Herb Meadow

Herb Meadow
Born	Herman Meadow (1911-05-27)May 27, 1911 Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died	March 1, 1995(1995-03-01) (aged 83) Los Angeles, United States
Occupation(s)	Writer, producer

Herb Meadow (May 27, 1911 – March 1, 1995) was an American television producer and writer, born 1911 in Brooklyn, New York, best known for creating such series as Have Gun – Will Travel.

Early years

Meadow grew up in Brooklyn. A ninth-grade school dropout, he was a runner for a gangster and bootlegger during the prohibition era[1] in addition to selling sheet music and jewelry and working at an art supply business.[2]

Career

When he was in his 20s, Meadow worked in radio in New York.[1] In 1933, he became an actor, announcer, and writer at WCNW in New York.[3] He later became a writer in the old-time radio era, creating 350 scripts for the soap opera Valiant Lady.[1]

Meadow worked in Hollywood for more than 50 years. At age 83, he was still active, writing a screenplay that resulted in a $500,000 contract.[4] He wrote at least 37 feature-length film scripts, of which a dozen were produced, including The Redhead from Wyoming, The Strange Woman, Stranger on Horseback,[1] and The Unguarded Moment.[5]

On television, in addition to Have Gun – Will Travel, Meadow created and wrote for The Man from Blackhawk[6] and developed the Arrest and Trial series.[2]

Despite his many scripts, he would write only one book, Uncertain Glory, a novelization of the screenplay by László Vadnay & Max Brand from the screenstory by Brand and Joe May (Grosset and Dunlap, 1944).

Personal life

Meadow was married twice. His first wife died in 1980, ending their 43-year marriage. His second marriage ended in divorce after six years, but the two continued to cohabit.[1]

Death

Meadow died of a heart attack in 1995 in Los Angeles.[7][8][9][10]

References

1. "Script: Pirate's Life May Be Treasure Trove for Writer". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. November 16, 1994. p. 36. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Herb Meadow; TV Writer Who Created 'Have Gun, Will Travel'". The Los Angeles Times. March 6, 1995. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
3. Rosenberg, Murray (November 27, 1933). "Radio Rays". Brooklyn Citizen. New York, Brooklyn. p. 11. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Hall, Carla (November 16, 1994). "Plot Twist". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. p. 29. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Herb Meadow, TV scriptwriter". The Record. New Jersey, Hackensack. March 8, 1995. p. 33. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Humphrey, Hal (September 26, 1959). "Now It's Writers' Turn To Take Rap". Beckley Post-Herald The Raleigh Register. West Virginia, Beckley. p. 18. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
7. The New York Times (1993)
8. The New York Times
9. The Baltimore Sun
10. The Los Angeles Times

External links

• Herb Meadow at IMDb