Chuckles follow-up from being there that night
Worth mentioning: Mary did that funeral scene absolutely pitch-perfect. AND she did it again -- a second take -- and was also right on the money. One of the greatest comic performances I have ever seen. And then she duplicated it. Extraordinary.
11 comments :
How is the Sitcom Room going?
I didn't expect anything at all this weekend.
How's it coming?
I *will* be there next year; don't plan on not doing one. :-)
Gentesp: at the cutting edge of genetics therapy
A great performance. You get the feeling she's reacting for the first time to the preacher's remarks, not that she read the script, did a table read, did a rehearsal.
Ken, did you and David dare entertain the thought that night that you might someday be working with either Mary Tyler Moore or David Lloyd, or both, somewhere down the road in your futures?
BTW, hope THE SITCOM ROOM is going well... And if there's any red vines left over, you know where to send 'em.....
No, I couldn't imagine that in time we'd be working with both David and Mary. At the time we watched this filming we thought we were never going to be in their league.
The SITCOM ROOM is going great. The writing teams are busy rewriting. No one has jumped out a window yet so I'm getting concerned that we've been too easy on them.
Well, if you want to throw a little stress into their lives, tell them legal just called and they couldn't clear "The Muppets" for that Act Break scene. That should get their adrenaline pumping...
That she did it perfectly the first time out is incredible. Ultimately, what really mattered is how perfect it was on screen. I am betting that one of the toughest things for any performer is to keep a straight face when everybody else is laughing.
Mary is quite a dame.
Ken...one of the many reasons we admire you, is your ability to respect the talents Mary Tyler Moore--despite the personal difficulties you had with her.
David Lloyd will be missed. Baseball Hall of Fame discussions often pit "compilers" (players who build great career stats with excellent numbers over a long period) versus the stars who were transcendent for a shorter period of time. In comedy writing, David Lloyd wwas both.
I agree with everyone's praise not only of Lloyd's "Chuckles" script, but the performance of MTM and the other regulars in bringing it home.
I'd also add guest star John Harkins, who was pitch-perfect as the priest. Even if you haven't seen the episode for decades, you still remember his face and how he matched MTM's brilliance.
Thinking about it, the other actors had to do the reverse just as well as Mary - look genuinely bereaved and somber while Mary & the audience are busting a gut.
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