‘Bad Timing’ Screenwriter Yale Udoff Dies at 83

By Ellis Clopton

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Yale Udoff, screenwriter for the Nicolas Roeg movie “Bad Timing” as well as episodes of “Tales from the Crypt” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” died of cardiac arrest as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on July 19 at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, Calif. He was 83.

The 1980 drama “Bad Timing” starred Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel. It film became a part of the Criterion Collection in 2005. He was also co-writer on the 1991 “Eve of Destruction” with Gregory Hines.

He began his career at CBS in New York, working with fellow producers Douglas Cramer, Edgar Scherick and Roone Arledge. After moving to ABC, Udoff worked on the adaptation of “Batman” series from the popular comic books, recommending that the show be more campy and hip than the network had originally envisioned. “” ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1968 and starred Adam West and Burt Ward.

Udoff graduated from Michigan State University, attended Georgetown Law School and served as an officer in the United States Infantry.

During his career, Udoff worked not only as a screenwriter, but also as a playwright. In a New York Times review of “A Gun Play,” he was called “a discovery,” with “a comic vision, verbal facility and a contemporary consciousness.” He was selected to participate in the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference during his career and was honored with the Stanley Drama Award for his first play, “The Little Gentleman & The Club,” he received the Charles MacArthur Playwriting Award.

Yale was predeceased by his wife, Shula.