Cover photo for Michael Jay Metzger's Obituary
Michael Jay Metzger Profile Photo
1939 Michael 2024

Michael Jay Metzger

October 18, 1939 — December 10, 2024

Michael Metzger was destined to live an artful life. The grandson of the legendary entertainer Eddie Cantor, Michael grew up in the presence of old Hollywood. He became a TV writer and producer, as well as a collage artist of international renown, and a writer, painter, and sculptor.

Michael died at home in Chesterfield on Dec. 10, 2024, at the age of 85.

He was born Oct. 18, 1939, in Los Angeles, the son of the late Natalie (Cantor) Metzger Clary and Joe Metzger.

During peacetime, he served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves before graduating in the early 1960's from UCLA, where he majored in English.

Upon graduation, he took a job at ABC, beginning a long career in television. In the mid-1960s, Michael worked with Chuck Barris Productions as a writer and producer for various shows, including "The Newlywed Game" and "The Dating Game." Later, for Dick Clark Productions, he produced "TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes," among other hits.

During his television career, Michael won many accolades, including an Emmy Award for writing. In the 1980s Michael and his wife, Ellen Metzger, formed a TV production company, producing pilots for network television, including the popular show "Night Games.”

During a prolonged writers strike in the late 1980s, Michael, Ellen, and their daughter, Jesse Metzger, then 8, relocated to Ibiza, Spain, where they continued to create art and music. Upon their return to L.A., Michael went back into television.

As Michael flirted with the idea of retirement, he and Ellen visited their daughter, then a student at Williams College. They fell in love with the area and began a serious search for a new, post-retirement location, eventually settling in Chesterfield, in 2003.

For the next two decades, Michael worked tirelessly in his distinctive basement studio, creating hundreds of inimitable collages. Over the years, Michael was commissioned to create customized and often humorous, satirical collages for the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Berry Gordy, and Mike Nichols, as well as for many local folks. As a gift for his treasured Chesterfield, he created a special Independence Day Parade collage for the town’s 250th anniversary. One of his classic collages, “Darwin in his Bathroom,” hangs in a town hall in the Galapagos Islands.

His writing — his screenplays, his novels, and his many inspired letters and emails to friends — were among his proudest achievements.

Michael cherished the time he spent making music with Ellen and a host of talented local artists. In addition, their two horses and multiple beloved cats were a source of extraordinary joy in his life.

Over the years, Michael was instrumental in helping others along in their careers, but probably the most important thing Michael shared with his friends was his humor, which was always unpredictable and often profound.

Michael leaves Ellen, his wife of 48 years, his daughter, Jesse, and his many beloved friends.

A memorial gathering will take place in the spring.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Michael Jay Metzger, please visit our flower store.

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