[FILM] Norma Zarky (1917-1977) was a prominent lawyer in Los Angeles, active in the fight for abortion rights and other civil rights. She then worked for a number of lawyers, including Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., a prominent civil rights lawyer, and for Arthur Goldberg. She co-authored a number of briefs with Rauh on civil rights cases during the 1950s. In 1954, during the McCarthy Era, the Department of Justice sought to fire Hilbert Zarky from his position with the Department, based primarily on Normaís very brief involvement with Communism when she was an undergraduate in the mid-1930s, along with such ìcrimesî as their belonging to a liberal book club and being at meetings attended by ìsuspectî individuals. After she and her husband filed numerous declarations from friends and prominent individuals regarding their loyalty to the United States, he was reinstated to his position. In 1961 joined the law firm of Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp, becoming the firmís first woman partner in 1968. At Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp, she practiced primarily in the field of entertainment law. Zarky was the first woman to serve as President of the Beverly Hills Bar Association and was a founding member of Women in Film. She was influential in establishing Public Counsel, which is now ìthe largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world.î She also was active in the Constitutional Rights Foundation. She was also a founder of California Women Lawyers. Zarky was particularly active in the fight for legalized abortion. She was ìone of the two leading California attorneysî strategizing the legal battles. She authored the ACLUís amicus brief in People v. Belous, in which the California Supreme Court upheld a womanís right to abortion. She then wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the American Association of University Women in Roe v. Wade, the case that established the right to abortion on a nationwide basis. In 1979, Women in Film established The Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award, which ìis presented to individuals who, like Ms. Zarky herself, have demonstrated enlightened support for the advancement of equal opportunity for all and devotion to the improvement of the human condition.î Lengthy TLS, 1965, 1p, to Milt Ebbins, Chrislaw productions, about Bill Asher, mentioning the film JOHNNY COOL and The Patty Duke Show. Bill Asher (1921-2012) was one of the most prolific early television directors, producing or directing over two dozen series. With television in its infancy, Asher introduced the sitcom Our Miss Brooks, which was adapted from a radio show. He began directing I Love Lucy by 1952. In 1964, he produced and directed Bewitched, which starred his then-wife Elizabeth Montgomery. As a result of his early success, Asher was considered an "early wunderkind of TV-land," and is credited in one magazine article for 'inventing' the sitcom. Included here is a carbon copy of another letter plus a copy of a contract with William Asher.

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