Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Episode 4: Scaring Tourists and Other Delights


As if Ken Levine didn't offer you enough with his blog and podcast, now he's offering you tips on getting more laughs. Ken teaches comedy writing, and this episode is begins with some thoughts on whether you can teach people how to be funny (spoiler alert: not really). Even though you probably have to be born humorous, you can learn how to refine your existing comedic sensibility. He also shares the crazy casting story ever! David Isaacs and Ken Levine were casting a pilot, and things got a little wild (let's just say there was nudity involved).Plus, hear a clip that is essentially a master class in comedic timing.


Listen to the Hollywood & Levine podcast!

8 comments :

ScottyB said...

Your TV-show song montage at the start of this 'cast just reminds me how much the TV industry has done to eliminate the theme song. I grew up roughly same time Ken Levine did, and the theme song was a major element of a show back then. Sure, it gave you enough time to hurry up and take a piss before the show started, but it was an announcement that set a show's tone and identity. And a lot of them stood on their own on the radio too, or were already-existing, longer songs that shows latched onto and edited down to fit 30 seconds or so. I miss 'em. (Except not the 'Quantum Leap' theme. You could go take a shit and it would *still* be playing when you came back from the john.)

Roger Owen Green said...

Great show. the stories are the best. Naked guy was funny, but the Bob Elliott story was touching. i LOVED Bob & Ray.

benson said...

Podcast inspired question, and I probably already know the answer. Did you see the auditioning actor ever appear in anything?

Four down, all very enjoyable.

Roger Owen Green said...

Speaking of Bob & Ray, did you ever see Zootopia? I think the DMV se=cene is some lost Bob & Ray routine.

Chris Gumprich said...

Really enjoying these podcasts, Ken. This one might be the best yet, although I'm sure I've heard the auditioning story before -- did you tell this on the blog a few years back?

I may be alone in this, but I want to hear more behind-the-scenes stories from AfterMASH. Interested in the backstory when a show is going rapidly downhill.

Frank Beans said...

ScottyB; LOL at your observation about the QUANTUM LEAP theme. It was indeed way long, but still entertaining. That would never happen today, unless there were a million pop-up or scrolling ads for Doritos throughout.

Remember back when TV theme songs often actually became Top 40 hits? A few off the top of my head:

SOUL TRAIN (MSFB by TSOP)
WELCOME BACK (John Sebastian)
HILL STREET BLUES (Mike Post)
THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO (aka Believe it or Not)
COPS (Bad Boys by Inner Circle)

I think even an extended version the CHEERS theme was released in 1983, but never made it very far. And that cheesy song by Billy Vera and the Beaters (not the theme song) that was featured on FAMILY TIES? Are there others?

Paul Duca said...

Don't the best things in life usually involve nudity?

Paul Duca said...

Does the first person who can name all those TV shows win a prize?