tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1617333211139278029..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49019643203975359952021-04-26T08:56:13.464-07:002021-04-26T08:56:13.464-07:00Friday Question:
Hi, Ken! Apologies if this has be...Friday Question:<br />Hi, Ken! Apologies if this has been asked before. Just out of curiosity, whenever a character from Cheers appeared or was mentioned in Frasier, do their storylines have to be checked and be approved by the Charles Brothers first or did the writers of those particular episodes (such as yourself, of course) had all the creative freedom?S.Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14458564786822563709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37631700995743932522021-04-19T21:20:50.451-07:002021-04-19T21:20:50.451-07:00Sometimes I wonder if Standards & Practices al...Sometimes I wonder if Standards & Practices also extended to cartoons. I remember one of the *early* Woody Woodpecker reels (before they made him all "cute" years later) in which Woody went to rent an apartment from a walrus-character landlord. Right there on the lease was a short list of tenant activities that were prohibited. And there, plain as day was "No opium smoking." Those guys truly had their shit together back then.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6705408336586244102021-04-17T16:06:57.487-07:002021-04-17T16:06:57.487-07:00Ken - this is my tardy "thank you" for r...Ken - this is my tardy "thank you" for responding to my Friday question.maxdebrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04011731115062645854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81854086723160170682021-04-17T14:19:49.909-07:002021-04-17T14:19:49.909-07:00@Issa Kelly
Mass entertainment is a huge gamble b...@Issa Kelly<br /><br />Mass entertainment is a huge gamble because when it tries to institute social change in a skillful way, in the manner of shows like M*A*S*H or All in the Family, the odds are that a majority will not be swayed. Those who laugh "with" Archie Bunker will continue because he's the one who gets the big laugh, and Mike is often the voice of reason and that isn't as much fun. <br /><br />You can't fix the world, and it's crazy to expect TV shows or media in general to teach people how to behave, nor should it. The most leaden, self-congratulatory socially-conscious popular entertainment fails miserably when it tries. <br /><br />Michael Douglas has aaid that people thank him for his Gordon Gecko character in "Wall Street" all the time, that this character waa their role model in business. He is horrified because Gecko is hideous, yet the movie tries to show the opposite. Same with "The Wolf of Wall Street," which some idiots might take as a "how-to" rather than a fable of moral decay. Movies and TV shows are not mass lobotomies. <br /><br />However, when these things are done well, the correct message can get through. Maybe to just a handful, but nevertheless it gets through. To people on the fence, to impressionable minds, to people who feel that their side is not being heard. So yes, even with the warts of an Archie Bunker as a bad example, let's keep in mind that there are some out there identifying him as such, maybe to kids. If everything is completely hidden away, how can it be expressed and understood, even for its own ignorance? <br /><br />Movies and TV are not going to stop showing 99% wrong followed by 1% right anytime soon (some don't at all), but the best examples are intelligent attempts to depict exactly why and how each of us make choices that affect others and perhaps that is all we should expect.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70370569739617928722021-04-17T12:30:15.107-07:002021-04-17T12:30:15.107-07:00The problem is the message would be obscured becau...The problem is the message would be obscured because of the racial slurs. Take Blazing Saddles, it's a movie about an intelligent black man who has to deal with the absurd racism he faces in the old west. But all people focus about--especially on the right--- are the racial slurs. Blazing Saddles was condemning and ridiculing bigotry, but edgelords focus on how it's edgy because of the slurs. People nowadays want to use those slurs and get a measure of release when they hear them so much so the lesson the show is trying to teach is lost. Issa Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10448615063317064696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78465876561938998012021-04-17T12:21:30.225-07:002021-04-17T12:21:30.225-07:00A Friday Q, something I always wondered: Was it a...A Friday Q, something I always wondered: Was it a conscious decision never to mention Sam's ex-wife on Cheers? She's mentioned (and fleetingly seen) in the pilot but never afterward. It seems like an ex-wife could have made for some interesting complications in Sam's life, especially in later episodes when the writers are struggling for ideas.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02753360146107174303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25618121014432784912021-04-17T12:03:54.322-07:002021-04-17T12:03:54.322-07:00I stand corrected.
