James Allen Schmerer (June 14, 1938 – October 4, 2019[2]) was an American television producer, screenwriter and author, best known for his work on popular action, western and crime drama television programs of the seventies and eighties.
After graduating from New York University with a bachelor's degree in motion picture production in 1960,[3][4] Schmerer moved to Hollywood in 1961[5] and began his career as an assistant editor on the Mike Wallace-narrated series Biography, before becoming a production coordinator on another documentary series, also produced by David L. Wolper, Hollywood and the Stars.
Three years later, now working as head of Creative Development at Xanadu Productions, Schmerer reputedly became the youngest producer of a prime time US television series, at the time,[8] when he was hired by David Dortort to replace William Claxton as producer on the final two seasons of NBC's The High Chaparral at the age of 31.
"[9] Tensions during Schmerer's run on the series were also high between him and the cast, particularly after he fired one of the series' main characters, Mark Slade (Billy Blue), without warning, after he had requested to be used less at the beginning of season four in order to complete production on a feature film.
[13] His pupils included In a later attempt to "try another discipline" and push his skills, he wrote the detective mystery novel Twisted Shadows,[14] published May 9, 2000.