Author: Herbie J Pilato

Writer, Author, Producer, Actor, Singer/Songwriter, Lover of Life

Herbie J Pilato: My Top Ten Animated Christmas Specials of All Time

EDITOR’S NOTE: Part I of Christmas Joy brought to us all by TVWriter™ legendary Contributing Editor Emeritus Herbie J Pilato.

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by Herbie J Pilato

1]  A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (CBS, 1965): Directed by Bill Melendez. Written by Charles Schulz.

Young voice-over talent Peter Robbins made his indelible mark as Charlie Brown in this poignant holiday classic that spawned a series of similar specials for every holiday. Here, Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas and the perfect tree. While directing a school play, he ultimately finds both, though not before our young low-acheiver is confronted by a number of obstacles. None the least of these conflicts is presented by his own dog Snoopy’s obsession with winning first prize for a local decorations competition, or by his mean-spirited peers who mock his choice of a tiny sickly tree. read article

Herbie J Pilato Remembers ‘Laverne & Shirley’

by Herbie J Pilato

Actress/director Penny Marshall passed away on Monday, December 17, 2018, but certainly not before making her mark in the world, particularly in the entertainment world.

Marshall was best known for her role opposite actress Cindy Williams with Laverne & Shirley, the hit ABC sitcom of the 1970s and early 1980s.  Essentially, Marshall and Williams were “Frick and Frack” without the Swiss connotation or the ice; and Lucy and Ethel for a new generation. read article

Herbie J Pilato has a Few Important Words to Say About a Kid Name of ‘Rudolph’

 

by Herbie J Pilato

The recent attacks on the classic 1964 TV holiday special, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, are wrong on so many levels.

First of all, from a personal standpoint, I AM Rudolph.  Although I’ve never had a shiny red nose, as a kid, I was singled out by bullies because I could sing, dance, and act, at a time when those talents for a young boy (or for an adult male, for that matter), were not so widely accepted in the mainstream. read article

Sneak Preview of Herbie J Pilato’s New Book

Herbie J Pilato has been a TVWriter™ Institution since way before we were TVWriter™. Today, our pioneer Contributing Editor has a special message for us:

Hello All,

Here’s an early, mock-up of the book cover and spine for MARY, my new biography of Mary Tyler Moore, set for a December/January release.
 read article

Herbie J Pilato Reminds Us that a Writer’s Work is Never Done

by  Herbie J Pilato

Writing is your life.

You can stop writing when you’re dead. read article