Kalish, Irma

Irma Kalish is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Syracuse University and one of television's most talented writers/producers. Kalish began her career as a writer shortly after graduating from Syracuse University when she was hired to produce stories for a New York City magazine. By 1950, she and her husband, Austin "Rocky" Kalish, had moved to Los Angeles and had begun collaborating on radio scripts for the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Hour . When the Martin and Lewis show switched to television, the Kalishes followed and launched their careers as television writers at a time when few women were writing comedy.

As a team, the Kalishes have created more than 300 scripts for television shows such as All in the Family, Bob Newhart, F-Troop, Family Affair, I Dream of Jeannie, The Love Boat, Maude, My Three Sons and The Brian Keith Show . In their earlier years, they wrote scripts for shows such as The Ray Milland Show and Gunsmoke . Their credits also include writing the pilot episode of Gilligan's Island, producing Too Close for Comfort and Good Heavens, and writing and producing the full-length film Keep Off My Grass . More recently, Ms. Kalish has worked on her own as the chief writer for 227 and executive producer of The Facts of Life . With her work for Good Times, she became the first woman to be made producer and eventually executive producer of a television series.

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