No cause was given.
In 2017, he received the Morgan Cox Award in recognition of his exemplary service to the Guild.
I almost blew the interview, Wilcox said.
Dan WilcoxTodd Williamson/Getty Images
I had to write spec scripts, and they werent very good.
My uncle Jed was living at my moms, and we watchedCaptain Kangarootogether.
He read my scripts, and told me I had comedy all wrong.
Never let the character be aware there is a problem.
He thinks its going perfectly, andthenit all falls apart!
Jed gave me a crash course in how to write comedy that Ive relied on my entire career.
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Wilcox went on to landing work on such 1970s series asWhats Happening!
!,Norman LearsGood Timesand PBSSesame Street.
He won an Emmy for the latter in 1970 and it was the first of five career Emmy nominations.
His second Emmy nom was forAmerica 2-Nite,the late-night talk-show sendup fronted by Martin Mull and Fred Willard.
He would pen more than 60 episodes on that show, which originally was titledFernwood 2-Nite.
He went on to write for ABCs 1979 sequel miniseriesRoots: The Next Generations.
Among theMAS*Hepisodes Wilcox helped to write was the 212-hour series finale.
He also scooped five Writers Guild Awards nominations for the series from 1980-84, winning in 1980.
Wilcox was a producer onNewhartfrom 1984-86.
As a kid, I was in the peanut gallery ofHowdy Doody, he said.
On each episode, they would run an old-time movie.
I said, I cant see, and a voice nearby said, Shut up!
I looked around, and it was Clarabell the Clown!
