On Sept 11, 2009, one of my absolute heroes -- the comedy writer Larry Gelbart -- died at the age of 81. I thought it might, on the last day of this decade, be worth spending some time to remember some of his accomplishments. In the days when scripted television is dying, it's worth looking back to see a master of the form.
Larry Gelbart, in the New York Times the day before the airing of the last episode of M*A*S*H:
It is estimated that the vast store of M*A*S*H episodes to be rerun in syndication will keep the series around well into the twenty-first century, long after I am gone. A nice compilation, to be sure, but I'd give anything to have it the other way around.
