Ed Lakso

I had the pleasure of meeting Ed Lakso on the set of "Combat! Back to the Front" in 2004. He was so enthusiastic about his work on Combat! and also on Charlie's Angels. His wife, Lee Travis, who also was on the set that day, was an actress who had appeared on Charlie's Angels.

Lakso wrote, directed, and composed music for the bio-pic "43: The Richard Petty Story." This 1974 film starred Petty as himself, and also featured Pierre Jalbert ("Caje" in Combat!).

Ed Lakso passed away in May of 2009. According to his obituary on WENN.com:

"Lakso, who also worked as a producer, composer and lyricist, passed away at his Beverly Hills, California home last Saturday of complications from Parkinson's disease.

"He was heavily involved with the Charlie's Angels TV series during its 1976-1981 run, writing 25 episodes, producing 28 and composing the music for two.

"Lakso also penned scripts for Combat!, The Rockford Files and Adventures in Paradise, among several others.

"And he was keen to help others break into the entertainment industry - mentoring Gene Levitt, E. Jack Neuman and Aaron spelling."

 
Combat! Episodes by Ed Lakso

• The Sniper

• No Trumpets, No Drums

• Bridgehead

• The Long Way Home (Parts 1 and 2)

• Ambush

• Thunder from the Hill

• The Party

• A Silent Cry

• The Hunter

• What Are the Bugles Blowin' For (parts 1 and 2)

• Weep No More

• Rescue

• Mountain Man

• The Duel

• The Hard Way Back

• The Enemy

• Brother, Brother

• The Long Wait

• Cry in the Ruins

• The Hell Machine

• The Linesman

• Crossfire

• Breakout

• Retribution

• Counterplay

• Ask Me No Questions

• The Flying Machine

• A Sudden Terror

• The Losers

• Anniversary

Other TV Series that Ed Lakso wrote for:

• 12 O'Cock High
• Adam-12
• Adventures in Paradise
• Air Wolf
• Barnaby Jones
• Baretta
• Big Valley
• Charlie's Angels
• Dr. Kildare
• Fall Guy
• Garisson's Gorillas
• I Spy
• Laredo
• Laramie
• Mannix
• Mod Squad
• My Three Sons
• Planet of the Apes
• The Magician
• Mission Impossible
• Perry Mason
• Rat Patrol
• Rawhide
• The Rockford Files
• The Six Million Dollar Man
• Star Trek (the original series)
• Starksy and Hutch
• S.W.A.T.
• The Virginian
• The Wild, Wild West
   

(image from "Combat! Back to the Front")