Hollywood comedy writer Hal Kanter dies at 92

Hal Kanter, an Emmy-winning comedy master who wrote for Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, directed Elvis Presley in "Loving You" and created Diahann Carroll's groundbreaking TV sitcom, has died. He was 92.

Kanter died Sunday. Daughter Donna Kanter told the Los Angeles Times he died from pneumonia complications at Encino Hospital.

His three Emmys included back-to-back wins for 1991-92 as a writer for the Academy Awards. He also won an Emmy in 1955 for "The George Gobel Show," and he received four other nominations, including one as executive producer of "All in the Family" in 1976 and another for outstanding comedy series for Carroll's "Julia" in 1969.

"If there was a funnier writer than Hal I never knew him," said "All in the Family" creator Norman Lear.

"Julia" was a television landmark, depicting a black professional woman as a series lead in an era that generally cast black actors as domestic help. "If I could do a television show that depicted blacks as people and not as black people, it might do some good," Kanter recalled in a 2002 interview.

Kanter also wrote the 1952 Hope and Crosby adventure "Road to Bali," and his 1950s big-screen work also included two other Hope comedies. In 1976, Hope hired Kanter as his head writer.

Born Dec. 18, 1918, in Savannah, Ga., Kanter broke into the business as a gag writer for radio programs.

In addition to daughter Donna, survivors include his wife of 70 years, writer Doris Kanter; and daughters Donna Kanter, Lisa Kanter Shafer and Abigail Kanter Jaye.