American actor
Jack Laird
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Born
| Jack Laird Schultheis
(
1923-05-08
)
May 8, 1923
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Died
| December 3, 1991
(1991-12-03)
(aged 68)
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Resting place
| Hollywood Forever Cemetery
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Occupations
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Years active
| 1949?1990
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Spouse
| Cicely Ann Browne (1948-?)
Peggy Jackson (1959-1964)
Jeri Emmett (1964-1974)
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Children
| 3
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Jack Laird
(born
Jack Laird Schultheis
; May 8, 1923 ? December 3, 1991) was an
American
screenwriter, producer, director, and actor. He received three
Primetime Emmy Award
nominations for his works in
Ben Casey
,
Night Gallery
, and
Kojak
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Laird was born on May 8, 1923, in Monrovia, California, to Leonard Schultheis, a businessman, and Thelma Laird, a Theater Director who taught night school dramatics, and from whom Laird took classes, in his high school years he was art editor of the school newspaper, while a student at
Pasadena Junior College
, Laird formed his dance band "Aris Laird and his ARIStocrats of Swing", the group was made up of players who later joined the likes of
Stan Kenton
,
Benny Goodman
, and
Les Brown
, the band broke up when Laird enlisted in the
Army Air Force
during
World War II
, he was assigned as a pilot in the
Ninth Air Force
, he served with the
First Allied Airborne
while stationed in
Manchester, England
.
Career
[
edit
]
Laird entered the entertainment industry at a young age. One of his first appearances as a child actor was in an unbilled bit part in the 1934 film
The Circus Clown
. After his discharge from the army, Laird resumed civilian life in New York, where he enrolled at the
Dramatic Workshop
and studied playwriting under John Gassner, he returned to Hollywood for a screen test and ultimately starred in a series of movie and radio roles, including the radio crime drama
This Is Your FBI
, his television appearances include episodes of
Fireside Theatre
,
Ben Casey
and
Ironside
. He eventually moved into writing and producing, writing for various television shows, such as
The Lone Ranger
,
The Millionaire
,
M Squad
,
Highway Patrol
,
Private Secretary
,
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
,
Ford Theatre
,
The Wild Wild West
,
The Ann Sothern Show
,
Mr. District Attorney
, and
Have Gun ? Will Travel
.
[1]
Laird distinguished himself as a writer and story editor on the medical show
Ben Casey
, eventually becoming an associate producer, he would receive an Emmy nomination in 1962 for his work on the Episode "I Remember a Lemon Tree", he then went on to write and produce independent projects for
Universal Studio
. In the 1970s, Laird came into his own as a Writer, Director, and Producer, working on such shows as
The Psychiatrist
,
Night Gallery
,
Kojak
, and many more.
[2]
[3]
[4]
One of Laird's favorite actors was
Leslie Nielsen
with whom he made several
made-for-TV movies
, including 1964's
See How They Run
, the first feature in that genre,
[5]
[6]
Code Name: Heraclitus
,
Dark Intruder
,
The Return of Charlie Chan
and numerous TV episodes. Nielsen also starred in a series produced by Laird was evidently an admirer of horror writer
H.P. Lovecraft
. He based at least two episodes of
Night Gallery
on Lovecraft's work - "Pickman's Model" (based directly on the Lovecraft story of the same title
Pickman's Model
) and "Professor Peabody's Last Lecture". The dialogue of the 1965 horror movie
Dark Intruder
, produced by Laird, includes some references to alien beings invented by Lovecraft, tying the film to Lovecraft's
Cthulhu Mythos
. In an early scene where Brett Kingsford meets with the police commissioner, opines that "gods older than the human race...deities like
Dagon
and
Azathoth
still have worshippers."
