tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5039617623160230498..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday Questions By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40023886309170227322014-04-11T12:48:56.615-07:002014-04-11T12:48:56.615-07:00Just for the record ... West Wing didn't survi...Just for the record ... West Wing didn't survive after Sorkin left. There was a show of the same name, sure; but it wasn't actually West Wing any more. Despite having the same actors using the same character's names, the characters were completely different people than Sorkin's. How the hell do you go from, "Do you have a best friend? Is he smarter than you? Would you trust him with your life? That's your chief of staff." to what came out when Sorkin wasn't there? I stopped watching it at that point.Tess T.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51883273442479187112014-03-31T07:18:42.731-07:002014-03-31T07:18:42.731-07:00With "How I Met Your Mother" ending Mond...With "How I Met Your Mother" ending Monday night I'd love to hear your thoughts on writing a series finale. Have you written one? What are the pressures involved? In your opinion what makes a good finale?Garrettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57547385622378847112014-03-30T17:54:11.296-07:002014-03-30T17:54:11.296-07:00Hey Ken, I was wondering if you've seen the sh...Hey Ken, I was wondering if you've seen the show "The League" and, if so, what are your thoughts? I think one of the creators had something to do with Seinfeld - but I find that the show tries too hard to be like Seinfeld and most of the characters are unlikable. I'm not sure if it's the writing or the actors or both. A friend of mine is a huge fan, so I've seen more than I care to of it - and while it occasionally has some good moments, I think the characters are just too unlikable. Any thoughts? This could also relate to Carla on Cheers - she was mean, but ultimately likable. Probably superior writing and a good job by Rhea.<br /><br />Thanks for reading my long post and keep up the great work!Andy Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61731240953295341492014-03-29T14:19:01.841-07:002014-03-29T14:19:01.841-07:00"slummingitforthelord said...
D. McEwan,
Ja...<i>"slummingitforthelord said...<br />D. McEwan, <br /><br />Jackie Coogan was a much better actor than Maurice Gosfield, and played Fester brilliantly. What do you mean 'unfortunately for all...'"</i><br /><br />Obviously, I mean just what I wrote, that I think I'd have liked Maurice much better in the role. Jackie was certainly a more versatile actor than Maurice, but I never really liked his version of Fester, or that squeaky, high-pitched voice he did as Fester. Maurice's Fester would have been sweeter, more loveable. I'd have liked to have seen Maurice's Fester in more than just photos.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89191473755579958072014-03-29T13:26:40.680-07:002014-03-29T13:26:40.680-07:00Hey Ken,
Oscar Award-Winning writer Paul Haggis s...Hey Ken,<br /><br />Oscar Award-Winning writer Paul Haggis said that he made a good living as a bad writer when he started out writing for sitcoms but he gradually got better. I wonder, if talent does exist, how do you think bad writers are hired through pure luck in this business?<br /><br />Thanks, and your books and blog are really entertaining and helpful!<br />JasmineJasmine McArthurnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84686556631132211872014-03-29T05:31:31.456-07:002014-03-29T05:31:31.456-07:00What??!! no Paul Lynde?!!! What??!! no Paul Lynde?!!! Kleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14306497851609490015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82295165241091792962014-03-29T03:06:46.467-07:002014-03-29T03:06:46.467-07:00Storm, I was a background actor in one of the firs...Storm, I was a background actor in one of the first season episodes, and those cell phones...they didn't "work", the director would call out "ring ring" and the actor would "answer" the phone.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77081150335992581442014-03-29T03:01:46.371-07:002014-03-29T03:01:46.371-07:00...naturally actors demand higher salaries...you k......naturally actors demand higher salaries...you know a co- producer of LAST MAN STANDING can’t hold out for Tim Allen’s salary. <br /><br />Not too mention Ted Danson's ;)Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15077199905426016552014-03-29T02:14:20.755-07:002014-03-29T02:14:20.755-07:00I've been re-watching "The X-Files" ...I've been re-watching "The X-Files" for the first time in years, and all through the first two seasons, I found myself giggling at the tech-level of the time: "Oh, a fax machine! And a beeper? How quaint!" And when they finally got cellphones, they were bigger than my TV remote and had honking great antennas. I just watched an episode where they go online and the old familiar, annoying modem connect tone went off; hearing it took me back farther than I thought, back to when you were The MAN if you were modeming at 2400 baud. And people called it "modeming".<br /><br />My, how 20 years flies!<br /><br />Storm<br />Stormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51219937995574928982014-03-29T01:52:29.892-07:002014-03-29T01:52:29.892-07:00D. McEwan,
