tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4348838805480981827..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My comedy influencesBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66247668535256101402010-05-19T12:51:58.109-07:002010-05-19T12:51:58.109-07:00I'm curious about recurring characters. Do wr...I'm curious about recurring characters. Do writers have any say over who comes back when, or is it the producers/someone else?<br /><br />Take Colonel Flagg on M*A*S*H as an example. Could you just write him into an episode, or are you instead told, "Hey, we want Colonel Flagg back. Write a story for him."?Stevie Bucketshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05740752197276314338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43877268662837664052010-05-18T10:28:00.548-07:002010-05-18T10:28:00.548-07:00I just caught the pilot for Cheers which reminded ...I just caught the pilot for Cheers which reminded me of a question I have long had. John Ratzenberger's Cliff during the first season or so seems to have a much more pronounced New England accent. Is the change to being less nasal deliberate?Dana Gabbardhttp://socata.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2299518235152599772010-05-17T21:13:17.679-07:002010-05-17T21:13:17.679-07:00"Nancy Beach said...
To D. McEwan -- Respect...<i>"Nancy Beach said... <br />To D. McEwan -- Respectfully, back off -- all hail spirit of Priapus! Sorry you couldn't resist the reactionary impulse to pontificate to a chastened, sheepish 'poor dear' from your dizzying perch atop Mt. Nostalgic Comic Olympus, the plush velvet bunny room of the Playboy Club. My apologies, I thought comments were invited: To each his/her own. It doesn't make the medley of your greatest hit any funnier by flaming me personally or disparaging my recollection of Dick Whittinghill."</i><br /><br />And I expressed my opinion (a fairly informed opinion, since I lived and worked for years in the very heart of the Whittington vs Whittinghill rivalry) that Whittington (and Lohman & Barkley) did much better shows than Whittinghill, as well as being much nicer people. <br /><br />I didn't "Flame" you, I pitied you for never discovering back then that just a short distance away on your radio dial were radio comics much better, funnier and wittier than Whittinghill was on his best day.<br /><br />Obviously any one who thinks Larry Gelbart was a comedy gold standard, which he certainly was, can appreciate the best in comedy, and I merely expressed how sad it was that you got hooked on the B team, when there were better choices.<br /><br />And, having been on Whittington's payroll for years, as well as being mentored by him, obviously I'm a bit prejudiced. Be glad Whittington himself didn't chime in. Oh, how he disliked his rival, whom he has had the pleaasure of outliving. Whittinghill, Al Lohman, and Roger Barkley are all dead. Though retired, Whittington is alive and very well.<br /><br />Don't be so sensitive. Jeesh.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19005723252399405502010-05-17T14:41:03.329-07:002010-05-17T14:41:03.329-07:00Do commercial breaks ever irritate you as a writer...Do commercial breaks ever irritate you as a writer? Like,"Okay no matter what's going on with the story we have to get it to a mini-cliffhanger by the act break so the audience will come back!". I watch a lot of BBC shows where there are no breaks so the stories can develop at their own pace and I would imagine it is far more freeing for the writer.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10071959018952980986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83344508937488109962010-05-17T08:30:20.581-07:002010-05-17T08:30:20.581-07:00Ken, my question is with pushing daisies, dollhous...Ken, my question is with pushing daisies, dollhouse, firefly, my name is earl, arrested development, commander-in-chief, aliens in america, ugly betty, and a number of others being cancelled so early in their run when they're clearly good shows, it's hard not to admit that the entire system is broken.<br /><br />Why doesn't it discourage smart people to enter TV when the good shows don't get rewarded?sophomorecritichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14320637485303592977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47163442282814816952010-05-17T02:44:32.152-07:002010-05-17T02:44:32.152-07:00And P.S....
