Caruso began his career by writing for comedians at nightclubs, including
Don Adams and
Allen & Rossi, the comedy team of
Marty Allen and
Steve Rossi. Caruso and Gardner co-wrote television specials for
Jerry Lewis,
Bill Cosby,
Robin Williams,
Debbie Reynolds,
Don Rickles and
Jack Benny. Additionally, the pair wrote several television films, including
Break Up, which starred
Bernadette Peters in 1973; and
How to Break Up a Happy Divorce, a 1976
NBC television movie starring
Barbara Eden, which the duo also produced. Dee Caruso and Gardner also worked on several feature film projects. They co-wrote
Which Way to the Front?, a 1970
satirical war flick starring
Jerry Lewis; ''
The World's Greatest Athlete, a 1973 Walt Disney production starring John Amos and Jan-Michael Vincent; and Doin' Time'', a 1985 Warner Brothers film. Caruso and his wife, Sandra Caruso, co-taught a class, called "What's Funny, What's Not," for ten years at the
UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Caruso then became a screenwriting professor at the
UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he taught for more than twenty years. Dee Caruso died of
pneumonia at his home in
Brentwood, Los Angeles, on May 27, 2012, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife of 47 years, Sandra Caruso. His memorial service was held at the
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. ==References==