Rita Lakin (née Weisinger; January 24, 1930 – March 23, 2023) was an American screenwriter, active from around 1962 to 1981.[1] She has credits for 474 produced television scripts spanning 30 productions. She was also a novelist and author of The Only Woman In The Room, a memoir of her life as one of the first female show runners and one of the first women in television (released October 2015, Applause publishing). In fiction, Lakin created the Gladdy Gold Mystery seven-book series (published by Bantam Books), including Getting Old Is Murder, Getting Old Is The Best Revenge, and Getting Old Can Kill You.
Rita Lakin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rita Weisinger January 24, 1930 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 2023 (aged 93) Novato, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Hank Lakin (died 1961) Robert Michael Lewis
(m. 1972; died 1980) |
| Children | 3 |
Rita Weisinger was born in The Bronx, New York on January 24, 1930.[2] She began writing regularly during the early 1960s for such television shows as The Doctors, Dr. Kildare and Peyton Place.
In 1968, she began working as story editor and head writer of The Mod Squad. In 1972, she created The Rookies. In 1977, she served as executive producer of the CBS TV adaptation of the 1954 film Executive Suite. She wrote numerous "Movies of the Week" including Women in Chains, and such miniseries as Strong Medicine and Voices of the Heart. In 1981, she developed the TV series adaptation and served as show-runner of Flamingo Road. In 1989, she co-created the medical drama Nightingales. She also wrote or co-authored two original theatrical plays, No Language But a Cry and Saturday Night at Grossinger's.[3]
Personal life and death
editRita Weisinger was first married to Hank Lakin, who died from leukemia due to exposure to radiation in the Santa Susana SRE Nuclear Reactor meltdown (1959) in 1961. She was later married, from 1972 to 1980, to director-producer Robert Michael Lewis, who predeceased her. Rita Lakin died in Novato, California, on March 23, 2023, at the age of 93.[2] She was survived by her three children: Howard (b. 1952), Susan (b. 1956), and Gavin (b. 1960) and her four grandchildren: Alison, Megan, James, and Amara.
Awards
editRita Lakin won nominations and awards for her writing including the Writers Guild of America Award,[4] the Edgar Allan Poe Award[5] and the Avery Hopwood Award from the University of Michigan.[3]
Books
edit| Title | Release |
|---|---|
| Prince Charming, Go Home: A Romantic Comedy | September 14, 2021 |
| The Only Woman in the Room | October 20, 2015 |
| Getting Old Can Kill You | June 28, 2011 |
| Getting Old Is Très Dangereux | June 22, 2010 |
| Getting Old Is a Disaster | December 30, 2008 |
| Getting Old Is to Die For | December 26, 2007 |
| Getting Old Is Criminal | May 1, 2007 |
| Getting Old Is the Best Revenge | March 28, 2006 |
| Getting Old Is Murder | October 25, 2005 |
| A Summer Without Boys | 1976 |
| The Four Coins of the Kaballah (formerly Demon of the Night) | 1976 |
Television
editRita Lakin wrote 464 episodes, eight movies of the week, and two miniseries, spanning 30 television productions. She was also the creator of the crime drama series The Rookies and the prime time soap Flamingo Road, and co-creator, with Howard Lakin and Frank Furino, of the medical drama Nightingales produced by Aaron Spelling.[6]
| Series | Episodes / Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Kildare | A Candle in the Window | 1964 |
| Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | The Shattered Glass | 1964 |
| Daniel Boone | The Reunion | 1965 |
| The Virginian | Jennifer | 1965 |
| Peyton Place | 62 episodes
|
1965-1966 |
| Run for Your Life | A Choice of Evils | 1967 |
| The Invaders | Moonshot | 1967 |
| The Doctors | 295 episodes
|
1967-1969 |
| The Outsider | 2 episodes
|
1969 |
| Family Affair | 2 episodes
|
1968-1969 |
| The Mod Squad | Executive Story Editor 30 episodes, Writer 3 episodes
|
1969-1971 |
| Death Takes a Holiday | TV movie | 1971 |
| Women in Chains | TV movie | 1972 |
| A Summer Without Boys | TV movie | 1973 |
| Message to My Daughter | TV movie | 1973 |
| The ABC Afternoon Playbreak | Last Bride of Salem | 1974 |
| The Rookies | Creator, TV Series, 26 episodes
|
1972-1975 |
| Medical Center | 2 episodes
|
1975 |
| Hey, I'm Alive | TV movie | 1975 |
| Medical Story | Us Against the World | 1975 |
| A Sensitive, Passionate Man | TV movie | 1975 |
| Torn Between Two Lovers | TV movie | 1975 |
| Executive Suite | TV series, Executive Producer | 1976 |
| Flamingo Road | Creator, TV Series, Executive Consultant 22 episodes, Writer 38 episodes
|
1980-1982 |
| Emerald Point NAS | 7 episodes, TV Series
|
1984 |
| Her Life as a Man | TV movie, Executive Consultant | 1984 |
| Peyton Place: The Next Generation | TV movie | 1985 |
| Strong Medicine | TV Miniseries | 1986 |
| Dynasty | 10 episodes, TV Series
|
1987 |
| Nightingales | Creator, Supervising Producer, Writer TV Movie | 1988 |
| Voice of the Heart | TV Miniseries | 1989 |
| Nightingales | 13 episodes, TV Series
|
1989 |
References
edit- ^ Rita Lakin Collection @ University of Wyoming American Heritage Center (PDF). Accessed May 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (21 April 2023). "Rita Lakin, Pioneering Screenwriter and Creator of 'The Rookies' and 'Flamingo Road,' Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
- ^ a b Official website, ritalakin.com; accessed November 29, 2014.
- ^ WGA Awards, Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama
- ^ Profile, fantasticfiction.co.uk; accessed November 29, 2014.
- ^ IMDb profile. Accessed May 12, 2024.