Rex Sikes Movie Beat talks with writer/producer Fred Fox Jr

Fred Fox Jr, writer/producer wrote spec script for All In The Family with friend Gary Shandling. New Year’s Eve 1975 Fred got a call from Cindy Williams saying she was going to be on a new show, Laverne and Shirley. She asked if he wanted to be her gopher and an apprentice writer. Fred met Garry Marshall and was offered the job that started his lucky run in the sitcom world.

He spent a year on Laverne and Shirley, seven on Happy Days as a writer/producer and co-show runner with Brian Levant the last two seasons. Fred wrote the infamous Hollywood III episode that ended up starting the “Jump The Shark” phenomenon. The term got into the Oxford Dictionary of English and is still used today. 

He was on Happy Days when Robin Williams made his sitcom debut in 1978 on the Mork From Ork episode where at the run through blew everyone away. Guest actors aren’t supposed to adlib but Robin did and lef everyone incredulous. That appearance and one other led to the hit series Mork and Mindy and his incredible career.

After Happy Days, Fred wrote and produced for Webster, It’s Your Move, He’s The Mayor and The New Leave It To Beaver. It 1988 he co-created My Secret Identity with Brian Levant, a half hour comedy/action, starring Jerry O’Connell and Derek McGrath, which won an International Emmy for Outstanding Program For Children and Young Adults. In 1990 he joined the hit show Family Matters as a writer/co-executive producer for eight seasons.

Fred has acted and written songs for television He has also scripted films, doing a rewrite on The Flintstones, directed by Brian Levant and has cowrote with Dave Duclon, Gary Menteer and Steve Langford Too Good To Be True for Ned Tanen. Ned produced The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and as President of Universal greenlit American Grafitti.

He stays busy with speaking engagements and working on television and film projects.

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