Danny Simon, who died Tuesday at 86, was the real-life Felix Unger, as well as the inspiration for characters in 9 or 10 other plays by his more renowned brother, Neil Simon. As a celebrated TV comedy writer, who wrote for everything from the 1950s sitcom Make Room for Daddy to the 1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, he was best known as part of the legendary stable of writers for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, a mentor who taught several younger scribes how to write comedy — including kid brother Neil and Woody Allen.
”I learned a few things on my own since, and modified some of the things he taught me,” the Woodman once said, ”but everything, unequivocally, that I learned about comedy writing I learned from Danny Simon.” The elder Simon apparently didn’t resent his sibling’s success, since Neil immortalized him in The Odd Couple, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and several other memorable stage and screen comedies. ”There have been more plays written about me than about Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and Julius Caesar all put together,” he joked.
I met Danny at a party and we became friends. I had 2 children in their teens. I could always call him and he always made me laugh because he told me that my life would change for the better as they aged.
We talked about family and friends. I just looked up on google and found out that he passed. I admired his humor and most of all his kindness and thoughtfulness.
My deepest condolences to the family. He spoke fondly of his children and brother.
I am family. I had lost touch with all of them, and all of a sudden I decided to go online. I am shocked. I thought one of our female cousins, with the same first name as my mother’s stayed in touch with Neil and Danny, but apparently not, or I would have hoped she would have called me to tell me of Danny’s passing. I would want to get in touch with the family, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin.
A cousin.
Danny Simon was an absolute genius. He was the best writing teacher of any that I have ever had. He was warm, funny and dead honest. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln combined were never thsi honest. I started taking comedy writing lessons from him in the winter of 1984 and kept taking classes from him for four years. Danny was indeed the real Felix Unger, but that just made him more endearing. He told us students that great comedy came from “the honesty of the moment.” He stressed over and over “If you try to be funny, you just never will. When you write you must face every situation directly (“Deal With It!) even if that means exploring anger, betrayal, a hopeless situation, or a painful relationship. Years later I would call him on the phone and he always remembered who I was. I learned more about writing comedy from him than any soul on earth. He stressed that a great writer must “get into the character’s head”. God love you, Danny.Keep God laughing, Lord knows He needs it!