At the height of her popularity, her syndicated column appeared in 900 newspapers, reaching 30 million readers.

Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laughter, celebrates one of America’s best loved humorists.  Recollections from family and friends along with photographs and rare home movies tell the story of her life and career.  Phil Donahue, family friend and host of the award-winning talk show Donahue narrates.  Major funding has been provided by The University of Dayton and Andrews McMeel Universal. 

The program will be distributed nationally by American Public Television (APT). Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laughter will be seen in over 90% of the nation’s television markets, over 250 public television stations across the country will broadcast the documentary.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1927, Erma Fiste developed a love for writing early in life. At the age of 16, while attending Patterson Co-Op High School, Erma talked her way into a job as a copygirl at the Dayton Herald. Determined to attend college, she began working two jobs in order to save enough for books and tuition.  Erma’s English Professor at the University of Dayton, Brother Tom Price encouraged her to write an article for the school magazine. After reading her piece Brother Tom said three words that would sustain her for the rest of her career. “You can write.”

Erma didn’t spend all of her time working and studying, she managed to find time to renew her friendship with Bill Bombeck.  They began dating seriously after
Bill returned from a tour of duty in Korea and were married in 1949.

The Bombeck’s settled in suburbia and started a family.  Taking care of her home and children was a full time job, but Erma’s desire to write soon led her back to work. In 1964 she began writing a column for a weekly publication in Kettering, Ohio.  Her reflections on motherhood struck a chord with women everywhere.  Soon she received an offer from the Dayton Journal-Herald.  Three weeks after her first column appeared in the Journal-Herald, her column was syndicated.

As her popularity grew Erma hit the lecture circuit, wrote a monthly column for Good Housekeeping magazine, appeared twice weekly on Good Morning America, worked tirelessly for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and created a television situation comedy at the same time she continued to write new books and her newspaper column.

In 1996, at the age of 69 Erma Bombeck passed away following kidney transplant surgery. 

“Author, lecturer, television producer, ERA supporter, wife and mother - Erma Bombeck was a renaissance woman with a unique perspective on life.  As her friend Phil Donahue noted “…of her it certainly must be said, and can be said, without exaggeration, we shall never see her likes again.”

Friends, family and colleagues interviewed for Erma Bombeck: A Legacy of Laughter include Norma Born, Erma’s secretary; Pat Wynn Brown, author and performer; Bruce Cameron, author, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter; Tim Bete, Director, Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshop; Matt Bombeck (Erma’s son); Bill Bombeck, Erma’s widower; Andy Bombeck (Erma’s son); and Betsy Bombeck (Erma’s daughter).