Prime Nineteen Eighties and Nineteen Nineties comedy writer-producer David W. Duclon, who created Punky Brewster and co-developed Silver Spoons, died this morning, Jan. 15, after a protracted sickness. He was 74.
Born Warren David Duclon in Rockford, Illinois, Duclon began his profession as a author on basic Seventies sitcoms resembling The Odd Couple, Comfortable Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons and Diff’lease Strokes.
His first writing credit score was on a handful episodes of the The Odd Couple alongside Garry Marshall who took him beneath his wing and taught him the right way to be a showrunner whereas Duclon labored on his hits Comfortable Days and spinoff Laverne & Shirley.
Over the subsequent decade, Duclon went on to create a slew of sitcoms of his personal. He developed CBS’ 1979 comedy Working Stiffs starring James Belushi and Michael Keaton, co-developed the 1982 Silver Spoons, which ran on NBC for 4 seasons and one other in first-run syndication, and co-created the 1987 Fox comedy Boys Will Be Boys starring Matthew Perry.
Duclon additionally created the 1984 sitcom Punky Brewster, which ran for 4 seasons, two on NBC and two in syndication. It catapulted its younger star Soleil Moon Frye to fame as her titular character turned an Nineteen Eighties popular culture icon. The sequence earned three Emmy nominations together with two for Excellent Youngsters’s Program.
In a pay-it-forward trend, Duclon then helped mentor the subsequent era of showrunners.
He gave My Identify Is Earl and Elevating Hope creator Greg Garcia his first writing job on the short-lived 1994 sitcom On Our Personal, starring Jurnee and Jussie Smollett, Duncan’s final sequence as a creator. Duclon went on to government produce Garcia’s first sequence as a creator, the 1997 Constructed to Final (which he co-created with Warren Hutcherson). Duclon later wrote an episode of Garcia’s first hit, Sure, Pricey, co-created by Alan Kirschenbaum.
“Once you’re first beginning out on this enterprise, discovering that one one who will consider in you is invaluable. For some purpose, Dave Duclon believed in a 23-year-old me and gave me my first job,” Garcia stated to Deadline. “Throughout the 4 years I labored beneath him, I not solely realized the ins and outs of sitcom writing, but additionally the right way to be a showrunner. Dave ran his exhibits with confidence, a transparent imaginative and prescient, unbridled enthusiasm and, above all else, kindness. I’m a greater particular person for having recognized Dave, and I’ll at all times be in his debt for the time he took to be my mentor.”
One other profitable showrunner, Meg DeLoatch (Household Reunion, The Neighborhood), shared the same story.
“Dave employed me for my first employees job and some years later, was variety and humble sufficient to be my second after I turned a showrunner on my first present,” she stated, “A writers’ author, he was at all times beneficiant, first rate and advised one of the best tales.”
Then up-and-comer DeLoatch’s first employees job was on the hit 1989 sitcom Household Issues the place Duclon was as an government producer. He then employed her on Malcolm & Eddie, which he additionally government produced. DeLoatch went on to create her personal sequence, the 2003 Eve. Duclon government produced Eve along with her earlier than he left Hollywood and moved again to his house city in Illinois.
Duclon was just lately concerned within the 2021 Punky Brewster revival, which he government produced.
