Jim Thurman
Jim Thurman | |
|---|---|
 Jim Thurman as the pilot on Sesame Street Goes to Hawaii in 1978. | |
| Born | James George Thurman March 13, 1935 Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Died | April 14, 2007 (aged 72) Sheffield, Massachusetts, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, writer, voice actor, director, cartoonist, producer |
| Years active | 1960–2007 |
| Height | 6 ft (183 cm) |
| Spouse | Patricia |
James Frederick Thurman (March 13, 1935 – April 14, 2007) was an American actor, voice actor, writer, director, cartoonist, and producer. He is best known for the writings of TV gags for the likes of Bob Hope, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, and Dean Martin.
Career
Born in
Moss and Thurman scripted all 156 installments of the 1965 cartoon series Roger Ramjet as well as the puppet comedy series Shrimpenstein, where Thurman voiced the title character for satirical children's television program.
In 1967 Thurman teamed up with Carol Burnett to begin writing gags for The Carol Burnett Show,[1] scripting running gags and writing whole scenes. In 1969, Thurman joined the writing team for Sesame Street, scripting both street and Muppet scenes as well as producing many animated sketches. He also played Digby Dropout's sidekick "Dunce" in The Man from Alphabet, a detective show which appeared in Sesame Street's pilots but was not used in the actual series due to poor testing results.
In 1972, Thurman teamed up with Bob Newhart to begin writing gags for The Bob Newhart Show, scripting both therapy and regular scenes. One year later in 1973 Thurman did the voice of Christopher Clumsy for a Cliff Roberts-produced cartoon about shapes as well as Jake the Snake in 1988 (also for Sesame Street). In 1977 Jim worked as a consultant for Warner Cable's innovation Qube system in Columbus, Ohio. He was on the creative team for the interactive "Columbus Alive" news magazine program. In 1982, Thurman teamed up with Paul Fierlinger to create, write, and voice Teeny Little Super Guy for Sesame Street.
He also wrote sketches for
He died in Sheffield, Massachusetts after a brief illness on April 14, 2007, one month after his 72nd birthday.
Filmography
- Roger Ramjet (1965) (also writer)
- Shrimpenstein (1965)
- The Man from Alphabet (1969)
- Christopher Clumsy (1973)
- Out to Lunch (1974) (also writer)
- The Jean Marsh Cartoon Special (1975) (also writer)
- A Walking Tour of Sesame Street (1979) (also writer)
- Teeny Little Super Guy (1982) (also writer)
- Dirk Niblick of the Math Brigade(1987) (also writer)
- Jake the Snake (1988)
- The Quitter (1988) (also writer)
- P. D. Eastman: Are You My Mother? (1991) (also writer)
- Marsupilami (1993) (as the three baby monkeys in "Hey, Hey, They're the Monkeys!")
Television work
- Sesame Street (also writer 1969–2007)
- The Electric Company (also writer 1971–1977)
- The Bob Newhart Show (also writer 1972–1978)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (also writer 1972–1984)
- The Muppet Show (also writer 1976–1981)
- 3-2-1 Contact (also writer 1980–1988)
- Muppet Babies (also writer 1984–1991)
- Square One TV (also writer 1987–1992)
- Mathnet (also writer 1987–1992)
- Turkey Television (voice actor 1985-1986)
Home video work
- Best ABC Video Ever! (1989)
- Best Counting Video Ever! (1989)
- Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Video(1989-1997)
- Sing Yourself Silly! (1990)
Video game work
- Playtoons (series) (1994–1995)
- Books by You (2006)
References
- ^ Writers Guild of America (June 2, 2013). "101 Best Written TV Series: The Carol Burnett Show". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved 11 October 2022.