Baer Necessities

Not much time for posting today, but here's something I stumbled on that seems like it could be interesting. Richard Baer, who has been writing for television since the '50s and worked on just about every TV comedy you can name, has written his memoirs at the age of 89. The book is called I Don't Drop Names Like Marilyn Monroe Just to Sell Books. (The semi-ironic title comes from the fact that before he started in TV writing, he was a production assistant on the Fritz Lang film Clash By Night, which had Monroe in a supporting role; the excerpt on the website is, inevitably, a Monroe anecdote.) I haven't read the book, but Baer was a good scriptwriter (he wrote weaker scripts when working under weaker producers, but that's true of any screenwriter) who had a long career; he was writing prime-time situation comedies well into his '60s. I would think there would be some good stories in the book; I'll try and get a copy and give a fuller report.