Everett Greenbaum

Everett Greenbaum (December 20, 1919-July 11, 1999) was a American television and film writer and actor who contributed to such shows as The Andy Griffith Show (24 Episodes), M*A*S*H (35 Episodes), The Love Boat, The Real McCoys]] (32 Episodes), and The George Gobel Show. Greenbaum was a co-creator with Jim Fritzell of Mister Peepers an important early television show which starred Wally Cox. He wrote the Hollywood feature films The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966); all of which starred Don Knotts. Everett co-wrote three episodes of Sanford and Son with longtime screenwritng partner Jim Fritzell.

Life and career
Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Greenbaum studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Sorbonne in Paris. He then moved to New York City in the mid-1930s to try his luck as a writer, eventually finding employment in radio, writing continuity for a series starring the Canadian folk singer Oscar Brand.

After serving as a naval aviator and flight instructor in the Marshall Islands during World War II, Greenbaum returned to New York City, this time seeking work as a television writer. With Jim Fritzell, he collaborated on scripts for the TV series Mr. Peepers (1952), a stylish sitcom starring Wally Cox as a timid small-town science teacher; it also gave Tony Randall his first important role. When the series was cancelled, NBC-TV received over 10,000 letters of protest. A month later Mr. Peepers returned, running for three years and winning a Peabody Award.

In a 22-year partnership, Greenbaum and Fritzell also won three Writers' Guild awards and four Emmy nominations, and collaborated on more than 150 scripts. These included the Walter Brennan sitcom The Real McCoys (1957-62), The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68) and M*A*S*H, on which they worked for five years, contributing 35 episodes. On his own, Greenbaum wrote two books, including the memoir The Goldenberg Who Couldn't Dance,and worked on The George Gobel Show. He also acted in brief roles on Griffith's ``Matlock'' series and other programs.

Greenbaum died at the age of 79 in Los Angeles, California; he was survied by his wife Deana, a duughter.