Saturday, June 24, 2006
Aaron Spelling Dies
His List of programs goes on and on and on. A very prolific man, without a doubt.
Shows he produced that ran for years on ABC included "Burke's Law," "The Mod Squad," "The Rookies," "Starsky and Hutch," "Charlie's Angels," "Hart to Hart," "Family," "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island," "Matt Houston," "Hotel" and "Dynasty."
The last, at its peak in the mid-1980s, reached 40 million viewers and commanded some of the highest advertising prices. Twenty years ago, Mr. Spelling's fortune was estimated at more than $100 million.
In the 1990s, he produced several series for other networks, including "Melrose Place," "7th Heaven," "Charmed," "Moesha" and "Beverly Hills 90210."
Mr. Spelling was born in Dallas on April 22, 1923, according to one authoritative account, although other dates have been given, and was the youngest of five children of a Russian Jewish immigrant tailor. Classmates often made anti-Semitic taunts, he later said, and his shyness and slight build made it hard to fight back.
He began to put on shows during World War II while serving in the Army Air Forces in Europe.
Hoping to write for television, he settled in Los Angeles and worked as an airline reservations clerk, talent scout for an all-girl orchestra and dinner theater director. He won movie bit parts in forgettable cowboy and crime films and acted on "Dragnet" and other television shows. Gradually, he managed to sell scripts to Dick Powell and Jane Wyman, both former actors who became producers.
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