Robert Klane, ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ screenwriter, dead at 81

Robert Klane, who wrote the screenplay for “Weekend at Bernie’s” and “Where’s Poppa?” and also directed “Thank God It’s Friday,” died on Aug. 29. He was 81.

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Klane died at his home in Woodland Hills, California, of kidney failure after a long illness, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jon Klane announced his father’s death in a statement, Variety reported.

“Klane’s satirical and daring writing pushed the boundaries of good taste, while depicting the unfairness of life through themes of sex, family, madness and death,” Jon Klane said in his statement.

According to Variety, Robert Klane wrote the screenplays for “Weekend at Bernie’s” in 1999 and its 1993 sequel, “Weekend at Bernie’s II”; and the 1970 film, “Where’s Poppa?”

“Bob had a brilliant comedy mind that went deeper and deeper to get to the truth,” actor Rob Reiner, who appeared in “Where’s Poppa?”, said in a statement. “Most people have a censor in their minds and know how far they can go. Bob didn’t have a censor. That’s what made him great and set him apart. He was fearless.”

Klane’s other screenwriting credits include “Every Little Crook and Nanny” (1972) “Fire Sale” (1977), “Unfaithfully Yours” (1984), “The Man With One Red Shoe” (1985), “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985), “Walk Like a Man” (1987), and “Folks!” (1992)< and according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Klane was born on Oct. 17, 1941, in Port Jefferson, New York, on Long Island, Variety reported. He earned a degree in English in 1963 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, according to the entertainment news website.

Klane’s television writing credits included six episodes of “M*A*S*H*” and “The Odd Couple: Together Again,” which he also directed, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Klane made his debut as a director in the 1978 disco-era film, “Thank God It’s Friday,” Variety reported. He won an Emmy Award in 1997 for producing HBO’s “Tracey Takes On ...”

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