For the record, my greatest comic inf...And P.S....<br /><br />For the record, my greatest comic influence -- the man who set the 24-carat solid gold standard in every medium where laughter is welcomed -- is Larry Gelbart.Nancy Beachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83494800548448729132010-05-17T02:23:52.320-07:002010-05-17T02:23:52.320-07:00To D. McEwan -- Respectfully, back off -- all hail...To D. McEwan -- Respectfully, back off -- all hail spirit of Priapus! Sorry you couldn't resist the reactionary impulse to pontificate to a chastened, sheepish "poor dear" from your dizzying perch atop Mt. Nostalgic Comic Olympus, the plush velvet bunny room of the Playboy Club. My apologies, I thought comments were invited: To each his/her own. It doesn't make the medley of your greatest hit any funnier by flaming me personally or disparaging my recollection of Dick Whittinghill.Nancy Beachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50032616904715529962010-05-16T21:50:18.606-07:002010-05-16T21:50:18.606-07:00I have a question. In the opening credits of Cheer...I have a question. In the opening credits of Cheers are all the old fashioned pictures. Do they have any significance or history?Annieofbluegableshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17106750987640776507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20846614427152226692010-05-16T10:55:38.497-07:002010-05-16T10:55:38.497-07:00Michael: The full Bank Dick quote is much better: ...Michael: The full Bank Dick quote is much better: "Og Oggilby. Sounds like a bubble in a bathtub."jbryantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16795787476075078172010-05-15T18:41:33.805-07:002010-05-15T18:41:33.805-07:00Gunsmoke is a piker next to Doctor Who, which ran ...<i>Gunsmoke</i> is a piker next to <i>Doctor Who</i>, which ran from 1963 to 1989 on the BBC, and then was revived six years ago, and is in it's 5th full revival season now (If you count the year of speials as a season, it's in it's 6th.)<br /><br />That's 31 seasons!<br /><br />And these aren't your standard 6-episode BBC seasons. The current version does 13 episodes and a Christmas Special each season. During the classic run, the season orders varied, from as few as 14 to as many 30, with 26 episodes per season being their average.<br /><br />So could I be considered as one of your influences, since I was writing for Dick Whittington from 1968 on? I wrote for Lohman & Barkley also, but not for their radio show, only for their stage act at the Playboy Club.<br /><br />To the lady who was the Whittinghill fan, poor dear. Just a button-press away from Whittington and/or Lohman & Barkley, all of whom were funnier than Whittinghill. The real wit on LA morning radio 45 years ago was Whittington not Whittinghill.<br /><br />Our list of mutual influences is a long one. I'm not familiar with Dan Ingram, and I never listened to Robert W. Morgan, though I was very much aware of him, but Gary Owens was a big influence on me, and obviously, Whittington and Lohman & Barkley actually mentored me, for which they have my undying gratitude and love. (Al Lohman more than Roger Barkley, though, with Roger being a tougher audience for me, when I made Roger laugh, it was always even sweeter.)<br /><br />I too devoured Kaufmann & Hart. Actually, Kaufmann and ANYONE. Woody Allen and Mel Brooks both in those days. Though I now find Woody as a person distasteful, and his films are not events anymore (They're barely blips), I still have great respect for him as a consummate joke-writer.<br /><br />From your list of "<i>Bob & Ray, P. G. Wodehouse, Elayne Boosler, Monty Python, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Bob Crane, Richard Pryor, Billy Wilder, S. J. Perelman, Preston Sturgess, the National Lampoon, and MAD magazine,"</i> I never read Wodehouse until many years later (and still prefer EF Benson), Boosler was not an influence on me, though I admire her (she's only just become a fan of my work), and I never heard Bob Crane's legendary radio show nor cared for <i>Hogan's Heroes</i>, but all those others were huge to me, and I have to add WC Fields and Buster Keaton as well. (I got to meet Keaton when I was 14, and he was a year from death. It was a thrill.) Also Tom Lehrer.<br /><br />Admittedly, the influence of MAD faded as I outgrew it, and The National Lampoon, and in particular Douglas Kenney and Michael O'Donahue, were GIGANTIC influences on my work. Really, their influence on me can not be overestimated. I got to meet Doug Kenney once. Fascinating man.<br /><br />And then, of course, the king of comic novelists, Patrick Dennis (Edward Everett Tanner III). I've loved a lot of comic novelists, but Patrick Dennis is the once and future queen. Some people have Bibles. I have <i>Auntie Mame, Around the World with Auntie Mame, First Lady, The Joyous Season,</i> and <i>Little Me</i>, all of which I possess first editions of.