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Oliver Crawford
Screenwriter, author

Oliver Crawford

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
Screenwriter, author
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Chicago
Place of death
Los Angeles
Age
91 years
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Oliver Crawford (August 12, 1917 – September 24, 2008) was an American screenwriter and author who overcame the Hollywood blacklist during the McCarthy Era of the 1950s to become one of the entertainment industry's most successful television writers. The list of shows for which he wrote for includes Star Trek, Bonanza, Quincy, M.E., Perry Mason and the Kraft Television Theatre.

Early life

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Crawford attended the Chicago Art Institute and the Goodman Theatre school. His classmates at Goodman included Sam Wanamaker and Karl Malden, both of whom became his lifelong friends.

Career

Crawford began working in the television industry as a writer in the early 1950s. By 1953, he had contracted to work with both Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster. Shortly after he signed his contract to work with Lancaster, Crawford was summoned in 1953 to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, which was investigating suspected Communist sympathizers in Hollywood. Crawford refused to name suspected Communists sympathizers within the entertainment industry. His refusal to implicate anyone in Hollywood led to his blacklisting. He was also fired from his 1953 contract. He moved to New York City with his family after being blacklisted where he was forced to take several jobs to make ends meet, including designing window displays.

Crawford was finally able to return to television in 1957 when a friend, actor Sam Levene, got him a job as a writer for Playhouse 90. His career took off during the 1960s, when he wrote for many shows including Gilligan's Island, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, The Rifleman, The Big Valley, Rawhide, Ben Casey, Lawman and I Spy. His credits during the 1970s included Love, American Style, The Bionic Woman, Kojak, Mannix, Ironside, and numerous other television shows.

Crawford authored a 1978 novel, The Execution, which explored survivors of a Nazi concentration camp. who recognized a former Nazi doctor who had experimented on them and seek revenge. The novel was adapted into a 1985 television movie of the week, which starred Sandy Dennis, Loretta Swit, Rip Torn, Valerie Harper, Jessica Walter and Barbara Barrie.

Crawford served on the board of directors of the Writers Guild of America for 26 years following the restoration of his screenwriting career. His position in the Writers Guild allowed him to advocate for financial restitution for victims of the Hollywood blacklist. Crawford also worked to successfully remove an anti-Communist loyalty oath from Writers Guild's membership application, which was a holdover from the Hollywood blacklist era.

For his work, Crawford received a Writers Guild award nomination for The Outer Limits. He was also a multiple Emmy Award nominated television writer, including for Lineup and Climax!. Crawford also lectured as an associate professor of filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University.

Death

On September 24, 2008, Crawford died from complications from pneumonia in Los Angeles at the age of 91. He is survived by two daughters, Jo Kaufman and Vicki Crawford, one brother, and one sister. His wife, Bert (nėe Pikus) died in 1986. His son, Kenneth Kaufman died in March, 2015.

Filmography

Film
YearTitleNotes
1953The Man from the AlamoStory
1954The Steel CageSegment: "The Hostages"
1958Girl in the WoodsStory and screenplay
1985The ExecutionTelevision movie (screenplay)
Television
YearTitleNotes
1951The Stu Erwin Show1 episode
1952Boston Blackie1 episode
1953Terry and the Pirates5 episodes
1955–1957Kraft Television Theatre2 episodes
1956–1958Climax!6 episodes
1957Lux Video Theatre1 episode
1958The Restless Gun1 episode
U.S. Marshal1 episode
1959Armchair Theatre1 episode
The Third Man1 episode
Lawman2 episodes
Startime1 episode
Rawhide3 episodes
Man with a Camera1 episode
1960–1967Bonanza2 episodes
1961The Aquanauts1 episode
1962Perry Mason1 episode
Checkmate1 episode
The Rifleman1 episode
1962–1965Ben Casey5 episodes
1963–1967The Fugitive3 episodes
1964The Outer Limits1 episode
1965Gilligan's Island1 episode
The Big Valley1 episode
1965The Long Hot Summer2 episodes
1965–1969The Wild Wild West2 episodes
1966Tarzan1 episode
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea1 episode
1966–1967The Iron Horse2 episodes
1967I Spy1 episode
1967–1969Star Trek2 episodes
1968Here Come the Brides1 episode
1969Land of the Giants1 episode
1969–1970Medical Center3 episodes
1970Love, American Style1 episode
1970–1972Mannix2 episodes
1974Petrocelli1 episode
Ironside1 episode
1976The Swiss Family Robinson2 episodes
The Blue Knight1 episode
Bronk1 episode
The Bionic Woman3 episodes
1977Kojak1 episode
1978Kaz1 episode

Awards

YearAwardResultCategoryNotes
1983Writers Guild of America AwardWonMorgan Cox Award
-
1997Shared with Katherine Coker, Philip D. Fehrle, D.C. Fontana, Michael A. Hoey, Rick Mittleman, and John Riley

The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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