tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1339931756720968533..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: What shows would I like to direct?By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81106726257131684132008-11-28T11:49:00.000-08:002008-11-28T11:49:00.000-08:00How about Grant's original "French" accent in I W...How about Grant's original "French" accent in I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE?Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33113837942385134902008-11-27T02:23:00.000-08:002008-11-27T02:23:00.000-08:00Well Kirk, now you know more about the career of A...Well Kirk, now you know more about the career of Archie Leach than you did. He came to the US in 1920, and worked extensively on stage for more than a deacde, includng 5 Broadway shows, before breaking into movies in the early 30s, and becoming "Cary Grant".<BR/><BR/>And "Jerry" had a point, because Cary's famous accent was pretty much Grant's invention, a mid-Atlantic mash-up of his native Cockney and his American-acquired infelctions. He was, in every way, his own invention.<BR/><BR/>As for MY GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST FRIDAY: put a comma after "West," and it becomes Robinson Crusoe describing his island companion after too many years alone together.<BR/><BR/>Having been raised by a mother who pined for the rugged masculinity of Nelson Eddy, and thus having been endlessly subjected to the entire Eddy-MacDonald canon while at tender, vulnerable ages, I often referred to their first film together as THE AWFUL NAUGHTY MARIETTA, and any of their films as BRINGING UP MY LUNCH.<BR/><BR/>And didn't Cary once sing to Jeanette THE DONKEY'S PENNY SERENADE?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28497147641159220892008-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:002008-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:00I didn't know Cary Grant was in the US, much less ...I didn't know Cary Grant was in the US, much less on Broadway, in1929. I wanted to be a nitpicking wit, instead, I'm, well, you know what verb to remove.<BR/><BR/>Actually, Jack Lemmon (as Jerry) does say to Tony (as Joe) "Where did you get that phony accent? Nobody "talks loike thet!"<BR/><BR/>While I didn't know Cary Grant and Jeannette McDonald were on Broadway together, I did see them in the same movie. I believe it's called ONLY ANGELS I MARRIED HAVE WINGS. <BR/><BR/>Or is it MY GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST FRIDAY?Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44831535197295041772008-11-22T14:03:00.000-08:002008-11-22T14:03:00.000-08:00"Anonymous said... Also, Studio 60 wasn't a failur..."Anonymous said... <BR/>Also, Studio 60 wasn't a failure."<BR/><BR/>It wasn't? You think it was INTENDED to run only one season?<BR/><BR/>Let's see: it went on the air much-hyped, was critically savaged, bled viewers, and was cancelled after one season.<BR/><BR/>In network TV terms, that's a failure, a crticial failure and an audience failure.<BR/><BR/>Krik,<BR/><BR/>Since we're picking nits, first off, while Tony was imitating Cary Grant, his character, "Joe," was just doing a funny voice, which is why Sugar never said, "Hey, you talk just like Archie Leach."<BR/><BR/>Secondly, at the time of The St. Valentine'a Day Massacre, Cary Grant was, under the name Archie Leach, playing "Reggie Phipps" in a musical titled BOOM BOOM, starring Jeanette MacDonald, on Broadway. It was the third of his five Broadway shows, not to mention his Broadway vaudeville appearances with the Fred Karno troupe way back in 1920, so it's more than possible than a professioal saxophone player might not merely have seen him perform, but even have played in a pit orchestra for a show he was in, and could have decided that that Brit had an amusing accent. Although by 1929, "Joe" was living in Chicago, his natural accent brands him a New Yorker originally. And Cary Grant hadn't played an English Music Hall in over 9 years.<BR/><BR/>I can pick nits with the best of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90364121265494322552008-11-22T12:09:00.000-08:002008-11-22T12:09:00.000-08:00Mash was a good show, and I really wouldn't have c...Mash was a good show, and I really wouldn't have cared if Hawkeye had made Linda Blair jokes.<BR/><BR/>Something about being in front of a keyboard just brings out the nit-picker in me.<BR/><BR/>(By the way, what's with Tony Curtis imitating Cary Grant in SOME LIKE IT HOT? I think he was still working in some English music hall in 1929.)Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49808381400918865192008-11-22T05:54:00.000-08:002008-11-22T05:54:00.000-08:00Hey Anonymous, what planet are you from? Even live...Hey Anonymous, what planet are you from? Even live shifts in Bakersfield don't pay $500/month...