Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Mark Solomon Papers
Dates: 1964-2015
Collection Number: WGF-MS-131
Creator/Collector:
Solomon, Mark, 1947-2019
Extent: 10 linear feet, 9 boxes
Repository:
Writers Guild Foundation Archive
Los Angeles, California 90048
Abstract: The Mark Solomon Papers consist of produced and unproduced scripts, sketches, plays, musicals, production materials, newspaper
clippings, and music relating to the career of screenwriter and composer Mark Solomon. The bulk of this collection consists
of scripts and related materials for television sitcoms including Alice, Grace Under Fire, and Newhart, along with other television
programs like Diagnosis Murder, TV movie Spinning Out of Control, unproduced projects and pilots like Ruth Harper, and original
music compositions.
Language of Material: English
Access
Available by appointment only.
Publication Rights
The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Mark Solomon Papers. Collection Number: WGF-MS-131. Writers Guild Foundation Archive
Acquisition Information
Donated by the family of Mark Solomon on 3/28/2022.
Biography/Administrative History
Mark Solomon was born on November 1, 1947 in Hartford, Connecticut. While pursuing a Fine Arts degree from the University
of Connecticut in the late 1960s, he met writing partner Mark Egan. They moved to Los Angeles together, writing, composing,
and performing in plays, musicals, and live comedy revues. Their first big break came in 1974 when comedian Ruth Buzzi bought
a sketch called “The Autograph” from their show Wazzat?. Solomon and Egan continued to write sketches for Buzzi and spec scripts
for new sitcoms of the time. In 1979, CBS asked them to write a Christmas episode for the sitcom Alice. Solomon and Egan spent
the next 6 years writing and producing for Alice. During this time Mark Solomon also met dancer and artist Cary Snur, whom
he married in 1982.
After Alice ended in 1985, Solomon and Egan worked on unaired pilots like Ruth Harper, and short-lived series like Eisenhower
& Lutz. Their next major project was in 1988, when they were brought on as the executive producers and head writers of seasons
seven and eight of Newhart. Together with Bob Bendetson, they wrote the series finale episode, “The Last Newhart.” The twist
ending received widespread critical and audience acclaim, earning Solomon, Egan, and Bendetson a 1990 Emmy nomination in Outstanding
Comedy Writing.
Solomon and Egan received a CBS pilot deal for Ruth Harper, which never aired. In 1991, they were also asked by CBS to write
the Bob Newhart 19th Anniversary Special. In the mid-90s Mark Egan moved back to Connecticut, leaving Solomon to work as a
solo writer. He wrote episodes for Temporarily Yours and Hollywood Off-Ramp, co-executive produced and wrote for season five
of Grace Under Fire. He started exploring formats outside of the half-hour sitcom. writing episodes and composing music for
seasons seven and eight of Diagnosis Murder. In 2001, he wrote the TV movie Spinning Out of Control for E! Network, which
featured Kathie Lee Gifford and Howie Mandel in lead roles.
Mark and Cary Solomon retired and moved to Ojai, California, where they remained active and artistic participants in the community.
Mark continued to compose music, including the “P.D. Song,” which addressed his own struggles with Parkinson’s Disease. Mark
Solomon died on November 6, 2019, at the age of 72.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Mark Solomon Papers, 1968-2015, spans the length of Solomon’s professional career and creative output, and is organized
into four series.
Series I: Produced Projects, 1979-2001 includes scripts from Solomon’s long career as a television writer, along with one
TV movie and television special. There are multiple drafts of the scripts; many include handwritten notes. The series also
contains production documents, correspondence, photographs, bound scripts, and related newspaper clippings. The scripts by
writing partners Mark Egan & Mark Solomon include House Calls, Alice, The Popcorn Kid, Eisenhower & Lutz, Newhart (including
scripts of and materials relating to “The Last Newhart”), and Bob Newhart’s 19th Anniversary Special (AKA The Bob Newhart
Show: The 19th Anniversary Special AKA the Bob Newhart Show 20th Anniversary Special.) Scripts solely written by Solomon include
Temporarily Yours, Grace Under Fire, Hollywood Off-Ramp, Diagnosis Murder, and Spinning Out of Control. This series also contains
two notable artifacts: A framed pencil drawing of lobby of the inn on Newhart and a pressed vinyl album with the theme song,
given to cast and crew [in original plastic wrap].
Series II: Unproduced Projects, approximately 1964-2007 includes film and television scripts, along with related production
documents and correspondence. Unproduced projects by Egan & Solomon include multiple drafts of the pilots Ruth Harper and
Girl’s Best Friend; episodes of Alice; spec scripts for Taxi; and revisions for the film The Foreigner. Materials from after
Egan’s retirement and Solomon’s solo career include the Jingles and Belz pilot; spec scripts for Mad About You, King of the
Hill, and other shows; multiple drafts for the film Dented; the unproduced tv series Hampton Court, and the films The Handy
Man and Shangri-La.
Series III: Other Projects contains all creative projects that were not scripts for film and television. The series includes
playbooks, programs, lyrics and music sheets, contract and payment info, newspaper reviews and advertisements for live shows,
and comedy and picture books. The bulk of these materials predate Mark Solomon’s professional screenwriting career. They include:
the musicals Faith, The Birds of J. Scott, Nicky and Frill, and Three Chinese Folk Tales; the short play Watch It! Sammy Blum
is Bleeding; notebooks with story ideas and loose-leaf papers with song lyrics; post-retirement co-authored projects, including
the book Deep Bob and Shallow Mark; and two comedy revues, Whazzat? (1974) and The Glass Banana Hour, the former of which
contained the sketch “The Autograph.” Photographs and music of various stage performances can be found in Series IV.
Series IV: Audio and Visual, approximately 1971-2015 is made up of 98 cassettes and 35 CDs, the bulk of which contain Mark
Solomon’s music compositions for screen, stage, and other unrelated work. The series includes: live music and comedy performances
by Mark Solomon; meeting minutes with Howie Mandel; one rough cut of a documentary on Ojai Mardi Gras; Solomon’s interview
and performance of “The PD Song” on podcast PDTalk Live; and photographs and live readings of two of Solomon’s post-retirement
stage projects and creative endeavors, Three Chinese Folk Tales and Deep Bob and Shallow Mark. Music written for screen includes
songs from television shows Alice, Newhart, Diagnosis Murder, and Ruth Harper. Songs include "Ruth Harper Theme," "(Baby)
Talk to Me," "I Don't Want to Cry," "Cross that Bridge," "I Was a Jerk," "Two Tootsies From Tucson," "Ramona From Arizona,"
"I'll Be Sticking Next To You," "Apples, Apples, Apples," “Swan Song,” and "Seein' Double." Lyrics and sheet music can be
found in Series I and II.
Indexing Terms
Egan, Mark
Television Scripts
Audiocassettes
Sheet music
Lyrics
Alice (Television program : 1976-1985)
Television comedy writers
Television Writers