Gerry Day facts for kids

Gerry Day (born January 27, 1922 – died February 13, 2013) was an American screenwriter. She wrote many stories for popular TV shows and movies. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a newspaper reporter in the 1940s.

Early Life and Fun Facts

Gerry Day was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was an organist at the famous Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

When she was a child, she saw Howard Hughes filming tiny airplane fights for his 1930 movie Hell's Angels. This happened right behind her house! Later, when she started Hollywood High School, actress Lana Turner gave her a tour. She even saw Orson Welles perform a magic trick where he hypnotized people at the Hollywood Canteen.

Becoming a Screenwriter

Gerry Day went to the UCLA and graduated in 1944. She started her career as a newspaper reporter for the Hollywood Citizen News. She wrote reviews about plays and other news.

She took a class about writing for radio shows. This helped her start writing scripts for early television programs. A producer named Frank Wisbar taught her how to write for TV shows like Fireside Theater.

Writing for TV and Movies

In the 1950s, Gerry Day traveled around Europe. Her mother wrote to her about how much she loved the new TV shows about horses. These included Rawhide and Wagon Train.

Gerry loved horses too. In 1959, she met the producer of Wagon Train. He let her write her own stories for the show. She also helped improve other scripts. She became very good at writing for Western TV shows.

She wrote for many popular Western series, such as The Virginian, The Big Valley, and Little House on the Prairie. Gerry Day also wrote for other kinds of shows like Medical Center, Hawaii Five-O, and Dennis the Menace. Sometimes, she used a different name, Jon Gerald, for her work.

She also worked with actress and writer Bethel Leslie. Together, they wrote scripts for shows like Electra Woman and Dyna Girl and Barnaby Jones.

Awards and Recognition

Gerry Day was recognized for her amazing writing. In 1967, she was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award. This was for an episode of the show Court Martial called "Judge Them Gently."

In 1980, she was nominated for two more big awards. She received nominations for a Saturn Award and a Hugo Award. These were for the screenplay of the science fiction movie The Black Hole.

Later Life and Legacy

Gerry Day was a very religious person and helped out at her church. She also helped raise foster children. She supported groups that helped horses.

She passed away on February 13, 2013, after a long illness. She was buried in San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles.