Roger Beatty

For everyone associated with "The Carol Burnett Show," the long-running TV variety show was a joyful ride. Perhaps the only bittersweet memory for chosen ones like show writer Roger Beatty is that Burnett ended the 1967-78 program after 11 seasons when she probably could have kept it going for several years more. But Burnett had been very clear that she preferred to go out while still on top of the reviews and TV ratings--much like Johnny Carson would some years later. For his efforts on the show, Beatty was rewarded with a staggering 11 Emmy writing nominations, winning five. He had the benefit of one of the medium's most spectacular examples of comedic team chemistry. The quartet of Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and eventually Vickie Lawrence sits at the very top of the small-screen comedic pantheon. In the 1980s, Beatty reunited with several of his Burnett regulars, directing episodes of "The Tim Conway Show" and Lawrence's "Mama's Family," as well as a pair of spoof "Dorf" golf videos with Conway released in 1987 and 1988. Roger Beatty died on April 6, 2020 in Palm Desert, CA.