Lesson plan

Ed Friendly

Edwin Samson Friendly Jr. (April 8, 1922 – June 17, 2007) was an American television producer. He was responsible for creating the television programs Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Little House on the Prairie, and Backstairs at the White House. Born in New York City, Ed Friendly served with the United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. After the war, he worked at the advertising agency of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. He began his television career in 1949, working for ABC as director of sales before briefly moving to Barry & Enright Productions in 1953, and then moving to CBS as a contract producer and then, in 1959, to NBC as vice president of special programs. Friendly moved to California in 1967 and formed his second production company George Schlatter-Ed Friendly Productions with George Schlatter, and then his third own production company, Ed Friendly Productions, Inc. after Schlatter and Friendly broke their partnership in 1972. He received the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1975 for Little House on the Prairie and in 1978 for Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion, an adaptation of the 1972 children's novel San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion by Marguerite Henry.

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Article summary

Edwin Samson Friendly Jr. (April 8, 1922 – June 17, 2007) was an American television producer. He was responsible for creating the television programs Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Little House on the Prairie, and Backstairs at the White House. Born in New York City, Ed Friendly served with the United States Army in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. After the war, he worked at the advertising agency of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. He began his television career in 1949, working for ABC as director of sales before briefly moving to Barry & Enright Productions in 1953, and then moving to CBS as a contract producer and then, in 1959, to NBC as vice president of special programs. Friendly moved to California in 1967 and formed his second production company George Schlatter-Ed Friendly Productions with George Schlatter, and then his third own production company, Ed Friendly Productions, Inc. after Schlatter and Friendly broke their partnership in 1972. He received the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1975 for Little House on the Prairie and in 1978 for Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion, an adaptation of the 1972 children's novel San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion by Marguerite Henry.

Key claims

  1. date of death: 2007 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. date of establishment: 1993 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "2007". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the date of establishment is "1993". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1363716923

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.