Ferdinand Leon

Ferdinand Leon

Ferdinand Leon was an African American writer who wrote for television shows. He wrote both storylines, screenplays, and teleplays.

Among his most noted work was writing for the groundbreaking television show "Julia". He was one of multiple African American writers for the show alongside Robert Goodwin, Harry Dolan, and Gene Boland. For "Julia", Leon wrote 8 episodes between 1968 and 1970, 1 of which was a teleplay. These episodes included; Gone with the Whim (1970), The Prisoner of Brenda (1970), Love is a Many Slighted Thing (1969), I Thought I Saw a Two Timer (1969), Sticks and Stones Can Break My Pizza (1969), The One and Only, Genuine, Original, Family Uncle (1968), Designers Don't Always Have Designs (1968). Leon is mentioned in Hal Kanter's (producer for "Julia') autobiography as a great literate writer

Leon also wrote for two other shows in his television career. He contributed one episode to "Love, American Style" in 1970; "Love and the Safely Married Man/Love and the Uncoupled Coupled Couple/Love and the Many Married Couple". He also contributed one episode to "The Partners" in 1971; "How Many Carats in a Grapefruit".

More recently Ferdinand Leon has been published as a contributor in the book "Modern Drama Vol.2 (1968): 87-96. His work is entitled, "Time, Fantasy, and Reality in Night of the Iguana". It is published as a review of Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III's screenplay, "The Night of the Iguana". He now teaches foreign languages in the Los Angeles City Schools, and still writes minimally for television. In addition to his review of Tennessee Williams' work, Leon has also completed a book on the dramatic uses of time in Williams' plays, which is scheduled to be published in 2014.

Citations:

"The Contributors." Modern Drama 11.1 (1968): iii-iii. Project MUSE. Web. 4 Jul. 2013. <http://muse.jhu.edu/>. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/modern_drama/summary/v011/11.1.contributors.html

Leon, Ferdinand. "Time, Fantasy, And Reality In Night Of The Iguana." Modern Drama 11.1 (1968): 87-96. Web.

"Julia." Ebony Nov. 1968: 57. Google Books. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. <http://books.google.com/books?id=1OEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57&dq=%22ferdinand+leon%22+-singer&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GD1ZVLGWHsLdsAS74ILgCQ&ved=0CC8QuwUwAA#v=onepage&q&f=true>.

Kanter, Hal. So Far, so Funny: My Life in Show Business. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. Print.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2466199/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr3