Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laughter
She will live forever in the hearts of millions and millions of readers,
men and women alike, and she’ll never be forgotten
because she said things that they knew no one else would say.
Phil Donahue
Friend and Host of Donahue
At the height of her popularity, her syndicated column appeared in 900 newspapers, reaching 30 million readers.
ERMA BOMBECK: A LEGACY OF LAUGHTER, premiering ______at ______on ______celebrates one of America’s best loved humorists. Recollections from family and friends along with photographs and rare home movies tell the story of her life and career. Phil Donahue, family friend and host of the award-winning talk show Donahue narrates.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1927, Erma Fiste developed a love for writing early in life. At the age of 16, while attending PattersonCo-OpHigh School, Erma talked her way into a job as a copygirl at the Dayton Herald. Determined to attend college, she began working two jobs in order to save enough for books and tuition. Erma’s English Professor at the University of Dayton, Brother Tom Price encouraged her to write an article for the school magazine. After reading her piece Brother Tom said three words that would sustain her for the rest of her career. “You can write.”
Erma didn’t spend all of her time working and studying, she managed to find time to renew her friendship with Bill Bombeck. They began dating seriously after Bill returned from a tour of duty in Korea and were married in 1949.
The Bombeck’s settled in suburbia and started a family. Taking care of her home and children was a full time job, but Erma’s desire to write soon led her back to work. In 1964 she began writing a column for a weekly publication in Kettering, Ohio. Her reflections on motherhood struck a chord with women everywhere. Soon she received an offer from the Dayton Journal-Herald. Three weeks after her first column appeared in the Journal-Herald, her column was syndicated.
As her popularity grew Erma hit the lecture circuit, wrote a monthly column for Good Housekeeping magazine, appeared twice weekly on Good Morning America, worked tirelessly for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and created a television situation comedy at the same time she continued to write new books and her newspaper column.
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Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laughter
In 1996, at the age of 69 Erma Bombeck passed away following kidney transplant surgery.
Author, lecturer, television producer, ERA supporter, wife and mother - Erma Bombeckwas a renaissance woman with a unique perspective on life. As her friend Phil Donahue noted “…of her it certainly must be said, and can be said, without exaggeration, we shall never see her likes again.”
Friends, family and colleagues interviewed for ERMA BOMBECK: A LEGACY OF LAUGHTER include Norma Born, Erma’s secretary; Pat Wynn Brown, author and performer; Bruce Cameron, author, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter; Tim Bete, Director, Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop; Matt Bombeck (Erma’s son); Bill Bombeck, Erma’s widower; Andy Bombeck (Erma’s son); and Betsy Bombeck (Erma’s daughter).
ERMA BOMBECK: A LEGACY OF LAUGHTER is a production of ThinkTV, Greater Dayton Public Television and is being distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT). Writer/Producer: Richard Wonderling. Major funding for the programhas been provided by The University of Dayton and Andrews McMeel Universal.
About American Public Television
For 44 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for the nation’s public television stations. APT distributes more than 10,000 hours of programming including JFK: Breaking the News, Simply Ming,Globe Trekker, Rick Steves’Europe, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Battlefield Britain, Jungle, America’s Test Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen andclassic movies. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize their schedules. Press should contact Donna Hardwick at 617-338-4455 ext. 129 or via email to . For more information about APT’s programs and services visit APTonline.org.
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