M.B.I stand corrected. <br /><br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73736333767980115632021-04-17T09:46:01.797-07:002021-04-17T09:46:01.797-07:00I must credit Randy Skredvedt's "Laurel &...I must credit Randy Skredvedt's "Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies" for the Toyland info. A great book. Greg Ehrbarhttp://www.gregovision.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-263117117381256212021-04-17T09:42:03.820-07:002021-04-17T09:42:03.820-07:00Taboos are cyclical. One set of "nevers"...Taboos are cyclical. One set of "nevers" is replaced by another set of "can'ts." Some seem silly and contradictory in retrospect but in their time are sensitive territory and taken seriously more often than not.<br /><br />Laurel and Hardy movies were made before and after the motion picture code, so some of their classic films, like 1933's "Sons of the Desert," contain pre-code elements that would have been deleted by the Hays office. <br /><br />But perspective changes over a decade or two. 1934's post-code "Babes in Toyland," considered, to quote WKRP's Lucille Tarlek to be "wholesome family entertainment" when it was first released, was re-edited for television in the fifties to take out close-ups of the scary bogeyman, and also to delete the entire "Go to Sleep" sequence because Tom-Tom is lying too close to Bo-Peep. The TV version, renamed "March of the Wooden Soldiers," was broadcast that way for years until the VHS cassettes were released with the restored scenes.<br /><br />Wilma Flintstone was the first expectant cartoon mother. She wore a maternity outfit, but they also did not say the word "pregnant" on The Flinstones in the early sixties, they said "having a baby." A few years later, Jean Vander Pyl, the voice of Wilma, did the commercial voice-over for the Playtex disposable nurser, a then-revolutionary type of baby bottle with a plastic outer shell that held disposable inner sleeves for formula. The slogan was that it was "the most like mother herself."Greg Ehrbarhttp://www.gregovision.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50259255275887472872021-04-17T06:50:28.409-07:002021-04-17T06:50:28.409-07:00I’ve been watching Cheers, and I just got to the s...I’ve been watching Cheers, and I just got to the season 11 episode where Lilith leaves Frasier to live in an Ecopod. Do you know if that story was done specifically to get Frasier ready for his own series? <br /><br />Was it ever considered to do a spin-off about Frasier and Lilith as a couple instead? Perhaps one that Bebe Neuwirth declined?Anthony Strandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15170406011301084809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32164827131309605262021-04-17T01:41:55.327-07:002021-04-17T01:41:55.327-07:00Friday Question:
Back in 1981 I have a pretty good...Friday Question:<br />Back in 1981 I have a pretty good recollection - but not for the details - that I really enjoyed CHEERS - so much so that I joined the "CHEERS Fan Club" and that I received, I think from NBC, a yellow fan club membership card (probably worth something now if I found it.) But, my memory of almost 40 years ago is hazy. Ken, I wondered if you recalled anything about an official fan club?<br />Thanks!Bryan Pricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83659991191804397982021-04-16T19:20:45.555-07:002021-04-16T19:20:45.555-07:00The original script for “Lucy is Enciente” actuall...The original script for “Lucy is Enciente” actually used the word pregnant everywhere - it wasn’t until after the first draft that CBS stepped in and vetoed its usage. Hence the popularisation of the term “expecting”. They were, however, able to use the word in the title for the following week’s episode - “Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable” - because the titles were never shown on-air. <br /><br />The support for Lucy’s pregnancy arc was overwhelming, with the Arnazes receiving thousands of letters of support...along with 26 letters scolding her for having the “bad taste” to be pregnant on television.Briannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52181732137296105732021-04-16T18:53:08.604-07:002021-04-16T18:53:08.604-07:00Even as a boomer, I was shocked to see cartoon cha...Even as a boomer, I was shocked to see cartoon characters like the Flintstones doing cigarette commercials. Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88924509764198548112021-04-16T17:18:33.848-07:002021-04-16T17:18:33.848-07:00I watched a show on Netflix that carried a warning...I watched a show on Netflix that carried a warning about "nudity, violence, smoking." Smoking? I remember when everybody smoked and the stars did ads for the tobacco company's product. Tom Snyder was barely visible through the smoke. Doctors smoked IN THE HOSPITAL and nobody worried about How To Tell the Children. I think the turning point was when you began to see Johnny Carson stash his cigarette under the desk as they came back from commercial.Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75238317553774119592021-04-16T15:29:54.492-07:002021-04-16T15:29:54.492-07:00"All in the Family" was the first time y..."All in the Family" was the first time you *heard* a toilet, from the upstairs bathroom. The first time you *saw* a toilet was in the Dom DeLuise series "Lotsa Luck." Someone's pointed out a toilet tank scene in "Leave It to Beaver," but the judges say it wasn't the same thing. I thought it was astonishing that Wally and Beaver had their own bathroom. I grew up in a family of seven in a small apartment with one pretty awful bathroom. (There are just the two of us in our house, and we have three bathrooms. That's one of the reasons we bought this house.)