:Allan Burns

{{for-multi|the Scottish surgeon|Allan Burns (surgeon)|other people with similar names|Alan Burns (disambiguation){{!}}Alan Burns}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Allan Burns

| image = Allan Burns.jpg

| birth_name = Allan Pennington Burns

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|5|18}}

| birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|01|30|1935|05|18}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| occupation = {{Hlist|Screenwriter|television producer}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Joan Bailey|1964}}

| children = 2

| signature = AllanBurns.png

| notable_works = The Munsters
The Mary Tyler Moore Show

}}

Allan Pennington Burns (May 18, 1935{{spnd}}January 30, 2021){{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/arts/television/allan-burns-dead.html|title = Allan Burns, a Creator of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' Dies at 85|last = Sandomir|first = Richard|date = February 3, 2021|access-date = February 3, 2021|work = The New York Times}} was an American screenwriter and television producer. He was best known for co-creating and writing for the television sitcoms The Munsters and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Early life

Burns was born in Baltimore on May 18, 1935.{{cite news|title=Allan Burns Dies: Co-Creator Of 'The Munsters' And 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' Was 85|url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/allan-burns-dies-the-munters-mary-tyler-moore-rhoda-obituary-1234684359/|first=Bruce|last=Haring|date=January 31, 2021|access-date=January 31, 2021|magazine=Deadline Hollywood}}{{cite news|title=Allan Burns, Emmy-Winning Writer and Creator of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' Dies at 85|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/allan-burns-dead-dies-writer-creator-mary-tyler-moore-show-1234896855/|first=Ellise|last=Shafer|date=January 31, 2021|access-date=January 31, 2021|magazine=Variety}} His father died when he was nine years old. Three years later, he moved to Honolulu with his mother after his older brother was assigned to Naval Station Pearl Harbor. He attended Punahou School and illustrated a cartoon that featured several times a week in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.{{cite news|title=Allan Burns, Co-Creator of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' Dies at 85|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/allan-burns-dead-mary-tyler-moore-show-lou-grant-my-mother-car-creator-was-85-1122683|first=Mike|last=Barnes|date=January 31, 2021|access-date=January 31, 2021|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter}} He studied architecture at the University of Oregon starting in 1953, after being awarded a partial scholarship. He dropped out two years later and moved to Los Angeles, where he secured a job as a page for NBC.

Career

Before breaking into television and film, he started in animation, working for Jay Ward and collaborating on and animating The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Dudley Do-Right, and George of the Jungle. Burns also created the Cap'n Crunch character for Quaker Oats.

After his stint writing for Jay Ward, Burns formed a partnership with Chris Hayward. They created the series The Munsters (1964) and My Mother the Car (1965), and they were hired by producer Leonard Stern as story editors for the series He & She, for which they won an Emmy award for comedy writing. The last project between Hayward and Burns was the sitcom Get Smart. During this time, Burns co-wrote the unaired version of the 1965 pilot episode of The Smothers Brothers Show.

Burns first met James L. Brooks in 1965, getting him a writing job on his show My Mother The Car.Alex Simon (December 1997 – January 1998). "James L. Brooks: Laughter That Stings in Your Throat". Venice Magazine After being impressed with the television pilot for Brooks's show Room 222, Burns began a partnership with Brooks and joined the Room 222 writing staff and later produced the series.

After Room 222, television executive Grant Tinker hired Brooks and Burns to develop a television series for CBS starring Mary Tyler Moore. In 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered and became a critically acclaimed series, spawning spin-off series such as Lou Grant and Rhoda. Brooks and Burns also created the 1974 situation comedy Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.{{cite news|title=Some Laughs in Big Package Producer|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/412053581/|page=36|date=July 30, 1974|access-date=January 31, 2021|newspaper=Dayton Daily News}} Burns also worked as a writer and producer on the shows FM, The Duck Factory,{{cite news|title=Absolutely Ducky!Madness &|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/04/12/absolutely-duckymadness-38/501547e0-6565-40d5-ac7b-dc21a1af1ea6/|first=Tom|last=Shales|date=April 12, 1984|access-date=January 31, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite magazine|last=Ross|first=Val|date=April 9, 1984|title=A chameleon comic adapts to success|url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1984/4/9/a-chameleon-comic-adapts-to-success|magazine=Maclean's|location=Toronto|access-date=January 31, 2021}} Eisenhower and Lutz, and Cutters.

