On Monday, September 6, the world lost one of the first-ever female television comedy producers with the passing of Irma Kalish at age 96. Kalish’s work is a historic treasure trove of TV comedy history, with work stretching from Maude and All in the Family to Good Times, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Facts of Life.
Kalish served for 27 years on the board of the Motion Picture and Television Fun and was active in the WGA West, serving for a time as Vice President. She was also one of the first presidents of Women in Film, working to lift up the voices of other female writers in the industry. In a statement on Kalish’s passing, current WGAW President David A. Goodman called Kalish, “A force to be reckoned with…. The ultimate professional and a true believer in the importance of her union to the lives of her fellow writers.”
Kalish initially got her start as a writing duo with her husband Austin “Rocky” Kalish. The pair kicked off their career writing for The Martin and Lewis Show, a comedy-variety radio show featuring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. They continued working steadily for the next three decades.
The Kalishs were not afraid to conquer controversial topics such as their two-part Maude special where Maude contemplates an abortion in 1972 and an All in the Family episode involving a breast cancer scare for Edith, and another episode where Gloria faces sexual assault.
Irma had many notable credits as a solo writer and producer for multiple seasons of Good Times, The Facts of Life, and as writer of the 1985 TV movie I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later. She also often credited Rocky for ensuring she made her own name, telling the Archive of American Television in 2012: “I was known as a proponent of women. But to his credit, Rocky was also. He pushed me to get forward and not just be known as ‘Rocky’s wife,’ but to be known as Irma Kalish.”
Kalish, never one to pass up a punchline, is quoted as saying, “Writing is like the world’s oldest profession... First, you do it for your own enjoyment. Then you do it for a few friends. Eventually, you figure, ‘What the hell, I might as well get paid for it.”
Irma Kalish’s survivors include Harriet Alef; a son, comedy writer Bruce Kalish, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The family requests that donations be made in Kalish’s name to the Motion Picture and Television Fund home.