Yale Udoff Passes On

Screenwriter and playwright Yale Udoff died on July 19 at the age of 83. The cause was cardiac arrest.

Yale Udoff was born in 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in history and served in the United States Army in the infantry. He later took a job as one of ABC's East Coast executives. While legend often credits Mr. Udoff with coming up with the initial idea for the Sixties TV show Batman after watching the Forties "Batman" serials at a Playboy Club, in truth the show was in development well before they were shown at the Playboy Club in Chicago. That having been said, it seems possible that the Playboy Club's showings of the serials and Columbia's subsequent re-released of the serials to theatres probably helped propel the TV show Batman to success. While at ABC Yale Udoff worked with producers Douglas Cramer and Edgar Scherick, and executive Roone Arledge.

Yale Udoff came up with the story for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Pieces of Fate Affair". He wrote the screenplays for the TV movies Hitchhike! and Third Degree Burn, as well as episodes of Against the Law and Tales from the Cyrpt. He wrote the films Bad Timing (1980) and Eve of Destruction (1991).

Mr. Udoff also a playwright who wrote the full lengh plays A Gun Play, The Example, Magritte Skies, First Draft, Bring Back Doris Day, Favourite Photos, The Invitation, Exiles, and A New Life. He also wrote the one act plays Shade, The Academy of Desire, The Little Gentleman, The Club, Nebraska, and Flowers for Marilyn. He won Stanley Drama Awards for The Little Gentleman and The Club, and a McArthur Award for Magritte Skies.