Former Writers Guild President and ‘Twilight Zone’ Writer Del Reisman Dies at 86

Del Reisman, a longtime Toluca Lake resident and former Writers Guild of America West president, died of heart failure Saturday. He was 86. 

Reisman died at his home after suffering from a brief illness.

He served as president of the Guild from 1991 to 1993 and became story editor for the original Twilight Zone TV series. 

He worked with Rod Serling, Arthur Hiller, John Frankenheimer, Judy Garland, Arthur Penn and other legends of Hollywood. He also worked on classic TV shows such as Peyton Place, Cagney & Lacey, Charlie’s Angels, The Six Million Dollar Man, Little House on the Prairie and Lou Grant. 

Hollywood columnist Nikki Finke posted on her blog Deadline that she notified the Guild this morning about his death but it took all day to confirm and she wrote, “I think Reisman deserved better.”

Gary Rutowski taped a 12-part series of interviews in 2003 about Reisman’s life that are available on YouTube and detail his stories about TV shows in the early days and the Hollywood blacklist during the McCarthy era. On the tapes he also discussed growing up locally and attending Hollywood High School where Jason Robards went to school a few years before him. He also talked about being on 35 bombing runs in WWII, and he talked about working as a journalist at the Los Angeles Daily News.

Reisman also wrote or co-wrote episodes of Magnum P.I., Scarecrow & Mrs. King, The Streets of San Francisco, Cannon,Flamingo Road, The Blue Knight, Kung Fu, Ghost Story, Airwolf, and many other TV shows.

For the big screen he co-wrote with Franklin Coen The Take in 1973  based on a novel by G.F. Newman.

Reisman was  born on April 13, 1924, and a member of the Guild since 1965. He became chairman of three consecutive WGA Negotiating Committees during contract negotiations and worked on more than 20 committees.

Guild president John Wells said in a statement: “Del was a wonderful man, a staunch defender of writers, and a tremendous friend whose many years of selfless service to the Guild have improved working lives for thousands of writers and their families.”

He won the Guild’s prestigious Morgan Cox Award in 1999, given to members “whose vital ideas, continuing efforts, and personal sacrifice best exemplify the ideal of service to the Guild.”

American Film Institute Dean Robert Mandel said, “Over the past 10 years, our Fellows have benefitted from Del’s exceptional teaching, support, and compassion as they prepare to dive into the scary Hollywood waters. Del was much beloved and he will be dearly missed.”

Past Guild president Christopher Knopf  said, “He was to me the total package, the best. His friendship improved my life, for which I will be forever grateful.”

Reisman is survived by his niece, Karen Schneider, who resides in Washington D.C., and half-sister Penny Chidgey, who resides in Australia.

Services are pending.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Del Reisman’s name to the Writers Guild Foundation: https://www.wgfoundation.org/donateOnline.aspx