OK, Friday question off the comic panel -- when you and David started doing stories for MASH and then showrunning, the stories and the people in charge of filming them seemed to come from a mix of new writers/directors and those who had been in the business since the early days of television and even the final days of radio. Did you ever get a chance to talk with the veterans about how things had changed or what they liked/disliked about comedy writing or directing then versus 20-30 years earlier?
By the way, I used to love the National Lampoon and Mad magazine. Unfortunately, they were each so politically incorrect that they couldn't be published today. I've never read The Onion, however. I wonder if it's really as good as everyone says it is?
I thought those assembled might enjoy this, from Twitter, which is the list of Chuck Jones's rules for writing the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons:
First off, Happy Father's Day Ken... Second, I hate to bring up politics but I thought you might want to be aware of a clip of Frasier that is making the rounds of some right leaning people. My politics are not left but I found this offensive in the misuse of material lovingly created by writers, directors and actors for entertainment. Is there a violation of copyright involved in this? The original clip is a helluva lot funnier... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qOfLF70OvM
The Trump supporting right really don't know how to do satire, do they? That was painfully unfunny.
I also find it ironic that they chose a show that they almost certainly have never watched and would never have understood most of the jokes, references and the deployment of irony.
I imagine that Trump supporters' idea of comedy is something very on the nose and literal and basically not funny. Probably something like "What do you call a Democrat? A goddamn homosexual." That would have Mike Huckabee laughing for hours.
I can't decipher the "link" to the Frasier clip, and so cannot comment on it. (URLs make me 'url.)
What little I do know: Kelsey Grammer has for many years been an avowed Republican - but this has nothing to do with Donald Trump, who is a Republican in the same sense that Tom Parker was a Colonel.
Old Joke: What's the difference between Democrats and Republicans? Democrats fall in love. Republicans fall in line.
I'm still telling people that it's the traditional Republicans who will ultimately bring down Trump. Unfortunately, ultimately is taking a helluva lot longer than I thought …
@Wendy Grossman: There was a New Yorker story, "Coyote v. Acme", written in the form of a lawsuit brought by Wile E. Coyote against the Acme Corporation regarding their faulty products. Evidence includes claims such as, "Repetition of blows along a vertical axis produced a series of regular horizontal folds in Mr. Coyote’s body tissues—a rare and painful condition which caused Mr. Coyote to expand upward and contract downward alternately as he walked, and to emit an off-key, accordionlike wheezing with every step." https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1990/02/26/coyote-v-acme
@Mike Doran: Britain's National Theatre showed a performance of "This House", about a hung Parliament in the 1970, on YouTube. One telling joke from a party whip: "The problem with the Stories is that they feel they're destined to govern; the problem with Labour is that they feel they arent."
There's a longstanding cliche that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor. And hell no it isn't, puns are.
No, even that isn't true. It's actually schadenfreude. That is the only form of humor Republicans understand, and it isn't even humor, it's cruelty dressed up as sophistication. Seriously, there is no wit or intelligence anywhere to be found.
You can't argue with people with no moral imagination.
No. Executive Producer was the highest ranking title. The term "showrunner" came about decades later because of the proliferation of Executive Producer credits on a number of series where managers, stars, and writer friends of the Executive Producer(s) were awarded EP titles. So in order for agents, network execs and studio execs to identify the person who actually runs the show, the title "Showrunner"--which is not, at the moment anyway, a screen credit--came into fashion.
The URL works fine if you copy and paste it into a browser.
I've not written much, but I did bristle when a guy not only stole my stuff, but bragged to others, almost as if to say, "This is where I went to rip him off". I will not tell Mr. Levine how to run his business, however, the link you point to is on a youtube channel run by a guy whose vids have never broken 200 views, including the one in question. There is something to be said about stopping the badly recorded misappropriation of the Frasier clip, but there is something to be said about ennobling this guy by acknowledging him.
No, even that isn't true. It's actually schadenfreude. That is the only form of humor Republicans understand, and it isn't even humor, it's cruelty dressed up as sophistication.
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OK, Friday question off the comic panel -- when you and David started doing stories for MASH and then showrunning, the stories and the people in charge of filming them seemed to come from a mix of new writers/directors and those who had been in the business since the early days of television and even the final days of radio. Did you ever get a chance to talk with the veterans about how things had changed or what they liked/disliked about comedy writing or directing then versus 20-30 years earlier?
ReplyDeletevery funny. I am compelled to say Ennnn- teeeeeer instead of Who's there?
