Larry Gelbart
A master of surgical wit who shaped American comedy, using the operating theater of M*A*S*H to dissect the absurdity of war with laughter.
1928–2009 (age 81)·American comedy writer and playwright·Birthday: February 25·The Silent Generation
Biography
Larry Gelbart’s comedy was forged in the frantic writers’ rooms of radio’s golden age, where as a teenager he wrote for legends like Jack Paar and Bob Hope. This apprenticeship in sharp, fast-paced humor prepared him for a career that would deftly hop between television, film, and Broadway, always with a subversive edge. His defining achievement was translating the dark humor of Robert Altman’s film *M*A*S*H* into a television series that balanced laugh-out-loud hijinks with profound humanism. As the show’s principal developer and head writer for its early, formative seasons, he established the voice that allowed it to critique the Vietnam War through the lens of Korea. Simultaneously, his work on Broadway—co-writing the manic, door-slamming farce *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum* and the stylish, meta-fictional noir *City of Angels*—showcased a breathtaking range. Gelbart’s work never condescended; it assumed an intelligent audience that could laugh while thinking, a signature of his enduring influence.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Larry was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Larry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Larry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2009Died at 81
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Developed and served as head writer for the groundbreaking television series M*A*S*H, shaping its unique tone of tragicomedy.
- Co-wrote the book for the Tony-winning Broadway musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
- Co-wrote the book for the musical City of Angels, which won six Tony Awards including Best Musical.
- Received an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay of Tootsie, contributing its famous opening monologue.
- Won multiple Emmy Awards for his work on M*A*S*H and other television projects.
Did You Know?
He began his professional writing career at age 16 for the Danny Kaye radio show.
He lived in England for nearly a decade in the 1960s, writing for British television and stage.
He turned down an offer to write for The Dick Van Dyke Show early in its run.
His experiences writing for Caesar's Hour alongside Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Woody Allen inspired the play and film *My Favorite Year*.
“If Hitler is alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical.”