<br /><br />Some offended old lady explained to me in the 1990s that showing pregnant women on TV in the '50s would have led to all sorts of questions from children, and What About the Children? I responded that, in the neighborhood where I grew up in the '50s, most of the moms were carrying, and we all knew it wasn't bowling balls.thirteennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34272522435088978442021-04-16T14:46:02.082-07:002021-04-16T14:46:02.082-07:00To Scarlett Number. Lorre had nothing to do with ...To Scarlett Number. Lorre had nothing to do with either One Day at a Time or the Unicorn. One Day at Time was very good. It was too bad it was not given a few more seasons. I liked the Unicorn but I have a feeling that is not coming back. sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36912149586607784952021-04-16T14:28:18.781-07:002021-04-16T14:28:18.781-07:00"Now you have shows like 2 BROKE GIRLS that w..."Now you have shows like 2 BROKE GIRLS that would have no jokes at all if they couldn’t say vagina."<br /><br />Thank you.Dixon Steelenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81898169520875111032021-04-16T13:45:49.578-07:002021-04-16T13:45:49.578-07:00MB - An early episode of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER in the...MB - An early episode of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER in the 1950s showed Beaver and Wally stashing a pet baby alligator in their toilet tank.Sue T.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3725650103886557362021-04-16T13:39:42.611-07:002021-04-16T13:39:42.611-07:00The first toilet shown on TV was in a Leave It to ...The first toilet shown on TV was in a Leave It to Beaver episode.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64440733282297824622021-04-16T12:57:43.148-07:002021-04-16T12:57:43.148-07:00You forgot to mention that they would never show a...You forgot to mention that they would never show a toilet on television either. I believe the first time I saw a toilet on a sitcom was on "All in the Family." Yet another groundbreaking moment for TV.<br /><br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20717026882751636792021-04-16T12:17:32.038-07:002021-04-16T12:17:32.038-07:00I'm with you, Ken. If Kelsey Grammer has a new...I'm with you, Ken. If Kelsey Grammer has a new series I will try to at least sample it. (Actually, I more than sampled both "Boss" and "The Last Tycoon" (he was the best thing in the latter, I think). And if Alec Baldwin is doing something with him, I'm setting a reminder!Tudor Queenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03544142728842449527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65878455562154239202021-04-16T11:17:33.378-07:002021-04-16T11:17:33.378-07:00Friday Question:
So I've been watching a seri...Friday Question:<br /><br />So I've been watching a series of Youtube vids where a real lawyer breaks down courts scenes on TV. As you can imagine the majority of these shows and movies get it wrong. Just totally and not remotely how it operates in the real world wrong. My question is could these productions staff lawyers for the pure purpose of writing/dialoguing ONLY the court scenes? Is that allowed by the WGA? Would the lawyer/writers need to be credited? Residuals? Is this something remotely possible? How would it work? And why don't more productions at least try to get this remotely accurate?Poochienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6550258668943647392021-04-16T10:06:15.297-07:002021-04-16T10:06:15.297-07:00ScarletNumber. His current 5 shows are Young Sheld...ScarletNumber. His current 5 shows are Young Sheldon, Bob ♥️ Abishola, Mom, B Positive and United Stated of Al. Only The Neighborhood is not hisUnkystanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14561636366494227519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31783575089890906312021-04-16T09:48:14.627-07:002021-04-16T09:48:14.627-07:00@Unkystan
> CBS has six comedies on the air an...@Unkystan<br /><br />> CBS has six comedies on the air and five of them are Chuck Lorre shows<br /><br />Chuck Lorre seems to have a pre-existing relationship with Warner Bros. As for the sixth comedy, do you mean One Day at a Time or The Unicorn? The former has been canceled while the latter seems to have aired its last episode.ScarletNumbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50152696716871002592021-04-16T09:35:34.170-07:002021-04-16T09:35:34.170-07:00Ken,
Thanks for taking my question.
I still have...Ken,<br /><br />Thanks for taking my question.<br /><br />I still have to scratch my head in wonder--who in the hell didn't know what pregnancy was in the 1950s? It was the FUCKING BABY BOOM. What, did children think their mother was carrying a bowling ball under her dress?<br /><br />Sorry for raising my voice there, but I just don't don't get how antiseptic and hypocritical so many people were. Maybe today's standards are just swinging to the other extreme.Ere I Saw Elbanoreply@blogger.com