Company name[edit]

According to a 2003 interview, James L. Brooks said that the company was named the John Charles Walters Company because the foursome "wanted a venerable Protestant name."^[1] The book Hailing Taxi indicates that the partners discovered an old pub sign that said "Charles Walters." They bought it in order to make it their logo, but then discovered that there was a director in Hollywood named Charles Walters. They added the name John to avoid legal problems.


The only known existence of Walters appears at the end of both Taxi and The Associates, as well as the 1978 telefilm Cindy, a reworking of Cinderella with an all-Black cast. In the end credits, the back of Walters is seen leaving his office while a female voice off-screen wishes him good night (with the words "Night, Mr. Walters!" or "Merry Christmas, Mr. Walters!" in holiday-themed episodes); Walters merely groans in response while he puts his hat on as he exits. The logo was shot by assistant cinematographer Larry Foster. Ed. Weinberger provided the voice of Walters during the sequence.^[2] The woman is Weinberger's actual assistant.