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15915984706624908992008-11-22T04:27:00.000-08:002008-11-22T04:27:00.000-08:00d: I know it was a typo, but I like "k=jokes." So...d: I know it was a typo, but I like "k=jokes." Sounds like the humor equivalent of k-rations (only tastier, I would hope). Every soldier should have some.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49413586597476466462008-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:002008-11-22T03:30:00.000-08:00It's like that time when I was in the french army,...It's like that time when I was in the french army, and hitler showed up.<BR/><BR/>Also, Studio 60 wasn't a failure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90692183737408238782008-11-21T17:11:00.000-08:002008-11-21T17:11:00.000-08:00Sorry for the repeat, something weird happened las...Sorry for the repeat, something weird happened last week and I didn't see my post. So I thought it hadn't gone through and I should save it for the following week. That's exactly how people usually make double posts but I've managed to extend the process from a few seconds to seven days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27145542344640040612008-11-21T15:54:00.000-08:002008-11-21T15:54:00.000-08:00I never got PUSHING DAISIES so I'm not the person ...I never got PUSHING DAISIES so I'm not the person to ask.<BR/><BR/>Any question that is asked is put into a file and I try to get to as many of them as I can. So I didn't get to yours this week, hang on. I might not get to it next week either. But someday I will. Thanks.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69636895826443968572008-11-21T15:09:00.000-08:002008-11-21T15:09:00.000-08:00My question: what's the best purely visual joke yo...My question: what's the best purely visual joke you've written, and how did you describe it in the script?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39507571464933872492008-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:002008-11-21T14:56:00.000-08:00Man, I have GOT to remember to proof-read before I...Man, I have GOT to remember to proof-read before I hit the "Publish your comment" button!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5765955320838902982008-11-21T14:54:00.000-08:002008-11-21T14:54:00.000-08:00"Kirk Jusko said... I agree with Mash's anti-war m..."Kirk Jusko said... <BR/>I agree with Mash's anti-war message, but that doesn't mean it was particularly realistic that every character on that show except for Frank Burns, and, early on, Hot Lips, was against the Korean War."<BR/><BR/>There was also that recurring anachronism that HAwkeye kepst making "Godzilla" k=jokes, event hough the first Godzilla movie wasn't made until after the Korean "UN Police Action" was over.<BR/><BR/>It was a good show anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28714406549599063192008-11-21T14:22:00.000-08:002008-11-21T14:22:00.000-08:00In terms of directing, I gravitate more towards ac...<I>In terms of directing, I gravitate more towards actors I admire and would like to work with. So OLD CHRISTINE because of Julia L-D</I><BR/><BR/>You'd first have to find a way to put Andy Ackerman out of commission. He's the James Burrows of that show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7476466422139533232008-11-21T13:29:00.000-08:002008-11-21T13:29:00.000-08:00I agree with Mash's anti-war message, but that doe...I agree with Mash's anti-war message, but that doesn't mean it was particularly realistic that every character on that show except for Frank Burns, and, early on, Hot Lips, was against the Korean War.<BR/><BR/>I'm really thinking of that episode that was in the form of a black-and-white documentary. In it, Chet Edwards asks Colonel Potter if sees any good coming out of the Korean War, and Potter replies, "Not a damn thing." Um, wouldn't someone at the Pentagon, who watched that on TV, get just a little upset at him?<BR/><BR/>Actually, we could have probably used a few Colonel Potters in the run up to the invasion of Iraq.Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60072086631977338342008-11-21T12:56:00.000-08:002008-11-21T12:56:00.000-08:00We had the biggest presence in Korea, but it was t...We had the biggest presence in Korea, but it was technically a UN action.<BR/><BR/>I guess my Friday question didn't make the cut. Drat!<BR/><BR/>Word Verification: dista. As in, "Is dista guy who didn't get picked?"Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41684322788151945122008-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:002008-11-21T12:40:00.000-08:00Your thoughts, please, about (the probably nonresu...Your thoughts, please, about (the probably nonresurrectable) PUSHING DAISIES, which is the <I>only</I> non-animated scripted show that my whole family can enjoy (our daughters are 10 and 12). Would you have wanted to write for it? What did you think of its wry sense of humor, which seemed to grow almost entirely out of the premise of the show? And would you ever want to collaborate with Barry Sonnenfeld (who directed the DGA award- and Emmy-winning pilot, "Pie-lette")?