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Sheldon Keller
Sheldon Keller
Sheldon Keller
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Sheldon Bernard "Shelly" Keller (August 20, 1923 – September 1, 2008) was an American screenwriter and composer.

Life and career

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Keller was born in Chicago and attended University of Illinois, where he began writing comedy with his fraternity brother Allan Sherman. He served in the Pacific Theater with the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II.

After the war, Keller came home and married Bernice "Bitsy" Berkowitz. They had two children, Casey and Jamie. In 1951, he borrowed $500 from his father-in-law and moved the family to New York hoping to become an entertainer and comedian. He soon began writing for television.

On Caesar's Hour, starring Sid Caesar, Keller worked with notable writers Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, Michael Stewart and Gary Belkin. In 1956, 1957 and 1958 the show was nominated for Emmy Award for Best Comedy Writing – Variety or Situation Comedy.

Keller also wrote several episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and M*A*S*H, including "For Want of a Boot" and "The Chosen People". His notable screenplays include Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (written with Melvin Frank and Denis Norden), which would later become the inspiration for the stage and film musical Mamma Mia!

Keller co-wrote the 1979 film Movie Movie with Gelbart, winning the WGA Award for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen. He also wrote the 1973 crime film Cleopatra Jones (with Max Julien).

Keller wrote television specials for Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye and Carol Channing, winning a 1966 Emmy Award with Hal Goldman and Al Gordon for writing An Evening With Carol Channing.

In the early 1980s, as his writing career was winding down, Keller formed the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band with friends Conrad Janis and George Segal. Their mix of jazz and comedy made them popular enough to play at Carnegie Hall and on The Tonight Show and led to their own PBS special in 1993, "This Joint Is Jumpin'".

In later life, Keller collaborated with his friend Howard Albrecht on Funny Stuff, a newsletter of jokes for radio DJs and public speakers. Keller died at his home in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, from complications of Alzheimer's disease.[1]

Selected filmography

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References

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Sheldon Keller

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Sheldon Keller is an American Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and composer known for his pivotal role in shaping mid-20th-century television humor through his work on Sid Caesar's Caesar's Hour and variety specials for major stars. He collaborated with renowned talents including Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, and Larry Gelbart during his time on Caesar's Hour, a successor to Your Show of Shows that helped define the era's sketch comedy. Keller's credits extended to scripting episodes for series such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and MASH*, as well as specials for Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Dinah Shore, and Carol Channing, the latter earning him a shared Emmy for outstanding writing in variety in 1966. He also co-wrote feature films including Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell and Movie Movie, the latter securing a Writers Guild Award for best original comedy screenplay. Born in Chicago on August 20, 1923, to Polish immigrant parents, Keller studied at the University of Illinois, where he performed in comic shows, and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II, entertaining troops alongside Carl Reiner. After moving to New York in the early 1950s, he transitioned from Catskills performances to television writing, later becoming a producer on programs such as Bob Hope specials and the sitcom House Calls. An accomplished musician, he co-founded the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band with actors George Segal and Conrad Janis, performing at venues including Carnegie Hall and on The Tonight Show. Keller's experiences on Caesar's Hour inspired the character Milton in Neil Simon's Broadway play Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Keller died on September 1, 2008, at his home in Valencia, California, from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by his son Casey Keller, also a comedy writer, his daughter Jamie Keller, and grandchildren.

Early life

Childhood and family background

Sheldon Bernard Keller, who was always known as Shelly, was born in Chicago on August 20, 1923. His parents were immigrants from Poland who had built a successful business in Chicago making and selling corsets. Keller grew up in Chicago as part of this family enterprise.

Education and early comedy writing

Sheldon Keller attended the University of Illinois, where he teamed up with his fraternity brother Allan Sherman to put on comic shows. This collaboration represented Keller's earliest known work in comedy writing, as the pair developed and performed material for campus audiences. Allan Sherman, who later gained fame as the creator and host of the game show I've Got a Secret as well as for his popular albums of Yiddish-inflected song parodies, was an important early creative partner in these efforts.

World War II military service

During World War II, Sheldon Keller served in the United States Army Signal Corps, stationed in the Pacific Theater. While there, he helped entertain the troops with his Army buddy Carl Reiner. This wartime collaboration marked an early professional connection between the two, who would later work together in television comedy.

Entry into professional comedy writing

Move to New York and initial career steps

In 1951, Sheldon Keller borrowed $500 from his in-laws and moved his family to New York City to pursue a career in comedy. Having previously worked in his family's corset business in Chicago, he sought to establish himself in entertainment, particularly in television. In the early 1950s, while trying to break into comedy writing, Keller performed as a stand-up comic in the Catskills. To oblige his parents and his fraternity brother Allan Sherman, who created and produced the game show I've Got a Secret, he appeared as its first contestant with the secret that he was wearing a girdle.

