Woody Kling (April 14, 1925 – April 10, 1988) was an American
television writer
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
T ...
,
producer,
playwright, and
composer.
Biography
Early life
Born Heywood Fisher Kling in New York City, Kling was the son of Mayme and
Ken Kling. Ken was a
cartoonist for the ''
New York Daily Mirror
The ''New York Daily Mirror'' was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the ''Evening Journal'' and ''N ...
'', predicting the horse races in his strip ''
Joe and Asbestos''. Woody Kling was given the middle name Fisher in tribute to Ken Kling's friend
Bud Fisher
Harry Conway "Bud" Fisher (April 3, 1885 – September 7, 1954) was an American cartoonist who created ''Mutt and Jeff'', the first successful daily comic strip in the United States.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a merchant, ...
, who created the first successful daily comic strip in the United States.
Career
In the 1940s, Ken and Mayme Kling hosted celebrity parties at their home at
The Eldorado building in New York City. At one of those parties, Woody Kling, then only in his 20s, met the vaudeville star
Milton Berle. Berle told a joke, at which Kling did not laugh. When questioned by Berle as to what was wrong, Kling said the joke wasn't told in the right way, and retold it in his own style. Upon Kling receiving the laughs of the entire party, Berle hired Kling on the spot to produce, head write and create the theme song for a new television show in which Berle would be starring. Called ''
The Texaco Star Theatre Starring Milton Berle'', the show was created by Berle, produced live before a New York audience on
kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 194 ...
s owned by Berle, but with the
script
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
s and music owned by Kling. The show's theme song was the broadcasting creation of the modern
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
. The theme song, called "We Are the Men of Texaco", and written by Kling and
Buddy Arnold
Arnold Buddy Grishaver (April 30, 1926 – November 9, 2003), known professionally as Buddy Arnold, was an American jazz saxophonist.
Career
Arnold took up the sax at age nine and turned pro while still in his teens. At 16 years old, Arnold p ...
, was the first time that a television program used music to promote a commercial
advertiser
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
's product.
In the decades that followed, "We are the Men of Texaco" and the way it was staged – sung by four gas station attendants (Kling's idea) – was licensed by Kling's heirs to filmmakers wishing to depict the impact of television's advent on the American family (like
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); '' Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ...
's 1990s film ''
Avalon
Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
''). The song also served as Milton Berle's theme for personal appearances. In 1979,
Dan Aykroyd,
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...
and
Garret Morris recreated Kling's staging and sung "We Are the Men of Texaco" live on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' in honor of Berle, its host that week. The song's lyrics were quoted in obituaries of Berle.
1950s to 1960s
Kling soon became the head writer on a number of television shows like ''
The Jack Parr Show'', ''The Will Rogers, Jr. Show'', and ''The Red Buttons Show''. He additionally created and wrote several dozen cartoon programs at
Hal Seeger
Harold Seeger (May 16, 1917 – March 13, 2005) was an American animated cartoon producer and director who owned his own studio the Hal Seeger Studio (Hal Seeger Productions). He is most famous as the creator of the 1960s animated series '' Batfi ...
Studios.
In 1968, Kling was producer of the program ''Wedding Party''. Thereafter, he became head writer on ''
The Jackie Gleason Show
''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms.
''Cavalcade of Stars''
Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...
'' in
Palm Beach, Florida. The hit show for Gleason became the first hit television shows to be broadcast from Florida. Finally, in late 1969, Kling moved to
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
where he wrote for
Joseph Barbera the filmed television show ''
Love, American Style''.
1970s
Kling thereafter was quickly hired for ''
The Carol Burnett Show
''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Har ...
'' where he became head writer. While on ''Burnett'', producer
Norman Lear offered Kling the position of head writer on a new emerging show called ''
All in the Family
''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...
''. Ironically, Lear had offered the starring role in the show to Kling's previous star Gleason, and then to
Mickey Rooney, who 12 months later toured the country with a play written by Kling.
Under Kling, ''All in the Family'' became a huge hit for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
and Lear. Kling drew some of the show's most memorable episodes from his personal life. They included the February 23, 1976 episode "
Joey's Baptism" in which
Archie Bunker
Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to:
People Given name or nickname
* Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands
* Archie Blake (mathemati ...
's baptizing his grandson (against the wishes of agnostic parents Mike and Gloria), which Kling, who was born atheist, based upon the baptism of his son Anthony at the time.
In less than half a decade, ''Burnett'' and ''All in the Family'' brought Kling seven Emmy nominations, and two
Emmy Awards.
Kling helped create the introduction of the
spin-off ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...
'', and wrote or head wrote other Lear shows ''
Maude'', ''
Good Times'', and ''
Sanford Arms Sanford may refer to:
People
* Sanford (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Sanford (surname), including a list of people with the name
Places United States
* Sanford, Alabama, a town in Covington County
* Sanford, Colorad ...
'' among others while turning down other Lear shows like ''
One Day at a Time''.
Playwright
In the early 1970s, Kling wrote the
play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
''Three Goats and a Blanket'' (''Stop Thief Stop'' or ''Alimony''). Over the next decade, the show, touring with
Mickey Rooney, became the highest grossing play to never reach
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
.
Cartoons
Between television film shows, Kling reunited with and wrote for Joe Barbera a series of cartoon series including ''
Casper the Friendly Ghost
Casper the Friendly Ghost is the protagonist of the Famous Studios theatrical animated cartoon series of the same name. He is a pleasant, personable and translucent ghost, but often criticized by his three wicked uncles, the Ghostly Trio.
The ...
'' and the ''
Harlem Globetrotters''. In 1983, he created and wrote the series ''
The Littles
''The Littles'' is a series of children's novels by American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and n ...
'' and thereafter wrote the syndicated special ''Cabbage Patch Kids First Christmas''.
In the 1980s, Kling wrote and created the program ''
Rainbow Brite
''Rainbow Brite'' is a media franchise by Hallmark Cards, introduced in 1984. The animated ''Rainbow Brite'' television series first aired in 1984, the same year Hallmark licensed Rainbow Brite to Mattel for a range of dolls and other merchand ...
'' that he licensed, solely for television syndication broadcast only. After Kling's death, his heirs sued
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
, for
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
of Kling's property alleging that Hallmark had stolen Kling's property making Hallmark over $1 billion during his illness and thereafter. Kling's case went up on appeal twice to the
9th Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. In the first appeal (Kling v. Hallmark), Kling's heir won. The court found against Hallmark, ruling Kling's case was not barred by
laches, becoming the leading decision on laches still today of the Court. In a second appeal (Kling v. Hallmark), the 9th Circuit found for Kling's heir, ruling Kling's heir to be the copyright owner of Woody Kling's Rainbow Brite works, but found Kling's damages to be barred by the
statute of limitations
A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...
, awarding Klings' heirs no money.
Death
Shortly after creating ''Rainbow Brite'', Kling became ill with inoperable
brain
A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...
and
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
, eventually dying in Los Angeles on April 10, 1988. He was survived by his wife Mary, and his son Anthony.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kling, Woody
1925 births
1988 deaths
American male composers
American television producers
Writers from New York (state)
Deaths from brain cancer in the United States
Deaths from lung cancer in California
Emmy Award winners
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
20th-century American composers
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American male musicians