The bulk of the Mort Lachman collection consists of scripts and production documents from television shows and radio shows on which he worked, primarily as head writer for Bob Hope. Scripts range from The Bob Hope Show (radio and television) and specials to All in the Family, Beau James, Katie and Allie and other popular sitcoms. Additionally, this collection contains written jokes, monologues, and manuscripts written for Bob Hope's personal appearances and Lachman's extensive master joke file compiled over several decades.

Morton Lachman is an Emmy winning writer and producer who is best known for his work with Bob Hope. Lachman was born in Seattle on March 20, 1918. He majored in journalism at the University of Washington and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. It was during World War II when he learned of his comedic writing talents writing for radio programs. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a radio writer and in 1947 was hired by Bob Hope to join his writing staff. Eventually in 1950, Hope made the transition from radio to television and Lachman continued to be his writer for 25 years. In addition to TV work, Lachman worked on Hope’s feature films and U.S.O Tours during the Vietnam War. Lachman would stay with Hope until 1975 but also produced and wrote other projects during this period. In the 1970s, Lachman was on the staff of All in the Family which earned him 2 Emmy nominations, an Emmy win and a Humanitas nomination. Lachman was also nominated for three Emmys while producing TV series Kate and Allie, a daytime Emmy winner for The Girl Who Couldn’t Lose, and was nominated five times for WGA Awards for co-writing Yours, Mine, and Ours, two for The Bob Hope Show, two Bob Hope specials. On March 17, 2009, Lachman died of a diabetes-related heart attack. He was survived by his wife Natalie Gittelson Lachman, a son, a stepson, two daughters, two stepdaughters, and his sister Doris.

66.25 linear feet

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