Harriet Halpern Beck, a veteran attorney and TV executive who represented Laugh-In producer George Schlatter and worked on deals for Saturday morning kids shows, died Friday in Los Angeles after a long illness, a publicist announced. She was 80.
Upon graduation from Loyola Marymount University law school in 1980, Beck landed a job as a business affairs attorney for Filmways, then moved into children’s television as vp business affairs for Ruby-Spears Productions.
There, she helped shape Saturday morning TV as the company supplied such shows as Alvin and the Chipmunks, Mister T, Rambo, Punky Brewster, Dragon’s Lair and Rubik, the Amazing Cube to networks.
She later worked on titles including The Care Bears, the animated Beetlejuice and an updated Beany and Cecil and played an integral role in the business deal for John Kricfalusi’ The Ren & Stimpy Show.
During the ’90s and 2000s, Beck worked for Group W Cable and the Hallmark Channel while maintaining a client roster of writers, producers, musicians, animators and designers.