Burns also worked in film, co-writing the film A Little Romance (1979), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.{{cite web|url =https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81587/a-little-romance|title =A Little Romance (1979)|website = Turner Classic Movies|access-date = January 31, 2021}} He also wrote the screenplays Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, Just the Way You Are and wrote and directed Just Between Friends.{{cite web|url = https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/25570%7C0/Allan-Burns#overview|title = Allan Burns|website = Turner Classic Movies|access-date = January 31, 2021}}

Personal life

Burns married Joan Bailey in 1964; the couple had two children: Eric and Matthew.{{cite web|title=Burns, Allan |work=Museum of Broadcast Communications |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/burnsallan.htm |access-date=February 27, 2017 |author=Alley, Robert S. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128224340/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/burnsallan.htm |archive-date=January 28, 2017 }}

Burns died at his home in Los Angeles on January 30, 2021, aged 85, from Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.

Awards

=Primetime Emmy Awards=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" Style=font-size:95%
scope="col" \| Year{{efn\|Indicates the year of the ceremony.}} ! scope="col" \| Category ! scope="col" \| Work ! scope="col" \| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"\| Ref.
1968 \| rowspan="5" \| Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series \| He & She, "The Coming-Out Party" (with Chris Hayward) \| {{won}} \| {{cite web\|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1968\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1968/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series\|access-date=February 1, 2021\|publisher=Television Academy}}
1971 \| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "Support Your Local Mother," (with James L. Brooks) \| {{won}} \| {{cite web\|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1971\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1971/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series\|access-date=February 1, 2021\|publisher=Television Academy}}
1973 \| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Good Time News" (with James L. Brooks) \| {{nom}} \| {{cite web\|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1973\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1973/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series\|access-date=February 1, 2021\|publisher=Television Academy}}
1975 \| Rhoda, "Rhoda's Wedding" (with Norman Barasch, James L. Brooks, David Davis, David Lloyd, Carroll Moore, and Lorenzo Music) \| {{nom}} \| {{cite web\|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1975\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1975/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series\|access-date=February 1, 2021\|publisher=Television Academy}}
1977 \| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Last Show" (with James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, Bob Ellison, David Lloyd, and Ed. Weinberger) \| {{won}} \| {{cite web\|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1977\|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1977/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series\|access-date=February 1, 2021\|publisher=Television Academy}}
1980 \| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series \| Lou Grant, "Brushfire" (with Gene Reynolds) \| {{nom}} \| {{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8JkAAAAMAAJ\|title=Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to 1980\|publisher=Penguin Books\|year=1980\|last=McNeil\|first=Alex\|page=934\|isbn=9780140049114}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" Style=font-size:95%

scope="col" | Year{{efn|Indicates the year of the ceremony.}}

! scope="col" | Category

! scope="col" | Work

! scope="col" | Result

! scope="col" class="unsortable"| Ref.

1968

| rowspan="5" | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

| He & She, "The Coming-Out Party" (with Chris Hayward)

| {{won}}

| {{cite web|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1968|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1968/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series|access-date=February 1, 2021|publisher=Television Academy}}

1971

| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "Support Your Local Mother," (with James L. Brooks)

| {{won}}

| {{cite web|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1971|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1971/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series|access-date=February 1, 2021|publisher=Television Academy}}

1973

| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Good Time News" (with James L. Brooks)

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1973|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1973/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series|access-date=February 1, 2021|publisher=Television Academy}}

1975

| Rhoda, "Rhoda's Wedding" (with Norman Barasch, James L. Brooks, David Davis, David Lloyd, Carroll Moore, and Lorenzo Music)

| {{nom}}

| {{cite web|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1975|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1975/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series|access-date=February 1, 2021|publisher=Television Academy}}

1977

| The Mary Tyler Moore Show, "The Last Show" (with James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, Bob Ellison, David Lloyd, and Ed. Weinberger)

| {{won}}

| {{cite web|title=Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series – 1977|url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1977/outstanding-writing-for-a-comedy-series|access-date=February 1, 2021|publisher=Television Academy}}

1980

| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

| Lou Grant, "Brushfire" (with Gene Reynolds)

| {{nom}}

| {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8JkAAAAMAAJ|title=Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to 1980|publisher=Penguin Books|year=1980|last=McNeil|first=Alex|page=934|isbn=9780140049114}}