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46747489254413021852008-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:002008-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:00"The South Koreans were being slaughtered. There w..."The South Koreans were being slaughtered. There was a very good reason to fight."<BR/><BR/>That's a very good reason for the South Koreans to fight. It's not "a very good reason" for AMERICAN blood to be shed. It's supposed to be The Department of Defense, as in defending America. The amount of danger the United States was in from Korea then was nil. No American blood should have been spent there.<BR/><BR/>As for "Hardly anyone opposed the Korean War," clearly you weren't eatng dinner at our house then. My Mother's brother was in Korea, and I assure you my mother was loudly and adamantly opposed to that "Police Action".<BR/><BR/>Not surprisingly, M*A*S*H was the only "Medical" show my Christian Scientist mother ever watched, but she loved it, because she hated the Korean War. (Uncle Duncan came home intact.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58734643899988119252008-11-21T11:06:00.000-08:002008-11-21T11:06:00.000-08:00Speaking of political agendæ...when did Julia Loui...Speaking of political agendæ...when did Julia Louis-Dreyfus get this -- there's no getting around it, let's face it -- hot?<BR/><BR/>Or has she always been this way and have I been too self-absorbed to notice?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20490207389283171272008-11-21T10:44:00.000-08:002008-11-21T10:44:00.000-08:00The strange thing about M*A*S*H's political agenda...The strange thing about M*A*S*H's political agenda is that it was set in Korea. Hardly anyone opposed the Korean War, before the U.S./UN stepped in, the South Koreans were being slaughtered. There was a very good reason to fight. If you go back and read M*A*S*H the novel, there is no anti-war sentiment in it. It's about doctors refusing to live under Army regs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23630785739788163812008-11-21T10:26:00.000-08:002008-11-21T10:26:00.000-08:00Thanks for answering my question Ken.And for the r...Thanks for answering my question Ken.<BR/><BR/>And for the record, I proofread my post multiple times yet still managed to end it with a proposition instead of a preposition.<BR/><BR/>I guess step 1 is to take a grammar course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7214314900348916272008-11-21T08:17:00.000-08:002008-11-21T08:17:00.000-08:00gotta admit...MASH's political agenda was nothing ...gotta admit...MASH's political agenda was nothing compared to what I've seen on Boston Legal this year. Seriously, why do writers and actors go there? The show is good, the writing clever, yet politically charged one-sided dialog runs rampant. It isn't necessary and just pisses me off. I watch to be entertained...not preached at. I can watch C-SPAN for that. OK, Friday vent is over.<BR/>T<BR/><BR/>PS Yes, I like MASH...a lot...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80306516106711854652008-11-21T08:06:00.000-08:002008-11-21T08:06:00.000-08:00I just read that ABC has axed 'Pushing Daisies,' '...I just read that ABC has axed 'Pushing Daisies,' 'Eli Stone' and 'Dirty Sexy Money."<BR/><BR/>Ken, you probably could have saved them, and many others too. OK, maybe not Cavemen...<BR/><BR/><BR/>word verification: KINESAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21062630792673640802008-11-21T07:05:00.000-08:002008-11-21T07:05:00.000-08:00Actually, IMO, Family Guy's writing seems to have ...Actually, IMO, Family Guy's writing seems to have improved this season. More actual stories, fewer "this was better / worse than the time I did XX." I think FG would give Ken a real chance to show off his truly screwball side.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66652914210662097212008-11-21T04:38:00.000-08:002008-11-21T04:38:00.000-08:001- Cop Rock? OMG, another serious bout of memory w...1- <I>Cop Rock</I>? OMG, another serious bout of memory whiplash. You're killing me, Levine. (One of my best friends is/was a cop and also a musician. He loved that show. He used to <B>sing</B> perps their Miranda rights. Still might for all I know.)<BR/><BR/>2- Um, the political viewpoint of <I>M*A*S*H</I> didn't strike me as particularly inscrutable, but it wasn't obnoxious either. (Clear as mud, I know.)<BR/><BR/>3- Is it just me, or are the word verifications less gibberish-y and more sniglet-ish?<BR/><BR/>I have spoken.<BR/><BR/>-J.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com