Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007) Author. Sheldon was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) which earned him an Oscar in 1948. He went on to work in television, where his works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show (1963–66), I Dream of Jeannie (1965–70) and Hart to Hart (1979–84). He began writing best-selling romantic suspense novels and is consistently cited as one of the top fiction writers of all time. 8 ½” x 11” legal document signed in red ink, December 19, 1957. The document is an agreement with Paramount Pictures for writing the script for the film, Desire.