Duane Earl Poole Dies: ‘The Smurfs’, ‘Hart To Hart’ Writer Was 74

Greg Evans
·2 min read

Duane Earl Poole, a writer and producer for Aaron Spelling, Hanna-Barbera and Sid & Marty Krofft whose credits include Hart To Hart, The Love Boat, The Smurfs and Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, died of cancer on April 1 in Studio City, CA. He was 74.

His death was announced by his husband, Frank V. Bonventre.

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Born on September 15, 1948, in Prescott, AZ, Poole was raised in Kennewick, WA, Poole began working for King World Productions in Seattle after graduating from the University of Washington. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1975 to work for Hanna-Barbera, and soon became a prolific writer of such Saturday morning cartoon fare as The Great Grape Ape, Scooby’s Laff-A-Lympics, The All-New Super Friends Hour and The Smurfs, among others.

Poole also wrote for Sid and Marty Krofft, whose bizarre, colorful live-action shows rivaled Hanna-Barbera in Saturday morning popularity. Far Out Space Nuts, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Krofft Supershow and The Kroff Superstar Hour were among Poole’s credits.

In the early 1980s, Poole jumped to primetime, writing and producing for such Aaron Spelling series as Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, Glitter, Lottery! and Hotel.

Poole also was a prolific writer and producer of TV movies from the 1990s on, including Katharine Hepburn’s final two screen appearances — This Can’t Be Love with Anthony Quinn, and One Christmas with Julie Harris, Henry Winkler, and Swoosie Kurtz — as well as Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory with Patty Duke and Piper Laurie; Sarah Plain and Tall with Glenn Close and Christopher Walken; Surviving Gilligan’s Island and Return to the Batcave; and A Season for Miracles with Kathy Baker, Laura Dern, Lynn Redgrave, Patty Duke and Carla Gugino.

Among his numerous Hallmark Channel and Lifetime movies were The Edge of the Garden, The Memory Book, Christmas List, Royally Ever After, Next Stop Christmas, An Angel in the Family, A Timeless Christmas, A Very Vintage Christmas, Last Chance Llama Ranch, Honeymoon with Mom, For the Love of a Child, Deadly Encounter, Her Best Friend’s Husband, and Going for Broke.

For the stage, Poole was the librettist for the musical adaptation of his film adaptation of Capote’s A Christmas Memory with music and lyrics by Carol Hall and Larry Grossman, and Scrooge in Love, with music and lyrics by Larry Grossman and Kellen Blair. He was the co-librettist with James Mellon for Dorian: A New Musical with music and lyrics by Mellon and Scott De Turk. At the time of his death, he was writing a new musical with Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman.

Poole was an Advisory Board member of Musical Theatre Guild and wrote many fund-raising events for the organization, including tributes to Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, and Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, among others. He was a member of the Writers Guild and was represented by Summit Talent & Literary Agency.

In addition to Bonventre, his husband of 22 years, Poole is survived by father-in-law, Anthony Bonventre; in-laws Virginia Bonventre Cappelli, Patricia Bonventre and David Cappelli Sr.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

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