Personal life
[
edit
]
On January 17, 1948, Laird married his first wife, actress Cicely Ann Browne, but due to their careers, the marriage ended, Browne retained custody of their son, Sean. On February 22, 1959, Laird married his second wife, Peggy Jackson, a young stage actress who would later appear on the medical show
Ben Casey
as Nurse Van Buren, they had a daughter, Sharon, after five years, Jackson and Laird divorced. In November 1964, Laird married his third wife, Jeri Emmett, a former
Playboy Bunny
turned writer, they had a daughter, Persephone, through his marriage to Emmett, Laird would become step-father to her other children, Kurtis, Michael, and Journey, Emmett had written a few episodes for such television shows as,
The Fugitive
,
Iron Horse
,
The Bold Ones: The Protectors
(under the name Betty Deveraux),
[7]
and
Mannix
, as well as a Television Series
Treatment
called "Confessions of a Den Mother", and a book about her days working at the playboy club called "Point Your Tail in The Right Direction".
He was an avid film collector and
jazz
fan.
[8]
Death
[
edit
]
Laird died of
heart disease
on December 3, 1991, in
Los Angeles
at the age of 68. His final resting place in
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
is in the "Garden of Legends" (formerly Section 8), Lot 266. His grave is next to the
cenotaph
of actress
Jayne Mansfield
.
Filmography
[
edit
]
Films
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Year
|
TV Series
|
Credit
|
Notes
|
1951
|
Racket Squad
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1952
|
China Smith
|
Writer
|
Unknown Episodes
|
Rebound
|
Actor
|
2 Episodes
|
Your Jeweler's Showcase
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Unexpected
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1953
|
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Doctor
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1954
|
Waterfront
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The New Adventures of China Smith
|
Writer
|
3 Episodes
|
Kraft Television Theatre
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Private Secretary
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1954-55
|
The Lone Ranger
|
Writer
|
6 Episodes
|
Mr. District Attorney
|
Writer
|
3 Episodes
|
1955
|
Fireside Theatre
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Brave Eagle
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Cavalcade of America
|
Writer
|
4 Episodes
|
1955-57
|
Highway Patrol
|
Writer
|
4 Episodes
|
1956
|
Warner Bros. Presents
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
Celebrity Playhouse
|
Writer
|
4 Episodes
|
Matinee Theater
|
Writer
|
5 Episodes
|
The Man Called X
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1956-57
|
Dr. Christian
|
Writer
|
6 Episodes
|
1957
|
Men of Annapolis
|
Writer
|
2 Episode
|
Code 3
|
Writer
|
5 Episodes
|
Wire Service
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1957-58
|
Broken Arrow
|
Writer
|
3 Episodes
|
1957-59
|
M Squad
|
Writer
|
12 Episodes
|
1957-60
|
The Millionaire
|
Writer
|
6 Episodes
|
1958
|
The Restless Gun
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Man Without a Gun
|
Writer
|
3 Episodes
|
Target
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Rescue 8
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1958-59
|
Man with a Camera
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
Flight
|
Writer
|
3 Episodes
|
1958-62
|
Have Gun ? Will Travel
|
Writer
|
7 Episodes
|
1959
|
Tales of Wells Fargo
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
21 Beacon Street
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Third Man
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
Dragnet
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
World of Giants
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Lineup
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
New York Confidential
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
Not for Hire
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1959-60
|
Hotel de Paree
|
Writer
|
4 Episodes
|
Bronco
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1959-61
|
The Rebel
|
Writer
|
4 Episodes
|
1960
|
Pony Express
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Man from Blackhawk
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1960-61
|
Dante
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1960-62
|
My Three Sons
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1961
|
The Detectives
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Brothers Brannagan
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1961-65
|
Ben Casey
|
Writer, Story Editor, Producer, Associate Producer, Actor
|
Multiple Episodes
|
1964
|
Channing
|
Writer, Producer, Executive Producer
|
17 Episodes
|
Kraft Suspense Theatre
|
Producer
|
2 Episodes
|
1964-67
|
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
|
Writer, Director, Producer
|
Multiple Episodes
|
1966
|
The Wild Wild West
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
1969-70
|
The Bold Ones: The Protectors
|
Executive Producer
|
5 Episodes
|
1970
|
The Psychiatrist
|
Story Consultant
|
1 Episode
|
1970-73
|
Night Gallery
|
Writer, Director, Producer, Actor
|
43 Episodes
|
1972-73
|
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
|
Producer
|
2 Episodes
|
1973
|
Dr. Simon Locke
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
1973-77
|
Kojak
|
Writer, Supervising Producer
|
78 Episodes
|
1975-76
|
Doctors' Hospital
|
Writer, Producer
|
13 Episodes
|
1976-77
|
Switch
|
Producer, Supervising Producer
|
9 Episodes
|
1977
|
Testimony of Two Men
|
Producer
|
3 Episodes
|
1978
|
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home
|
Producer
|
2 Episodes
|
What Really Happened to the Class of '65?
