ray Singer (writer) Ray Singer (1916–1992) was an American writer and producer who worked in radio, film, and television. Singer was from New York. He wrote for radio shows such as '' The Rudy Vallée Show'', '' The Joan Davis Show'', and ''The Fred Allen Show''. ...

. With Singer he would write for many programs, including ''

The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show ''The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show'', was a comedy radio program which ran on NBC from 1948 to 1954 starring Alice Faye and Phil Harris. Harris had previously become known to radio audiences as the band-leader-turned-cast-member of the same name ...

'', on which they refined the characters of Phil Harris and Frank Remley.

Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...

reportedly broke her arm in a game of

charades Charades (, ). is a parlor game, parlor or party game, party word game, word guessing game. Originally, the game was a dramatic form of literary charades: a single person would act out each syllable of a word or phrase in order, followed by the w ...

at Chevillat's Encino home in 1947. Chevillat and Singer worked on television shows such as '' It's a Great Life'' and '' The Frank Sinatra Show'' and on films including '' Neptune's Daughter'' (1949) and ''

Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry bet ...

'' (1964). Chevillat and Singer ceased working together in 1966. Then Chevillat wrote/consulted on 152 episodes of ''

Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to ''Petticoat Junction'', the series was first broadcast on ...

''. He received story credit for ''

Gordy ''Gordy'' is a 1994 American family comedy-drama film directed by Mark Lewis, about a livestock piglet named Gordy who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to a slaughterhouse in Omaha, Nebraska). He experiences the lives of others ...

'' (1995), which he and

Jay Sommers Jay Sommers (January 3, 1917September 25, 1985) was an American producer, director and comedy writer whose career spanned four decades. He wrote more than 90 television comedy episodes, produced 63, and was creator and producer of the ''Green Ac ...

originally wrote with Arnold the Pig from ''

'' in mind, posthumously. He died of lung cancer on May 10, 1984 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

at age 78.

References

External links

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Dick Chevillat
on the RadioGoldINDEX {{Authority control 1905 births 1984 deaths American radio writers 20th-century American male writers