Namely Nostalgic: True Star of 80's TV

Producer, writer and creator of such classic shows as Who's The Boss, Silver Spoons and Diff'rent Strokes, Martin Cohan, died on May 19th. He was 77. One has to wonder how the 1980's TV line up would've looked without these three gems. Of the three, Who's The Boss is the show I remember most specifically watching. One of those classic episodes written by Cohan was the one where Jonathan went to sleep away camp over the summer and Angela and Tony found out that as children, also at that sleep away camp, they had their first kiss together over at Kissing Rock where Tony carved their names in a tree.

Certainly all three shows had their cheesy, hokey moments, but there was something always entertaining and fun about them. Just like with every TV show, at the forefront of it all is the quality of the writing. Without well crafted scripts, even a strong ensemble won't last. Martin Cohan was just one of those strong, creative writers. Other examples of his talent for the pen can be seen on shows like All In The Family and The Odd Couple.

Very often TV writers don't get the recognition by the public that they deserve. Actors are the salesmen of entertainment. Writers are the inventors. Both play their roles and if they play them well, a show will find success. Success like Martin Cohan found during his long TV career.

Gabe is a contributor to Just My Show and a blogger at Down In The Attic