Emmet G. Lavery Jr.

Emmet G. Lavery, Jr., 86, television executive and producer, died in Encino, CA, on February 16th, of natural causes. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1927 to a New York lawyer and illustrious playwright, Lavery earned his law degree from UCLA Law School in 1953 and was admitted to the California Bar in 1954. Lavery practiced entertainment law until 1963. Tapped by former NBC President Pat Weaver, Lavery joined the maverick Subscription Television (STV) as Vice President and resident counsel, against odds of pay-TV success which even drew proposals for a constitutional amendment against subscription TV. STV's premiere broadcast on July 17, 1963, brought the Los Angeles Dodgers home game into the homes of local residents. In 1965, Lavery was named Director of Business Affairs at 20th Century Fox Television, moving to Paramount Television as Vice-President of Business Affairs in February, 1967. Forming Emmet G. Lavery Jr. Productions in 1975, Lavery produced several successful made-for-television movies including Delancey Street, Serpico television series, The Ghost Of Flight 401, Act of Violence, and Nero Wolfe. In 1980, Lavery joined DLT Entertainment as Vice President of Business Affairs until his retirement. Lavery is survived by daughter Tracy, son Geoffrey, and sister Elizabeth L. Taylor. Services will be held at Our Lady of Grace Church in Encino at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24th, followed by burial at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to his favored charities Los Angeles Mission & Anne Douglas Center for Women, and/or to University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine & Center for Companion Animal Health.