In the early 1950s writers were leaving radio en masse to try their hand at another promising medium—television. William Froug was in the thick of that exodus, a young man full of ideas in a Hollywood bursting with opportunities. In his forty-year career Froug would write and/or produce many of the shows that America has grown up with. From the drama of Playhouse 90 and the mind-bending premises of The Twilight Zone to the escapist scenarios of Adventures in Paradise, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, and Charlie’s Angels, Froug played a role in shaping his trade. He crossed paths with some of the memorable personalities in the industry, including Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Agnes Moorehead, Elizabeth Montgomery, Robert Blake, Rod Serling, Gene Roddenberry, Aaron Spelling, and Sherwood Schwartz. 
 Froug reveals a post-WWII America giddy with the success of its newest medium—yet sobered at moments by strikes and union politics, McCarthyism and anti-Semitism. It was a world of hastily written scripts, sudden firings, thwarted creativity, and fickle tastes. And yet, while clearly exasperated with many aspects of Hollywood, Froug was a man utterly in his element, his frustration with the industry ultimately eclipsed by his dedication to his craft.

How I Escaped from Gilligan's Island: And Other Misadventures of a Hollywood Writer-Producer (A Ray and Pat Browne Book)

Biographies & Memoirs

Froug, William

Arts & Literature

Popular Press 3

Screenwriters discuss their craft, the writer's role in the finished film, and collaborations with legendary directors and producers. Includes: Nunnally Johnson, I.A.L. Diamond, Buck Henry, Fay Kanin, Ring Lardner, Jr., Walter Brown Newman, Edward Anhalt, Stirling Silliphant, Lewis John Carlino, David Giler, William Bowers, Jonathan Axelrod.

Screenwriter Looks at the Screenwriter

Literature & Fiction

Silman-James Press

Highly entertaining, eye-opening interviews with today's hottest screenwriters.

The New Screenwriter Looks at the New Screenwriter

Humor & Entertainment

Movies

Silman-James Pr

Unlocks the mysteries of commercially successful screen drama.

Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade (Revised)

This unusual screenwriting book is a tapestry of fresh, insightful essays and in-depth interviews with top screenwriters. The essays cover such topics as avoiding the obvious, the birth of ideas, the process of rewriting, dealing with writer's block, creativity and spontaneity, handling rejection, breaking the screenwriting 'rules', and episodic forms.

Zen and the Art of Screenwriting: Insights and Interviews

A tapestry of Froug's essays and interviews with top screenwriters, producers, and directors. Once again, Froug proves that he can skilfully pull engaging thoughts from his interviewees and, with his own essays, can use both novice and seasoned screenwriters to rethink what they do. The essays are wide-ranging, covering such diverse subjects as creating your own talent, getting your scripts read, avoiding story-structure gurus, entering screenplay contests, a scene-by-scene look at the film Body Heat, Hollywood's rewrite panic, Hollywood's ephemeral enthusiasms, why rooting interest isn't necessary, the stop-start method for studying films, guarding your surprises, reinventing old ideas, and guilt as a writer's tool.

Zen and the Art of Screenwriting 2: More Insights and Interviews

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