Sad news today for fans of classic 60s and 70s TV sitcoms. Sherwood Schwartz, creator of “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch” has died at age 94.

Schwartz, born November 14, 1916 in Passaic, New Jersey, started off as a writer for Bob Hope before moving into TV, working on “The Red Skelton Show” and “My Favorite Martian” among others.

The Professor and, uh...all the rest...

In 1964 Schwartz’s first creation, “Gilligan’s Island” made its debut featuring an iconic theme song written by the man himself.

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship”

Schwartz said this of the microcosm of “Gilligan”:

“It’s one world, and we all have to learn to live with each other.”

The Brady Bunch. Thanks Sherwood, for my extended family.

In 1969 Schwartz’s next successful creation, “The Brady Bunch,” made its debut and ran through 1974. Schwartz wrote the memerable theme song for this one as well. Come on, you know it by heart:

“Here’s the story of a lovely lady
Who was bringing up three very lovely girls
All of them had hair of gold, like their mother
The youngest one in curls”

Schwartz said of “The Brady Bunch”:

“…it dealt with real emotional problems: the difficulty of being the middle girl; a boy being too short when he wants to be taller; going to the prom with zits on your face.”

He forgot to mention footballs in the face, exploding volcanoes and bad luck tikis but that’s OK. Thank you so much Sherwood Schwartz for your wonderful shows which brightened our childhoods with much entertainment and laughter. Wherever you are now – have a fancy drink in a coconut shell on me.

Sources: Read the last ever interview with Schwartz at the wonderful Classic Television Showbiz blog as well as an appreciation at the L.A. Times, and obits at The NY Times and NPR. You may also wish to investigate the Sherwood Schwartz Wiki.