Gerald Francis “Jerry” Harvey was an American screenwriter and film programmer, best known for his work on Z Channel, a pioneering cable station in Los Angeles from 1974 to 1989.
Harvey married again in February 1986, to Deri Rudulph. They remained together until April 9, 1988, when Harvey killed Rudulph with a pistol before turning the gun on himself.
Born in Bakersfield, California, Harvey moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s and enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). While at UCLA, he was enrolled in an English course taught by Charles Lynn Batten, and made a positive impression on Batten early on.
In 1971, he met Douglas Venturelli, with whom he co-wrote China 9, Liberty 37. The film, a “spaghetti Western” shot in Italy and Spain, featured Sam Peckinpah in a rare acting role. Filmed in 1973, it would not see a European release until 1978 (and was not shown in America until years later, in some cities as late as 1984). It would be Harvey’s only screenwriting credit.
