American screenwriter and novelist, Rita Lakin will visit Beverly Hills Public Library this Sunday, September 18 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to discuss her career in television and screenwriting. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
Lakin was a pioneer as a female scriptwriter in the early 1960s when Hollywood television was exclusively male. Her memoir, “The Only Woman in the Room,” is about her time when women were not considered worthy or welcome at the creative table. Her courage, fortitude and self-confidence helped propel her from being a secretary to becoming an executive producer and showrunner.
Lakin began writing in the early 1960s for television shows, “The Doctor,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Peyton Place.” In 1968, she began working as story editor and head writer of “The Mod Squad.”
In 1972, she created “The Rookies.” In 1977, she served as executive producer of the CBS TV adaptation of the 1954 film Executive Suite. She wrote numerous “Movies of the Week” including “Women in Chains,” and such miniseries as “Strong Medicine,” and “Voices of the Heart.” In 1981, she developed the TV series adaptation and served as show-runner of “Flamingo Road.” In 1989, she co-created the medical drama “Nightingales.” She also wrote or co-authored two original theatrical plays, “No Language But a Cry,” and “Saturday Night at Grossinger’s.” In fiction, Lakin created the Gladdy Gold Mystery seven-book series, including “Getting Old is
Murder,” “Getting Old is the Best Revenge,” and “Getting Old Can Kill You.”
For more information about this event and other events at the Beverly Hills Public Library, visit bhpl.org or call 310.288.2211. The Library is located at 444 North Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, 90210. Free parking is available adjacent to the library.
