Herb Meadow

Herb Meadow
Born
Herman Meadow

(1911-05-27)May 27, 1911
Brooklyn, New York, United States
DiedMarch 1, 1995(1995-03-01) (aged 83)
Los Angeles, United States
Occupation(s)Writer, producer

Herb Meadow (May 27, 1911 – March 1, 1995) was an American television producer and writer, born 1911 in Brooklyn, New York, best known for creating such series as Have Gun – Will Travel.

Early years

Meadow grew up in Brooklyn. A ninth-grade school dropout, he was a runner for a gangster and bootlegger during the prohibition era[1] in addition to selling sheet music and jewelry and working at an art supply business.[2]

Career

When he was in his 20s, Meadow worked in radio in New York.[1] In 1933, he became an actor, announcer, and writer at WCNW in New York.[3] He later became a writer in the old-time radio era, creating 350 scripts for the soap opera Valiant Lady.[1]

Meadow worked in Hollywood for more than 50 years. At age 83, he was still active, writing a screenplay that resulted in a $500,000 contract.[4] He wrote at least 37 feature-length film scripts, of which a dozen were produced, including The Redhead from Wyoming, The Strange Woman, Stranger on Horseback,[1] and The Unguarded Moment.[5]

On television, in addition to Have Gun – Will Travel, Meadow created and wrote for The Man from Blackhawk[6] and developed the Arrest and Trial series.[2]

Despite his many scripts, he would write only one book, Uncertain Glory, a novelization of the screenplay by László Vadnay & Max Brand from the screenstory by Brand and Joe May (Grosset and Dunlap, 1944).

Personal life

Meadow was married twice. His first wife died in 1980, ending their 43-year marriage. His second marriage ended in divorce after six years, but the two continued to cohabit.[1]

Death

Meadow died of a heart attack in 1995 in Los Angeles.[7][8][9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Script: Pirate's Life May Be Treasure Trove for Writer". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. November 16, 1994. p. 36. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Herb Meadow; TV Writer Who Created 'Have Gun, Will Travel'". The Los Angeles Times. March 6, 1995. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Rosenberg, Murray (November 27, 1933). "Radio Rays". Brooklyn Citizen. New York, Brooklyn. p. 11. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Hall, Carla (November 16, 1994). "Plot Twist". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 29. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Herb Meadow, TV scriptwriter". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. March 8, 1995. p. 33. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Humphrey, Hal (September 26, 1959). "Now It's Writers' Turn To Take Rap". Beckley Post-Herald The Raleigh Register. West Virginia, Beckley. p. 18. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ The New York Times (1993)
  8. ^ The New York Times
  9. ^ The Baltimore Sun
  10. ^ The Los Angeles Times