Larry Siegel facts for kids
Lawrence "Larry" H. Siegel (born October 29, 1925 – died August 20, 2019) was a super talented American writer who made people laugh! He wrote for TV shows, magazines, and even books. He won three Emmys for his amazing work as the Head Writer on The Carol Burnett Show, which was a very popular comedy show. He also wrote for other famous shows like Laugh-In. Larry was a big part of Mad Magazine, writing funny movie spoofs for almost 33 years! What's really cool is that he was a veteran of World War II and was the only comedy writer to win both an Emmy and receive a Purple Heart, which is an award for soldiers injured in battle.
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Larry Siegel's Early Life and War Heroism
Larry Siegel was born in New York City on October 29, 1925. His family was of Jewish descent. His very first published writing was a poem in 1943. It was a funny poem about the singer Frank Sinatra and his super enthusiastic fans.
Serving His Country in World War II
When he was 18, Larry joined the Army. This was during World War II. After training in Georgia, he volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division. This division fought in the mountains of Italy. In January 1945, Larry landed in Naples, Italy to join the battle. He became an Army Rifleman. Larry was a decorated war hero. He received several important awards for his bravery. These included the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
College Days and Future Connections
After the war, Larry went to the University of Illinois. He used the G.I. Bill to pay for his studies. He wrote for the school's humor magazine, Shaft. He even became the editor after Hugh Hefner graduated. This connection would later help his comedy career. While in college, Larry also had stories published in other magazines. He graduated in 1950 and moved back to New York.
In 1955, Larry met Helen Hartman while on vacation. She worked for the United Nations. They fell in love and got married. They stayed married until Larry's death.
Larry Siegel's Amazing Career in Comedy
Larry Siegel had a long and successful career making people laugh. He wrote for many different types of media.
Comedy Writing in New York
Larry wrote nearly 300 articles for Mad Magazine. These appeared in over 150 issues! His work for Mad included almost 80 funny parodies of movies and TV shows. Some of his famous spoofs were "The Oddfather" and "Flawrence of Arabia." He also wrote "primers" and fake magazine parodies. These made fun of everything from medicine to "gun nuts." Larry also wrote funny song parodies. Some of these led to a lawsuit by famous composers like Irving Berlin. However, the lawsuit failed. This case actually helped create important copyright laws that we still use today.
In 1965, Larry worked with Stan Hart on The Mad Show. This was a musical comedy based on Mad Magazine.
Moving to California for TV Success
Because The Mad Show was so popular, Larry and Stan Hart moved to Los Angeles in 1968. There, they wrote for a Flip Wilson TV special. They also wrote a pilot show called Oh Nurse!.
In 1970, Larry was hired to write for Laugh-In. This was a very popular sketch comedy show. Later, he left Laugh-In to write for Carol Burnett with Stan Hart. They worked on The Carol Burnett Show for three years. During this time, they won two Emmys! Larry left the show in 1974. He then helped start That's My Mama on ABC. He returned for the final season of The Carol Burnett Show in 1977. He won a third Emmy for his work!
In the early 1980s, Larry helped write a comedy album called The First Family Rides Again. It featured mimic Rich Little and was about the life of Ronald Reagan.
Teaching and Performing Later in Life
In the 1990s, Larry taught comedy writing at UCLA for three years. After that, he started acting! He joined the Screen Actors Guild. He appeared in commercials for companies like IBM. He also performed in stage musicals in Los Angeles. Even at 87 years old, Larry was still doing improvisational comedy. He wrote and performed in sketches for shows in Santa Monica, California. Larry Siegel passed away on August 20, 2019, at the age of 93.
