Screenwriter Bob Pollock dies at 99

Bob Pollock, 'Dynasty' screenwriter, dies at 99

Robert Mason "Bob" Pollock, known for his work as a screenwriter for the television show "Dynasty," died Monday in Palm Springs. He was 99.

Friends of Pollock remembered him as a cheerful, kind, witty man who deeply loved his late wife, Eileen, better known as "Mike."

"Bob nicknamed her Mike because they met over radio microphones," said Mark Anton, executive director of the AIDS Assistance Program and close friend of Pollock's. "They were a true love story."

Mike died in December of 2012, just three weeks after she and Bob celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, according to her obituary in The Desert Sun. The couple met in New York while working on "My True Story," a radio drama.

Pollock was born in Atlanta on March 29, 1917, according to Anton. He served in World War II as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of public radio relations and returned to the United States to become an actor, according to Mike Pollock's obituary. The couple then worked together on the television shows "Dynasty" and "The Colbys," according to their IMDb page. The couple was awarded a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 1997.

Pollock was also a philanthropist who donated to Coachella Valley nonprofits such as, ACT for MS and the AIDS Assistance Program. The Pollock Theatre at College of the Desert was named for him and his wife.

"They were very involved with a lot of charities and very active in the social scene," said Peggy Cravens, another valley philanthropist."They were very generous people. The thing they loved and supported with great heart was College of the Desert and they stepped up to the plate."

"I always asked him, 'Please write a book, Bob," said Betsy Hammes, a friend of the Pollocks' for 40 years. "He was a young cub reporter in Atlanta when they did 'Gone with the Wind.' He covered the opening of 'Gone with the Wind' and he said that was so exciting. He had so many life experiences."

Hammes said the couple was always "the most happy," and remembered the shows and parties they went to around town.

"They loved show business because they were showbiz," she said. "They loved to go out late, they would go out till 7:30 in the morning."

She also remembered how much Pollock loved her homemade spaghetti sauce and smoked salmon.

"I go fishing once a year and I always made sure he had lots of smoked salmon," Hammes said.

Steve Black and Henry Stern, fellow screenwriters who met the Pollocks during the "Dynasty" days, recalled Pollock's kindness.

"It's a cutthroat business and it was such a privilege to be in the company of people who wanted their friends to succeed and wanted others to do well," Stern said. "It was an island of kindness in a sea of people who did not want you to succeed."

Black spoke about Pollock's love of reading and distrust of 21st century technology.

"He was constantly going to the library and he would find a new author that he liked and call me and say, 'Have you read so-And-so? Well get over there and discover her,'" Black said. "He did not like any of the 21st century equipment we've all learned to use. We showed him an iPad and Googled his house and he said, 'How did they find my house on Google?'"

Pollock also loved the simple things in life, like peach pie, Black said.

Bob and his wife, Eileen "Mike" Pollock. (Photo: Courtesy Lynne and Bruce Bushore)
"I had been ripening peaches because Bob loved peach pie and I made him peach pie every summer," Black said. "We made a peach pie in Bob's honor last night and we just toasted Bob and all ate peach pie like it was going out of style. He loved simple things like that."

Pollock's friends all said he was independent up until the end and was always caring and generous to his friends, insisting they throw a "Bon Voyage" party whenever a friend was going on a trip and another party when they got back, so they could tell everyone. Everyone interviewed for this story remarked on the sense of loss they felt at his death.

Anton said that, in respect to Pollock's wishes, there will not be a memorial service. However, Anton added that a celebration of what would have been Pollock's 100th birthday, this coming March, is being planned.

"His dream was to make it to his 100th birthday. Unfortunately that didn't happen," Anton said, adding that Pollock had suffered three falls in recent weeks that sent him to the hospital multiple times. "One of the last things he said was, 'I'm almost 100 years old. I've lived an amazing life. I miss my wife and I just want to be in peace.'

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/07/14/bob-pollack-dynasty-screenwriter-dies-99/87059674/