Jess Oppenheimer

Jess Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) a radio and television writer, producer, and director, was producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer "the brains" behind I Love Lucy. As series creator, producer, and head writer, "Jess was the creative force behind the 'Lucy' show," according to I Love Lucy director William Asher. "He was the field general. Jess presided over all the meetings, and ran the whole show. He was very sharp." He was born in San Francisco, California, "where in the third grade he was chosen as a subject of the landmark study of gifted children by Stanford University professor Lewis Terman. Terman's assistant noted in Oppenheimer's file, "I could detect no signs of a sense of humor. During his junior year at Stanford during the 1930s, Oppenheimer visited the studios of radio station KFRC in San Francisco, and soon started spending all his spare time there. He made his broadcast debut performing a comedy...