writerdirector

‘Airplane!’ and ‘Naked Gun’ writer-director Jim Abrahams dead at 80

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‘Airplane!’ and ‘Naked Gun’ writer-director Jim Abrahams dead at 80

Jim Abrahams, the writer-director who helped create comedy classics such as “Airplane!,” the “Naked Gun” movies, and the TV series “Police Squad!” has died. He was 80. Abrahams passed away of natural causes on Tuesday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., his son Joseph Abrahams told the Hollywood Reporter. Together with his boyhood friends … Read more

Oscar, Tony-nominated writer-director Douglas McGrath dead at 64

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Oscar, Tony-nominated writer-director Douglas McGrath dead at 64

Stage, TV and film writer-director Douglas McGrath, who earned a Tony nomination for “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” and an Oscar nod for the “Bullets Over Broadway” screenplay he co-wrote with Woody Allen, died Thursday. He was 64. The death was announced by the producers of McGrath’s solo off-Broadway show, “Everything’s Fine,” which opened last … Read more