Sumner Arthur Long

{{Short description|American dramatist}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Sumner Arthur Long

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|03|31}}

| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|01|06|1921|03|31}}

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

| occupation = Playwright, screenwriter, author

| nationality = American

| genre = Comedy

| notableworks = Never Too Late

| spouse = Beulah

| children = 2

}}

Sumner Arthur Long (31 March 1921 – 6 January 1993) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and author.{{Cite web|url=http://archives.nypl.org/the/23328|title=archives.nypl.org -- Sumner Arthur Long papers|website=archives.nypl.org}}

He wrote the comedy play Never Too Late.{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/person/sumner-arthur-long-vault-0000027623|title=Sumner Arthur Long|website=Playbill}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/11/28/archives/theater-romantic-paul-ford-in-never-too-late-sumner-arthur-longs.html|title=Theater: Romantic Paul Ford in 'Never Too Late'; Sumner Arthur Long's Comedy on 48th St. Middle-Aged Couple Target of Humor|first=Howard|last=Taubman|date=November 28, 1962|via=NYTimes.com}} A film adaptation was released in 1965.

Long began writing for television in 1951, and wrote many episodes of Lassie,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bab6df53c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906123645/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bab6df53c|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 6, 2019|title=Sumner Arthur Long|website=BFI}} Father Knows Best, The Danny Thomas Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and The Donna Reed Show. He also wrote Waldo, an unsold television pilot that aired as an episode of the 1960 anthology series New Comedy Showcase.{{cite web |url=https://www.tvobscurities.com/2009/06/status-guide-new-comedy-showcase/ |title=Status of New Comedy Showcase |author=Robert Jay |date=13 June 2009 |website=tvobscurities.com |publisher=Television Obscurities |access-date= 4 June 2024}}