Ed Friendly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Edwin Samson Friendly, Jr.[1] April 8, 1922 |
| Died | June 17, 2007 (aged 85) Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Years active | 1949-2005 |
| Known for | Co-creating/creating and developing Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Little House on the Prairie, and Backstairs at the White House |
| Spouse(s) | Paula Zinnemann (2003 - 2007) (his death) Natalie Brooks Coulson [1] (1952 - 2002) (her death) (2 children) |
Edwin "Ed" Samson Friendly Jr.[1] (April 8, 1922 – June 17, 2007) was an American television producer. He was responsible for creating the television programs Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Little House on the Prairie, and Backstairs at the White House.[2]
Born in New York City, Ed Friendly served with the United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.[3] After the war, he worked at the advertising agency of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. He began his television career in 1949, working for ABC as director of sales before moving to CBS as a contract producer and then, in 1959, to NBC as vice president of special programs.[2]
Friendly moved to California in 1967 and formed his own production company, Ed Friendly Productions, Inc. He received the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1975 for Little House on the Prairie[4] and in 1978 for Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion,[5] an adaptation of the 1972 children's novel San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion by Marguerite Henry.[6]
- ^ a b c "Natalie (Brooks) Coulson Friendly Obituary". geni.com. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ a b Los Angeles Times, "Ed Friendly, 85; helped bring 'Laugh-In' and 'Little House' to TV" June 20, 2007
- ^ "E.S. Friendly to Join N.Y. W-T As Vice President". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 25 February 1950.
- ^ "No great westerns?". The Press Democrat. 23 February 1975.
- ^ "NBC western drama showered with honors". Minneapolis Tribune. 26 March 1978.
- ^ Daniels, Mary (9 October 1977). "'Misty,' the horse that belongs to every child". Chicago Tribune.