Allan Burns
Encyclopedia
Allan Burns is an American screenwriter
and television producer
. Burns is best known for, alongside James L. Brooks
, creating and writing for the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show
and Rhoda
.
, Maryland
, United States
. He attended the University of Oregon
between 1953 and 1957.
(1984) and (with Chris Hayward
), the unaired version of the 1965 pilot episode of The Smothers Brothers Show
. Before breaking into television and film, Burns started in animation, working for Jay Ward and collaborating and animating Rocky and Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle
. Burns also created the Cap'n Crunch
character for Quaker Oats.
After his stint writing for Jay Ward
, Burns formed a partnership with Chris Hayward
and they created the series The Munsters
and were later hired by producer Leonard Stern
as story editors for the CBS
series He & She
, for which they won an Emmy award for comedy writing. The last project between Hayward and Burns would be as story editors for the sitcom, Get Smart
.
In 1969, Burns began a partnership with James L. Brooks
after being impressed with the television pilot
for Brooks's show Room 222
. Burns joined the Room 222 writing staff and later produced the series.
After Room 222, television executive Grant Tinker
hired Brooks and Burns to develop a television series for CBS starring Mary Tyler Moore
. In 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
premiered and became a critically acclaimed series, spawning spin-off series such as Lou Grant and Rhoda
. Burns also wrote and produced three television series; F.M., Eisenhower and Lutz
and Cutters.
Burns has also done screenwriting for movies. Most notably, A Little Romance
for which he was nominated for an Academy Award
for Writing Adapted Screenplay
. He also wrote the screenplays Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
, Just the Way You Are
and wrote and directed Just Between Friends
.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. Burns is best known for, alongside James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
, creating and writing for the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
and Rhoda
Rhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
.
Early life
Burns was born May 18, 1935 in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
between 1953 and 1957.
Career
He is a former writer for The Bullwinkle Show. Burns also produced three other television shows, Cutters (1993), The Duck FactoryThe Duck Factory
The Duck Factory is a 1984 NBC television series produced by MTM Enterprises that is perhaps most notable for being Jim Carrey's first lead role in a Hollywood production....
(1984) and (with Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the 1960s television show The Munsters and the creator of Dudley Do-Right....
), the unaired version of the 1965 pilot episode of The Smothers Brothers Show
The Smothers Brothers Show
The Smothers Brothers Show is an American fantasy sitcom featuring the Smothers Brothers that aired on CBS on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965 to September 9, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing products and American Tobacco...
. Before breaking into television and film, Burns started in animation, working for Jay Ward and collaborating and animating Rocky and Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle was an American animated series produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The character George was inspired by the legend of Tarzan. It ran for 17 episodes on Saturday mornings from September 9 to December 30, 1967, on the American TV...
. Burns also created the Cap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch
Cap'n Crunch is a product line of sweetened corn and oat breakfast cereals introduced in 1963 and manufactured by Quaker Oats Company. Quaker Oats has been a division of PepsiCo since 2001. The product line is heralded by a cartoon mascot named Cap'n Crunch, a sea captain .-Development:Pamela Low,...
character for Quaker Oats.
After his stint writing for Jay Ward
Jay Ward
J Troplong "Jay" Ward was an American creator and producer of animated television cartoons. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken...
, Burns formed a partnership with Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward
Chris Hayward was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the 1960s television show The Munsters and the creator of Dudley Do-Right....
and they created the series The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
and were later hired by producer Leonard Stern
Leonard B. Stern
Leonard Bernard Stern was an American screenwriter, film and television producer, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price, of the classic word game Mad Libs.-Life and career:...
as story editors for the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series He & She
He & She
He & She is an American sitcom that aired on the CBS television network as part of its 1967-68 lineup, originally sponsored by General Foods and Lever Brothers. This landmark sitcom is widely considered to be ahead of its time by broadcast historians...
, for which they won an Emmy award for comedy writing. The last project between Hayward and Burns would be as story editors for the sitcom, Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
.
In 1969, Burns began a partnership with James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
after being impressed with the television pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for Brooks's show Room 222
Room 222
Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The series aired on ABC from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, for 112 episodes...
. Burns joined the Room 222 writing staff and later produced the series.
After Room 222, television executive Grant Tinker
Grant Tinker
Grant Almerin Tinker is the former chairman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986, co-founder of MTM Enterprises, and television producer. Tinker is the former husband of television actress Mary Tyler Moore...
hired Brooks and Burns to develop a television series for CBS starring Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
. In 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
premiered and became a critically acclaimed series, spawning spin-off series such as Lou Grant and Rhoda
Rhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
. Burns also wrote and produced three television series; F.M., Eisenhower and Lutz
Eisenhower and Lutz
Eisenhower and Lutz is an American sitcom which aired for thirteen episodes on CBS in 1988.-Overview:The series starred Scott Bakula as Barnett M. "Bud" Lutz, Jr., a shiftless ambulance-chasing lawyer...
and Cutters.
Burns has also done screenwriting for movies. Most notably, A Little Romance
A Little Romance
A Little Romance is a 1979 romantic comedy film, starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane in her film debut. It was directed by George Roy Hill. The screenplay is written by Allan Burns and George Roy Hill, based on a novel by Patrick Cauvin...
for which he was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Writing Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
. He also wrote the screenplays Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days is a 1979 Western film and prequel to the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It starred Tom Berenger as Butch Cassidy and William Katt as the Sundance Kid....
, Just the Way You Are
Just the Way You Are (film)
Just the Way You Are is a 1984 comedy/drama film that stars Kristy McNichol and Michael Ontkean. It was directed by Edouard Molinaro.-Plot:...
and wrote and directed Just Between Friends
Just Between Friends
Just Between Friends is a 1986 drama film about two women whose friendship is tested by tragedy. The film was written, produced and directed by Allan Burns, and it stars Mary Tyler Moore, Ted Danson, and Christine Lahti.-Plot summary:...
.