ReplyDeleteExcept...comedy writers don't actually retire. They just go on to teach at 'SC.
ReplyDeleteI get it.
ReplyDeleteM.B.
By the way, I used to love the National Lampoon and Mad magazine. Unfortunately, they were each so politically incorrect that they couldn't be published today.
ReplyDeleteI've never read The Onion, however. I wonder if it's really as good as everyone says it is?
M.B.
Was the term "show runner" even used in the 70s ?
ReplyDeleteHa!
ReplyDeleteI thought those assembled might enjoy this, from Twitter, which is the list of Chuck Jones's rules for writing the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/MeredithFrost/status/1274380780526059521/photo/1
Ken, you might have Thoughts?
wg
First off, Happy Father's Day Ken...
ReplyDeleteSecond, I hate to bring up politics but I thought you might want to be aware of a clip of Frasier that is making the rounds of some right leaning people. My politics are not left but I found this offensive in the misuse of material lovingly created by writers, directors and actors for entertainment. Is there a violation of copyright involved in this? The original clip is a helluva lot funnier...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qOfLF70OvM
sueK2001
DeleteThe Trump supporting right really don't know how to do satire, do they? That was painfully unfunny.
I also find it ironic that they chose a show that they almost certainly have never watched and would never have understood most of the jokes, references and the deployment of irony.
I imagine that Trump supporters' idea of comedy is something very on the nose and literal and basically not funny. Probably something like "What do you call a Democrat? A goddamn homosexual." That would have Mike Huckabee laughing for hours.
sueK2001:
ReplyDeleteI can't decipher the "link" to the Frasier clip, and so cannot comment on it.
(URLs make me 'url.)
What little I do know:
Kelsey Grammer has for many years been an avowed Republican - but this has nothing to do with Donald Trump, who is a Republican in the same sense that Tom Parker was a Colonel.
Old Joke:
What's the difference between Democrats and Republicans?
Democrats fall in love.
Republicans fall in line.
I'm still telling people that it's the traditional Republicans who will ultimately bring down Trump.
Unfortunately, ultimately is taking a helluva lot longer than I thought …
@Wendy Grossman: There was a New Yorker story, "Coyote v. Acme", written in the form of a lawsuit brought by Wile E. Coyote against the Acme Corporation regarding their faulty products. Evidence includes claims such as, "Repetition of blows along a vertical axis produced a series of regular horizontal folds in Mr. Coyote’s body tissues—a rare and painful condition which caused Mr. Coyote to expand upward and contract downward alternately as he walked, and to emit an off-key, accordionlike wheezing with every step." https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1990/02/26/coyote-v-acme
ReplyDelete@Mike Doran: Britain's National Theatre showed a performance of "This House", about a hung Parliament in the 1970, on YouTube. One telling joke from a party whip: "The problem with the Stories is that they feel they're destined to govern; the problem with Labour is that they feel they arent."
There's a longstanding cliche that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor. And hell no it isn't, puns are.
ReplyDeleteNo, even that isn't true. It's actually schadenfreude. That is the only form of humor Republicans understand, and it isn't even humor, it's cruelty dressed up as sophistication. Seriously, there is no wit or intelligence anywhere to be found.
You can't argue with people with no moral imagination.
Jay Moriarty responding to maxdebryn:
ReplyDeleteWas the term "show runner" even used in the 70s ?
No. Executive Producer was the highest ranking title. The term "showrunner" came about decades later because of the proliferation of Executive Producer credits on a number of series where managers, stars, and writer friends of the Executive Producer(s) were awarded EP titles. So in order for agents, network execs and studio execs to identify the person who actually runs the show, the title "Showrunner"--which is not, at the moment anyway, a screen credit--came into fashion.
Hello, sueK2001 and Mike Doran:
ReplyDeleteThe URL works fine if you copy and paste it into a browser.
I've not written much, but I did bristle when a guy not only stole my stuff, but bragged to others, almost as if to say, "This is where I went to rip him off". I will not tell Mr. Levine how to run his business, however, the link you point to is on a youtube channel run by a guy whose vids have never broken 200 views, including the one in question. There is something to be said about stopping the badly recorded misappropriation of the Frasier clip, but there is something to be said about ennobling this guy by acknowledging him.
Perfect!
ReplyDeleteNo, even that isn't true. It's actually schadenfreude. That is the only form of humor Republicans understand, and it isn't even humor, it's cruelty dressed up as sophistication.
ReplyDelete