Harry Ackerman

Harry Stephen Ackerman (November 17, 1912 - February 3, 1991) was an American TV producer. He was known for many shows that went on to achieve iconic status, such as Bewitched, The Flying Nun, and Gidget. He was known as the "dean of television comedy," although he also was instrumental in developing many dramatic classics, such as The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, The Day Lincoln Was Shot, and The 20th Century. 2Early life and education Harry Ackerman was born in Albany, New York and attended Dartmouth College as a theater arts major. 2Career Ackerman began his career as a writer, but soon became a radio performer, appearing as the comic poet Wilbur W. Willoughby, Jr. In 1938 he went to work as an advertising executive at Young & Rubicam. In 1946 he became vice president of program operations.Ackerman began his career in television at CBS, where he started as an executive producer in New York for the network. Later he became vice president in charge of CBS programs in Hollywood, California. While at CBS he helped create, develop, oversee, and/or approve the casting of Gunsmoke, I Love Lucy, The Jack Benny Show, Burns and Allen, Amos 'n' Andy, Our Miss Brooks, and many other shows. Ackerman was CBS-TV west coast program vice president from 1948 to 1958.He began his own production company, Harry Ackerman Prods, where he immediately signed an exclusive deal with Paramount TV to create TV series, specials and feature films on a co-production basi