Major television work

Caesar's Hour and the Sid Caesar writers' room

Sheldon Keller joined the writing staff of Caesar's Hour in 1955, approximately one year after the NBC comedy-variety series premiered in 1954. The program, which aired until 1957, served as the direct successor to Your Show of Shows and continued to star Sid Caesar in live sketch comedy and musical segments. Keller collaborated with an acclaimed ensemble of comedy writers whose ranks at various times included Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Neil Simon, Selma Diamond, Mel Tolkin, Gary Belkin, Michael Stewart, Carl Reiner, and Aaron Ruben. The Caesar's Hour writers' room became renowned as one of the most influential in early television, bringing together exceptional talent that shaped American sketch comedy during the medium's formative years. The series earned Emmy nominations for best comedy writing in 1956, 1957, and 1958, with Keller credited as a nominee each year alongside varying combinations of his colleagues. Keller later reflected on the experience of writing for the live broadcast as “the best mix of terror and laughter,” while Larry Gelbart described him as particularly adept at delivering punch lines under pressure in the fast-paced environment.

Contributions to sitcoms including The Dick Van Dyke Show and MAS*H

Sheldon Keller applied his sharp comedic sensibility to scripted sitcoms following his tenure in live variety television. He wrote episodes for The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1962 to 1964, contributing to the series' blend of workplace and domestic humor during its formative years. In the early 1970s, Keller contributed to MASH*, writing for the series during its 1973–1974 seasons. He penned or co-penned four episodes, including "For Want of a Boot" and "The Chosen People," helping to craft the show's signature mix of satire, character-driven comedy, and commentary on war. These contributions demonstrated his adaptability from sketch-based variety formats to more structured narrative storytelling in situational comedy.

Variety specials and Emmy recognition

Sheldon Keller wrote television variety specials for major performers including Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, and Carol Channing. He contributed writing to the 1965 special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music. Keller's work on the 1966 CBS special An Evening with Carol Channing earned him significant recognition. He shared the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety with Hal Goldman and Al Gordon for his contributions to the program. This Emmy marked a key accolade for his variety television writing.

Film screenwriting

Notable feature film credits and awards

Sheldon Keller made several contributions to feature film screenwriting, primarily in comedy and action genres during the late 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote the romantic comedy Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968) with Melvin Frank and Denis Norden. The film's plot, centered on a woman receiving child support from three former GIs who each believe they are the father, has drawn noted comparisons to the later stage musical Mamma Mia! (1999) and its 2008 film adaptation, resulting in Keller receiving an uncredited screenplay credit on Mamma Mia!. Keller next co-wrote the screenplay for the action film Cleopatra Jones (1973) with Max Julien, adapting Julien's original story. His most celebrated film work came with Movie Movie (1978), a satirical homage to 1930s Hollywood double features co-written with Larry Gelbart. For that screenplay, Gelbart and Keller won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Comedy at the 1979 Writers Guild Awards.

Later activities

Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band

In 1976, Sheldon Keller co-founded the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band with actors Conrad Janis and George Segal. The group originated as informal Tuesday evening jam sessions at Keller's home before developing into a full performing ensemble that blended jazz music with comedic elements. The band gained recognition for its performances at major venues including Carnegie Hall and its appearances on The Tonight Show.

Joke newsletter collaborations

In the late 1980s, Sheldon Keller began collaborating with Howard Albrecht and other writers to produce joke newsletters that supplied comedy material to radio disc jockeys, toastmasters, politicians, and public speakers needing quick, usable humor. Their flagship publication, Funny Stuff From the Gags Gang, launched around 1988 as a twice-monthly newsletter featuring topical jokes—often sharp commentary on public figures—alongside general one-liners suitable for on-air use or speeches. An example of their style is the one-liner: "A veterinarian and a taxidermist went into business together. Their motto: 'Either Way You Get Your Dog Back.'" The newsletters addressed the high demand for fresh material, particularly from morning radio hosts who required extensive jokes annually, with Albrecht observing that the venture aimed to serve as "the minds behind the mouths behind the mikes." In 1990, they added the monthly Daily Almanac, which provided humorous takes on celebrity birthdays and promotional calendar events at a per-issue price of $12.50. Funny Stuff From the Gags Gang was offered by annual subscription, priced at $250 with reduced rates for smaller markets, and operated from a Los Angeles address. These publications continued into the 2000s, with the Sheldon Keller Collection documenting issues of Funny Stuff From the Gags Gang through 2004, underscoring the longevity of the collaboration in supplying on-demand comedy material.

Personal life and death

Marriage, family, and divorce

Sheldon Keller married Bernice Berkowitz, known as Bitsy. The couple had two children, a son named Casey Keller and a daughter named Jamie Keller. Their marriage later ended in divorce. At the time of his death in 2008, Keller was survived by his two children and grandchildren.

Final years and death

Sheldon Keller died on September 1, 2008, at his home in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, at the age of 85. The cause of death was complications of Alzheimer's disease, according to his son Casey. In his final years, Keller resided in Valencia while battling Alzheimer's disease.
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