24 JULY 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
Jane Milmore
A Lifetime of Laughter BY LORI DRAZ
Bright and beautiful, fearless and funny, Jane Milmore
was an award-winning playwright, a comedy writer
on some of TV’s top shows and an actress. Though her
career led her to Los Angeles, she never really left her Rumson
home or her roots at the Jersey Shore.
Chances are you knew her or one of her four sisters:
Maureen, Janet, Kathleen and Jennifer. Together, these
throughout their lives.
Jane and her creative partner, Billy Van Zandt, co-authored
23 plays (and acted in most of them). Audiences
looked forward to the annual spring presentation of their
newest play each year at Brookdale Community College,
before they took off for international stages. This strong
partnership led to the Van Zandt/Milmore Scholarship at
Brookdale Community College which has given more than
20 theater students a college education.
Jane’s enviable career was spent in front of and behind
the camera. Shortly after relocating to Los Angeles,
she began appearing in many commercials and on TV
shows. Her natural wit and humor led to production where she became
a television writer and producer. She created and produced more than
300 hours of television comedy on shows like “Newhart,” “The Hughleys,”
“Sydney” and more. The Van Zandt/Milmore team did shows for Don Rickles,
Richard Lewis, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andrew Dice Clay, the Wayans brothers,
Brooke Shields, Olympia Dukakis, Michael McKeon, Richard Mulligan
and John Goodman. Often Jane found herself as the only female in the
writers’ room, but she held her own, relying on her strong presence, talent
and quick wit. The team received Emmy nominations for its CBS special
“I Love Lucy: The Very First Show” which unveiled the pilot episode
of “I Love Lucy” and was the highest-rated program on network television
that season.
In addition to her lengthy credits
in show business, Jane was a humanitarian.
She was honored with
a Joint Legislative Resolution by
the New Jersey State Senate and
General Assembly for her record
of service and leadership. She also
received the Clara Barton Humanitarian
Award by the Red Cross for
her charity work and service to the
community in her beloved state of
New Jersey.
to Rumson in 1976 and have had
a home there ever since. Over the
years, some of the sisters lived in
Red Bank and Eatontown, but Rumson
From left: Kathy, Janet, Jane, Maureen and Jennifer Milmore
was their home base. Janet stayed in Rumson with her husband,
Scott, and now lives in Red Bank, while the three other sisters moved
to Los Angeles to pursue careers in the arts. Jennifer became an actress;
Kathy is an elementary school teacher and published romance novelist,
writing under the name Kaitlin O’Riley; and Maureen is the vice presi-
Jane’s larger-than-life personality, great sense of humor and infectious
laugh, accented by her touch of a wild streak, made her a favorite
with so many people. She loved New Jersey and made several trips back
from Los Angeles every year when she hosted many Christmas parties, New
Year’s Eve parties, summer parties, and cast parties at her Rumson home.
She was an avid reader, with a fondness for historical romance novels
and would often help edit Kathy’s novels. Jane was also proud of her Irish
descent and loved researching family genealogy and her family roots in
and witty, always the life of the party, while also being an extraordinary
organizer and decorator.”
Jane accomplished so much in her life, even though she did not attend
college. She was self-taught and worked her way up from nothing.
She often said, “Sometimes it’s better to just forge ahead and not worry
about what you don’t know.”
On Feb. 4, 2020, Jane lost her valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.
Her four sisters, who stayed by her side through every doctor’s appointment
and chemotherapy treatment, waited for the COVID-19 restrictions
to be lifted and are now holding a memorial service at Brookdale Community
College this summer. The same place where Jane brought so much
laughter and song would now be the place for sharing memories of her.
Jane Milmore’s legacy lives on in her many plays still being produced
all over the country, and she will always be one of Monmouth
County’s shining stars.
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