Ed Friendly

Edwin Ed Samson Friendly Jr was an American television producer He was responsible for creating the television programs Rowan Martins LaughIn 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 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 own production company Ed Friendly Productions Inc He received the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1975 for Little House on the Prairie4 and in 1978 for Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion an adaptation of the 1972 childrens novel San Domingo the Medicine Hat Stallion by Marguerite Henry