Jackie Coogan was a much better act...D. McEwan, <br /><br />Jackie Coogan was a much better actor than Maurice Gosfield, and played Fester brilliantly. What do you mean "unfortunately for all..."Nobody Will Read Thishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435587585058495930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13907898178372202182014-03-28T20:37:48.764-07:002014-03-28T20:37:48.764-07:00One of the things that's hurt The Crazy Ones i...One of the things that's hurt The Crazy Ones in the ratings this season, IMO, is that it's on CBS Thursday; the only single-cam comedy, surrounded by three multi-cams. It just stood out. Although I actually think The Crazy Ones would be better as a multi-camera piece; let Robin Williams be Robin Williams.<br /><br />That said, it's been good this season, and has earned a renewal for next year. It'd be a shame if CBS let it go, and if it does hopefully someone (ABC? I could see it working there) could pick it up.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64772958968257905772014-03-28T19:31:01.109-07:002014-03-28T19:31:01.109-07:00No love for Fred Mertz? Bill Frawley got more laug...No love for Fred Mertz? Bill Frawley got more laughs with just some looks, than Vivian Vance got trying to keep up with Lucy's physical shtick. The first season of Lucy, the producer Jess Oppenheimer put up a poster on the set, and would award each cast member a gold star everytime they did something during a show which would cause the studio audience to have a spontaneous laugh. They had to abandon it about halfway through the season, because Frawley had more than the rest of the cast combined! <br /><br />LouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15425895760096944892014-03-28T17:16:45.039-07:002014-03-28T17:16:45.039-07:00It's easy to get to a phone in the middle of a...It's easy to get to a phone in the middle of a desert or vast snowy wast land. Just put a phone booth there. See "The Grand Budapest Hotel". Worked very nicely there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-51050578674635509592014-03-28T17:12:47.535-07:002014-03-28T17:12:47.535-07:00The Bourne Identity is interesting. Almost half t...The Bourne Identity is interesting. Almost half the book (1980) is spent on getting from the Mediterranean to the Swiss bank due to needing identity and passing through borders. In the film (2002) they show a TGV for about 5 seconds since Schengen means all that is moot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59112326307011585132014-03-28T16:41:26.114-07:002014-03-28T16:41:26.114-07:00Jack Klugman said that multi-camera suited "T...Jack Klugman said that multi-camera suited "The Odd Couple" much better because he and Tony Randall had extensive theatre backgrounds. <br /><br />You might draw a parallel to "Happy Days." I know several people who prefer their single-camera era, but the show exploded when they went to three cameras and shifted the spotlight to a Yale Drama graduate.chalmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12601229466410722452014-03-28T15:04:23.746-07:002014-03-28T15:04:23.746-07:00"Colonel Hall from THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW.&quo...<i>"Colonel Hall from THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW."</i><br /><br />Yes, and all the rest of that cast as well. The entire platoon was great.<br /><br />I know that in general audiences don't tune in to a TV show or go to a movie because of the author, but I certainly do.<br /><br />The actor who played Doberman on BILKO was originally cast as Uncle Fester. Photos can be seen online of him in the make-up and costume. Unfortunately for all except Jackie Coogan, Maurice died shortly after being cast.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74320680094157358182014-03-28T13:53:12.229-07:002014-03-28T13:53:12.229-07:00This isn't really a question - but I would lov...This isn't really a question - but I would love to know your thoughts on the most recent Good Wife episode! I know you are a fan and think it is a great show as do I so I kept checking in to see if you had blogged about it!