Jim Rusk(I)

Jim Rusk won two Emmy awards for his creative talent in writing comedic scenarios for television sitcoms. He wrote comedy scripts for Three's Company, Laugh-In, The Odd Couple, and numerous specs for other sitcoms. He helped create and wrote scripts for two characters Lily Thomlin played on Laugh-In: five year old Edith Ann who sat in her oversized rocking chair and did monologues, and Ernestine the telephone operator. Rusk also created comedy television commercials, and he was in the process of writing a comedic musical theater production intended for Broadway just before his passing. A preview story form version of a segment of the script was performed in a private showing in Tulsa, the city in which he resided. Rusk became involved in directing and acting in community theater when he moved to Tulsa to be close to his family after retiring from writing for television. He was also a professional pianist and often entertained diners in a 5-star restaurant with his beautiful piano playing while performing Broadway hits and popular songs, classical scores, and some of his own original compositions.