Lee Erwin (writer)

Lee Erwin (September 12, 1906, in Ada, Oklahoma - June 4, 1972 in Los Angeles, California) was a television writer from the 1950s to the 1970s. Erwin wrote for Mr. & Mrs. North, The Millionaire, Have Gun, Will Travel, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan and many other 1950s and 1960s TV shows. He is probably best known for his Star Trek episode "Whom Gods Destroy", and his two-part Tarzan episode "The Deadly Silence". His episode of The Lieutenant, "To Set It Right", was controversial behind the scenes because the subject matter, racial prejudice, was taboo for entertainment television at the time. Despite claims that it never aired, Gene Roddenberry said it did, and the segment was reviewed by Daily Variety. The episode was included in the 2012 DVD set The Lieutenant: The Complete Series, Part 2, from Warner Media, and a copy exists at The Paley Center for Media. Erwin's last work for television was the script for the All in the Family episode "Writing the President" (1971).