• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

32 • WGAW WRITTEN BY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 A Remembrance STEPHEN J. CANNELL: 1941–2010 Portrait by Tom Keller The previous article [“Class of ’80”] was originally conceived check out his church. It became our choice. And he was at out of my (admitted) anger over the spate of reimaginings the wedding, bringing his ever-ready smile, his friendship, that have appeared in television and films throughout the and all his great energy. past few years—more specifically, my anger over the omission We came back to that same church to say our farewell to him. of the original writers in most of these new versions of their Steve and I shared a great delight in our work and both of classic works. It is to the credit of all the men interviewed that us constantly marveled that we actually got paid for all the they kept the family’s wishes and did not divulge Mr. Can- fun we were having. That youthful, joyous exuberance never nell’s illness to us here at Written By, though in hindsight it left him. Steve always—always—had a twinkle in his eye. I does appear they used the opportunity to thank a man who loved him like a dear brother and he will forever live in my served as their colleague, mentor, and friend. heart. Although I never had the opportunity to serve on a writ- —Kenneth Johnson ing staff with him, I’ll forever enjoy saying that I started my career sitting at the first floor reception desk on the corner of Someone once said the only place you’ll ever find perfect is in Hollywood and La Brea saying, “Good Morning! Stephen the dictionary. Whoever said that never crossed paths with Cannell Productions. May I help you?” If the original inten- Steve Cannell. tion of the article is lost amid this sad, real-life loss, I hope it Well, maybe he wasn’t perfect, but on a scale of one to 10, will at least serve to remind us that writing is about celebrat- he was a 25. As if it were yesterday, not 38 years ago, when ing life everyday—as Mr. Cannell did. we first met, my boss, Roy Huggins, and I were in dire need —Rosanne Welch of a one-hour script that had to be written over the weekend. Steve had a full-time job then as head writer on Adam-12, Steve Cannell had only recently gotten his first big break as so we were somewhat dubious as to whether he was the right Story Editor on Adam-12 at Universal when our mutual pal guy for the assignment. We met, and he assured us he could Steven Bochco introduced us in 1972. We became instant do it, so we took a chance on him. It was, without a doubt, and forever friends, sharing the same sense of humor and the best decision either of us ever made. Monday morning, philosophy of life. Both Steves were instrumental in bringing there was a script on Roy’s desk that we shot, word for word, me to the studio’s attention and giving me a huge leg up in without changing a comma. And yes, the rest is history. my career. But what actually revealed who this young fellow really Steve Cannell hired me to write a couple of scripts for him was came from something he said when we offered him the and also set me up to direct. His buoyant spirit and enthusi- job of writer-producer on the series Toma. Roy Huggins was asm were contagious; his talent was extraordinary and clever. well-known for his odd working hours. In the office at 11 He could write faster and more interestingly than anyone I a.m., leave around 8:30 p.m., then do research and write till ever met. He was always thinking outside the box, injecting five the next morning. Steve very much wanted to work with his work with unexpected turns, surprising characters, and Roy, but he said he was sorry, that he couldn’t follow Roy’s his trademark wry humor. I remember him asking me to read schedule. He said, “I’m a family man, and no matter what’s and give him my thoughts on his first draft of The Rockford going on, I need to leave the studio no later than 5:30, so I Files. I was dazzled by the wit and clarity and felt not a word can have dinner with Marcia and the kids. That’s my prior- should be changed. I also suggested that he might go after ity.” At that moment, I knew I was sitting in a room with Jim Garner—and Steve grinned, saying that he already had. someone very special. My wife, Susie, was also very fond of Steve and was his I’ve been around writers all of my life. The first man in production secretary on Baa Baa Black Sheep. When Susie the room when I was born, my father, was a writer. I grew up and I were planning our marriage, Steve said we had to come around writers and I probably worked with a few hundred NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 WGAW WRITTEN BY • 33 throughout my time in the trenches. born child, wearing a belt that looked books, lifting the spirits of millions of There was something they all had in like it was custom made for Blackbeard people all around the world. The im- common. They were all like the guy the Pirate, and with his collar turned print he left boggles the mind, yet one who’s standing in the street, bang- up resembling Dracula’s cape, he would of his most endearing qualities was that ing his head against a brick wall, and stroll up to his antique IBM Selectric he never took himself seriously. when someone asks him why, he an- as if it were a Steinway and proceed to Steve was a renaissance man if swers, “Because it feels so good when I bang on the keys like Vladimir Horow- there ever was one. Being known as a stop…” That’s the prototypical writer. itz playing Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Sonata writer was all that really mattered to They hate the process. They find it in B-flat minor. The words flew out, as him, but he was also a football star, a painful, lonely, and frustrating. The if by magic, in what looked like top-se- producer, executive producer, actor, reward comes afterward, when people cret, diplomatic code, to be translated director, yachtsman, skier, entrepre- say the work is good, or maybe even later into English by his three human neur, CEO, mogul, brother, husband, great, and when the producer’s check Enigma machines, his talented assis- father, grandfather, and, best of all to clears. Those fleeting moments of plea- tants Grace, Kathy, and Jane. He loved me, a most extraordinarily loyal friend. sure outweigh the prior agony. “It feels every minute of it, and it was pure joy I never met anyone remotely like him. so good when I stop.” to watch him play his favorite game. One in a million? Forget it. He was one Then, along came the exception, Words were his currency, and he was in 6.9 billion. and his name was Steve. With his mag- the gold standard. He would rip those We’ll miss him terribly, that conta- nificent, leonine mane of hair, for half pages from his typewriter and out they gious laugh, those penetrating, laser- of which I’d’ve gladly given up my first- would go through television sets and like eyes, and the comfort of knowing he was always there, no farther away than the other end of a phone, always ready to lend a hand. Yes, we will miss him, but through his incomparable legacy and a heavenly host of fond memories, he will be with us, in our hearts, always and forever. And I, for one, will continue to try to solve problems in my own life by ask- ing myself, “How would Steve handle this…?” Our friend, Nick Mancuso, sent me this old Tibetan proverb upon hearing the news of Steve’s passing: “When we are born, we cry and the world rejoices. When we die, we rejoice and the world cries.” The world is crying now. —Jo Swerling Jr. In retrospect, I should have expected the surprised expression on Steve’s face when his assistant Grace ushered me into his Universal Television Bun- galow. At age 42, I had just handed in my first teleplay. When he asked where I had been, I naïvely explained I had been waiting in the outer office for 20 minutes. Steve said, “No, no. Where have you been hiding?” And with that he slapped my teleplay on his desk and told me he was going to shoot it as is! Before I could recover my breath, he asked me how I’d like to be his story editor on Baa Baa Black Sheep next 34 • WGAW WRITTEN BY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 season if the show got picked up. reinventing the private eye genre. His to behave. The exception that proves I asked, “What does a story editor do?” stories were brilliantly plotted, wonder- the rule is Stephen J. Cannell. Unfail- With a grin, Steve said, “A story edi- fully characterized, and laugh-out-loud ingly kind, unfailingly sensitive to oth- tor is someone I chain to a typewriter funny. Rockford became a huge hit, and ers, always there if you needed him for to turn out scripts.” so did Stephen.

Load more

  6

Copy Link