A key element in a sitcom’s success that’s shot in front of an audience is the Warm Up person. This week and next Ken talks to Bob Perlow who for 37 years was the gold standard. From THE TONIGHT SHOW to FRIENDS, CHEERS, GOLDEN GIRLS, NEWHART, TAXI, and tons of other, Bob elevated this unique position into an art. And needless to say, he’s a funny guy.
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Good segment. I especially liked Mr. Perlow's impersonation of Garry Marshall.
ReplyDeleteIn the sixties, Jackie Gleason used to fly announcer Johnny Olson, warm-up man extraordinaire, down to Miami each week for Gleason's variety show. Supposedly, Gleason wouldn't step on stage until Olson had talked to the audience. This was at a time when Olson was working three or four Goodson-Todman panel and game shows in New York ("What's My Line?," "To Tell the Truth," etc.) Someone said that once you saw Johnny Olson warm up an audience, you'd applaud a potato sack race.
Nice interview. He had that old school personality. A real fun podcast.
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