Beautiful Minds

Musings on Intelligence and Creativity in Society

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. is a Visiting Scholar at NYU. His latest book is The Psychology of Creative Writing. See full bio

September 11, 2009, Creativity

Larry Gelbart's Unpublished Essay

WORK ZONE by Larry Gelbart

Larry Gelbart, (1928-2009) writer and producer, two-time Tony Award winning librettist, playwright, screenwriter for TV and movies, and one of the major contributors to the hit TV show M*A*S*H died today at the age of 81.

A few years ago, Larry submitted an essay to James Kaufman and me for a book we were working on about the psychology of creative writing.

I always found the short piece he sent us quite profound. In memory of Larry Gelbart's creative genius, it is my honor to share his unpublished essay here. Rest in peace, Larry.

WORK ZONE

Larry Gelbart

During the years spent working on the M•A•S*H series at 20th Century-Fox, my office was just feet away from the studio's Sound Department, where hour after hour, unrelenting, loud and intrusive work was being done another studio series, a cop show called S.W.A.T. Police sirens, gun shots, screeching brakes, car crashes - that was my Musak. l just didn't have the time to hear the clatter.

l type this, some 30 years later, my right knee throbs dully, constantly. MRI tests indicate a boatload of badly torn cartilage and a Niagara of edema. lt's all extremely painful when l'm not working.

My tinnitus-plagued ears are forever imitating a pair of busted, unfixable, hissing steam pipes. This is also extremely distracting when l'm not working.

Elsewhere at the Complaint Desk of my mind, there any number of personal and professional problems that are very vexing. When I'm not working.

Whenever l'm involved in the next whatever, all of my aches and throbs, every shturm and its accompanying drang are all, if not all gone, almost entirely nonexistent, my mind completely engrossed and completely focused, my concentration largely dismissive of any and all distractions.

Quitting time always comes far too soon for me.