Harry Crane

Comedy Writer. Born Harry Kravitsky, he is best remembered for co-creating and writing Jackie Gleason's classic sitcom "The Honeymooners." At the age of nineteen, he was a stand-up comedian in the Catskills. His first writing job was for Rudy Vallee's "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour" in 1932. From the 1930's through the early 1950's he wrote for the radio programs, "The Jimmy Durante Show," "The Jack Carson Show," "Blue Ribbon Town," "Songs for Sale," and "The Joan Davis Show." During the 1940's, he was a screenwriter for MGM. Among his film credits are "Air Raid Wardens"(1943) with Laurel and Hardy, "Lost in a Harem" (1944) with Abbott and Costello, and "The Harvey Girls"(1946). In 1951, he worked with Joe Bigelow to co-create and write "The Honeymooners" for Jackie Gleason at Dumont network's "Cavalcade of Stars." He also created several of Gleason's other iconic characters for the variety shows. Among his other television credits are "The Jackie Gleason Show"(1952-53), "The Colgate Comedy Hour"(1954-55) with Martin and Lewis, "The Danny Thomas Show"(1961-62), "The Joey Bishop Show"(1961-64), "The Andy Williams Show"(1966-67), "The Dean Martin Show"(1967-74) and "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts"(1974-84). During his half-century career, he wrote jokes and scripts for numerous comedians and singers. Among these performers were the Marx Brothers, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis, Henny Youngman, Jack Carter, Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. He wrote television specials for Milton Berle, Dinah Shore, Alan King, Perry Como, and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. He wrote for the Academy Awards programs in 1957 and 1959, and the Emmy Awards in 1968, 1971, 1973 and 1974. He was nominated for an Emmy award for the !966-67 season of "The Dean Martin Show." In 1987, he wrote a special Oscar tribute to Jackie Gleason.

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