|
Writer, Producer
|
4 Episodes
|
1981
|
The Gangster Chronicles
|
Producer
|
13 Episodes
|
1984
|
Whiz Kids
|
Writer (Uncredited)
|
1 Episode
|
1984-85
|
Deadly Nightmares
|
Production Consultant
|
10 Episodes
|
1985
|
Hell Town
|
Writer
|
1 Episode
|
The Insiders
|
Writer
|
2 Episodes
|
Unproduced Projects
[
edit
]
Throughout his career Jack Laird had a number of projects that were never produced or broadcast:
- From The 1950's to the 1960s, Laird wrote several spec scripts, which included, "Red Wolf Crossing", which was an adaptation of the
Will Henry
novel "To Follow a Flag", "A God In A Garden", which was based on an original story by
Theodore Sturgeon
, "An Extenuating Circumstance", a screenplay Laird co-wrote with
Charles F. Haas
, that was adapted from the story "A Coward" By
Guy de Maupassant
, "The Steel Trap", which was based on a story by
William T. Orr
, "Three Marked Pennies", which was based on a story By
Mary Elizabeth Counselman
, "Four Cornered Triangle" an original screenplay Laird wrote, "A Day Off", which was based on a story By Walter Gilkyson,
[9]
he was also set to produce five projects, "Crime! Pleasant Dreams Sweet Celia", a screenplay written by Gene R. Kearney, "Out Of The Darkness", a screenplay written by
Barre Lyndon
[10]
and Alvin Sapinsley, "Fires, Bombs, and Patriots", a screenplay written by
Abby Mann
,
[11]
"The Invisible Man", based on the
H.G. Wells
novel of the same name
that was adapted by Howard Rodman,
[12]
and "The Other Place", a screenplay written by
Theodore Sturgeon
.
[13]
- In early 1967, Laird and
Herman Miller
had written an early draft of
Coogan's Bluff
.
- In 1969, Laird was attached to two film projects that were never produced, "The Richest Hill On Earth" which was written by Halsted Welles (Based on a treatment by Laird), and "Unit Theta", which was written by
Wilton Schiller
.
- From the 1950s to the 1980s, Laird had written or had developed several Television Series Treatments that were never picked up called "Daniel Boone: The Gun Runners",
[14]
"Talmadge", "Brute Force", "Atonement", "...& Cucamonga", "E.Z. Wheeler: Ex-Cop", "In The Name Of The Law", "Newsroom",
[15]
"Code Name: Damocles"
[16]
"Senior Year", "The Lorne Greene Project", and "Tokatyan".
- At the time of his death, Laird was working on a television series based on stories by thriller writer
Robert Ludlum
[2]
- In 1967, he created an unsold comedy
pilot
, The Return of the Original Yellow Tornado, about two elderly, retired superheroes
Mickey Rooney
is the original Yellow Tornado and
Eddie Mayehoff
is his retired sidekick who must once again don their leotards to do battle with a super-villain who has been set free and has vowed to destroy the world. The pilot was eventually expanded to a film-that was never released.
[17]
[18]
- In 1972, he worked as producer on one of the pilot episodes produced for
Biography
, an unsold TV series. Four pilots were completed and eventually appeared as TV movies, but Laird's episode about
Houdini
was never filmed.
[17]
- In the 1970s, Laird was attached to several film projects, a
spec script
he had written called "Hotel Imperial - Tokyo", which was based on an original story by Alan Lee, "Mantrap", a spec script he co-wrote with Wilton Schiller, "The Broken-Field Runner", a screenplay written by Fred Segal, which Laird was going to produce.
- In 1988, Laird wrote a spec script that was called "Suffer The Little Children".
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
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]
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International
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National
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Other
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