<br />RebeccaEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47072326273895636782014-03-28T13:46:33.796-07:002014-03-28T13:46:33.796-07:00A follow-up Friday question re: single v. multi-ca...A follow-up Friday question re: single v. multi-camera TV shows:<br /><br />I recently watched a behind the scenes show about the making of the BBC's Sherlock and was surprised to see that they were consistently rolling 2 cameras simultaneously during each scene - one wider and the other closer. I assume to save time?<br /><br />We tend to generalize multi-camera TV shows as interior comedies staged like a play in front of a live studio audience. I never would have guessed - based on its feature-film look, style, and loads of exteriors - that Sherlock was actually multi-camera show!<br /><br />Is this unusual/an aberration? Just a BBC thing? Or par for the course for all the "single" camera shows in the US too? Mycroftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84674389700351950662014-03-28T13:28:27.667-07:002014-03-28T13:28:27.667-07:00[i]Re: Communication (or lack of) as a plot device...[i]Re: Communication (or lack of) as a plot device. Saw a George Burns and Gracie Allen episode the other night in which George, at one point,.disconnects the household telephone, explaining directly to the audience, "If Clara talks to Gracie, she'll explain the mix-up and everything will be fine. Unfortunately, we're only halfway through the show, so we need at least ten more minutes of misunderstandings and plot complications."<br /><br />That show was ahead of its time in some ways.[/i]<br /><br />What Trent said! George Burns and Gracie Allen were doing Garry Shandling's show DECADES before Garry did it.Simpsons Already Did Itnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4113612874308134562014-03-28T13:14:20.946-07:002014-03-28T13:14:20.946-07:00Robert: actually, for my money the smartest techno...Robert: actually, for my money the smartest technology show is THE GOOD WIFE, which had the nerve to do a whole show about who wrote Bitcoin!<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60602319096015181442014-03-28T12:57:32.171-07:002014-03-28T12:57:32.171-07:00I'm a junior in high school and my dream is to...I'm a junior in high school and my dream is to write sitcoms. I've written about ten scripts already in order to practice, learned (to the best of my ability) the format, and am planning on attending a college in the Los Angeles area in order to have more opportunities. <br /><br />Outside of this, some insight and advice on what my following steps should be would be much appreciated. The whole process seems daunting, and I'm not sure if this is a reasonable goal to even have<br /><br />Thank you. Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54063434635026782352014-03-28T12:43:44.615-07:002014-03-28T12:43:44.615-07:00Thanks for mentioning Eddie Haskell. He was my rol...Thanks for mentioning Eddie Haskell. He was my role model and hero, which explains a lot. Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23363848754436393612014-03-28T12:40:57.095-07:002014-03-28T12:40:57.095-07:00I've been meaning to write and draw a comic on...I've been meaning to write and draw a comic on my Daily Comic Strip blog listing what I feel were the best sit-com supporting characters of all time. Characters that made me begin to laugh just when the entered the scene) Off the top of my head, some of the best from the 1960's ( in no particular order) are:<br />Hank Kimball - Alvy Moore<br />Sgt, Hans Schultz - John Banner<br />Cpl Randolph Agarn - Larry Storch<br />Uncle Arthur - Paul Lynde<br />Barney Fife - Don Knotts<br />Jethro Bodine - Max Baer Jr.<br />Grandpa - Al Lewis<br />Richard J. Marcejhttp://www.theblabbingbaboon.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31328373638423628052014-03-28T12:35:01.400-07:002014-03-28T12:35:01.400-07:00As Grand Member of the Eddie Haskell/Uncle Fester ...As Grand Member of the Eddie Haskell/Uncle Fester fan club, thanks for the mention of Eddie. That's a lovely blog you are weaving, Mr. Levine!Geoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7289934390925352362014-03-28T11:08:47.038-07:002014-03-28T11:08:47.038-07:00Gazzoo is right - gotta have Barney Fife on any li...Gazzoo is right - gotta have Barney Fife on any list of top TV supporting characters of that era. I'd add Herbert T. Gillis (Frank Faylen), even if Maynard got all the buzz, and I'll ditto Stoney's mention of the GREEN ACRES cast.jbryantnoreply@blogger.com