Born in 1927, Gary Belkin was an Emmy-winning comedy writer who during
his long career worked on hit sitcoms and classic television shows
including
Sid Caesar's
Caesar's Hour (1954),
The Carol Burnett Show (1967) and
Sesame Street (1969). Belkin began his
career writing jokes for radio comedians and proposing cartoon ideas to
the New Yorker magazine. His big break in television came when he was
hired as a writer on Caesar's variety show, which ran from 1954 to
1957. Belkin found a home for his style of humor in television and the
majority of his work was in this area. He spent eight years writing on
The Carol Burnett Show (1967), and wrote for
Get Smart (1965),
The Doris Day Show (1968),
Three's Company (1976), and
Newhart (1982) as well
as specials for celebrities including
Frank Sinatra,
Anne Bancroft, and
Doris Day. He
also ghost wrote quips and poetry for
Muhammad Ali! According to the Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences Web site, Belkin was a part of the
writing staff that won Emmy awards in 1970 for
Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man (1970) and the staff
that won for the 1974 and 1975
The Carol Burnett Show (1967), During his career, he was on
writing staffs that were nominated for Emmys on four other
occasions.