<br /><br />And Stan Freberg and Daws Butler were without doubt my earliest influences. In 1975 I got hired to write on a radio project Daws Butler was directing, head-writering, and starring in. Daws and I got on like crazy,and he mentioned how well our styles meshed. I said to him, "Of course they do. You and Stan, on <i>Time for Beany</i> were my earliest influences, practiallly pre-natal. You taught me what humor was." Daws and I stayed dear friends until his death.<br /><br />These days Barry Humphries is a big influence on me, and I'm proud to have his friendship.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66553757656031069032010-05-15T14:26:16.365-07:002010-05-15T14:26:16.365-07:00I realise that a season of television costs millio...I realise that a season of television costs millions of dollars, but the network would have made that money back in syndication, wouldn't it? A 20 year show deserved a proper finale, and there's no question in my mind that the extra money would be regained, and if there was any doubt, order half a season. When Law and order started I was 7 years old. Now I'm almost 30, and it's strange that it's no longer there. I know the show was never as good after Jerry Orbach, but it deserved a proper send off, in my opinion.MrCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081465847843874816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5157040716421162010-05-15T13:48:05.478-07:002010-05-15T13:48:05.478-07:00"I can't see the upside on this move, exc..."I can't see the upside on this move, except maybe financially."<br /><br />It's easy to be dismissive of this when you're not the one writing the checks. You do realize that you are asking NBC to pay out several million dollars just to give Dick Wolf a place in the record books? The network might reasonably think that is not a good enough reason.<br /><br />Anyway, there would still be dispute over what series qualified as longest running. Even if LAW & ORDER had a 21st season, it would still have far fewer episodes than GUNSMOKE, which began in the days when a season consisted of 39 episodes.Trinity Mosesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90515588078738727192010-05-15T10:46:56.398-07:002010-05-15T10:46:56.398-07:00Ken,
My Friday question has to do with Law and or...Ken,<br /><br />My Friday question has to do with Law and order: Do you think it's smart to cancel a television show 1 season short of breaking the all time reccord? Furthermore, is it wise to cancel a "mothership" show, while launching an uncertain Spin off, which some people are already mocking: LOLA (law and order: LA?). Even if the show had seen better days (it had), the reccord breaking season would bring some good PR to NBC, and would allow a 21 year show to have a proper send off. I just can't see the upside on this move, except maybe financially. I'd really love your take on this.MrCarlsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18081465847843874816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44242783631278001492010-05-15T05:56:47.989-07:002010-05-15T05:56:47.989-07:00Dave Creek, it goes beyond LAW & ORDER.
FRASI...Dave Creek, it goes beyond LAW & ORDER.<br /><br />FRASIER is a spin-off of CHEERS. CHEERS had a crossover with ST. ELSWHERE. ST. ELSEWHERE had a crossover with THE BOB NEWHART SHOW. THE BOB NEWHART SHOW had a crossover with NEWHART. The newsman Edwin Newman once appeared as himself on NEWHART. Newman also was once host of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. There was an issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP in which Spider-Man met the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Spider-Man met Superman on a couple of occasions. And an early 1960s issue of SUPERMAN featured an appearance by Pat Boone.<br /><br />So Frasier exists in the same world as Pat Boone!Gabe Prestonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91812384511481509972010-05-15T02:28:31.476-07:002010-05-15T02:28:31.476-07:00My question is if any of the other Cheers writers ...My question is if any of the other Cheers writers have blogs/websites or plan on getting them in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64978219333193300342010-05-15T01:43:28.506-07:002010-05-15T01:43:28.506-07:00You list sounds a lot like mine. I grew up on MAD...You list sounds a lot like mine. I grew up on MAD and graduated to the Lampoon in college, collected Bob & Ray tapes, discovered W.C. Fields at around 10, and then the Marx Brothers at 12 with a TV showing of "Monkey Business" and had my eyes opened to just how incredibly funny a movie could be. Found "A Thousand Clowns" in the school library and reread it until I had it memorized. I was also a huge fan as a kid of Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle, Beany & Cecil and George of the Jungle, as well as Abbott & Costello's wordplay routines. Had all the Allen Sherman LPs before I discovered Tom Lehrer. And discovered James Thurber in 4th grade, read everything of his by 5th grade, and moved on to Robert Benchley, then George Kauffman. <br /><br />And of course, I never missed "The Dick Van Dyke Show," while was rerun every evening around 6 on Ch. 11 in Dallas. I also wanted to grow up to live his life, and in fact, I ended up becoming a comedy writer and marrying a hot chick named Laura. I even lived in the northeast for a year and made it a point to have a business mail drop in New Rochelle. Coincidentally, my wife/comedy writing partner Laura also loved that show and told me that as a little girl, she dreamed of growing up to marry a tall, goofy comedy writer like Rob. I'm not a Rob, but "Pat" is pretty close. And with my eyesight, I've been known to trip over the occasional ottoman. I just hope Carl Reiner doesn't sue us for copyright infringement.Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39901042908011337612010-05-14T21:18:48.151-07:002010-05-14T21:18:48.151-07:00My favorite real-life name (you can google it): &q...My favorite real-life name (you can google it): "Spicer Lung Jr." Bad enough to be given that name, but to then saddle your son with it...<br /><br />I subscribed to <i>Mad</i> in the late 1960s (bar mitzvah age plus/minus a year). What most endures for me are the wonderful Frank Jacobs song parodies, such as Moses' song (to the tune of "Born Free") imploring the Red Sea to part, which ended thusly: <br /><br /><i>Red Sea, this thing I'm requestin'<br />will mean Charlton Heston plays </i>me!<i><br />Red Sea!</i> <br /><br />Likewise I enjoyed Allan Sherman's <i>My Son the Nut</i>, in particular the song "One Hippopotami" (to the tune of "What Kind of Fool Am I"). I owned this LP at age 8, when it had been out for a year or so, and it was excellent preparation for my folks' Tom Lehrer records when I was older, including the original 10-inch self-released first album.gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18035955251746682862010-05-14T20:31:33.212-07:002010-05-14T20:31:33.212-07:00Ken, you might have added Vin Scully. You mention...Ken, you might have added Vin Scully. You mentioned in your book how he influenced you as a storyteller.<br /><br />Also, in the realm of strange names, W.C. Fields had to be the champion. In The Bank Dick, he was Egbert Sousé--as he would add, "accent grave over the e." The scene that floors me is when his daughter introduces her boyfriend, Og Oggilby. Fields says, "Og Oggilby. Sounds like a bubble."Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32752827941608336022010-05-14T19:27:53.847-07:002010-05-14T19:27:53.847-07:00Dan Ingram is the king of em all. Part of the fun ...Dan Ingram is the king of em all. Part of the fun of growing up in the 60's and 70's was free access to Dan each weekday on WABC, and he put on a fun show each weekday. Loved em all - HOA, Ron Lundy, Harry Harrison, Cousin Brucie, etc. - an airstaff for the ages. Some could rightly argue for the Boss Jocks of KHJ, or the Good Guys at WMCA, but my heart was always with WABC.Dave Mackeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13454782108761662940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31791949321861834802010-05-14T17:39:26.867-07:002010-05-14T17:39:26.867-07:00Holy Answer to MY Question, Batman!
And all it to...Holy Answer to MY Question, Batman!<br /><br />And all it took was a simple name change ($65 at the courthouse) from "Anonymous" to something just a little bit more palpable, too! Well, that and a question Ken felt like answering.<br /><br />Thanks, Ken!Sally creeping down the alleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59547676615801598232010-05-14T17:34:58.112-07:002010-05-14T17:34:58.112-07:00I loved KMPC's own early morning original: Dic...I loved KMPC's own early morning original: Dick Whittinghill in the 50's -60's +. The "wit" on local radio AM commute.Nancy Beachnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83913389135977954262010-05-14T16:30:46.328-07:002010-05-14T16:30:46.328-07:00Ken, someone mentioned Law & Order and that re...Ken, someone mentioned Law & Order and that reminded me -- was there any consciousness that Cheers/Frasier belonged to the same fictional reality as L&O and its spinoffs, along with St. Elsewhere and Homicide: Life on the Street?<br /><br />That was noticed by someone a few years ago who noted the Cheers/St. Elsewhere crossover, a Homicide/St. Elsewhere crossover, and the L&O/Homicide crossover episodes. Other shows fit in there, too, but that's enough for now.<br /><br />Would there have been any hesitation to do an L&O joke on Frasier, since in his world the show didn't exist?Dave Creekhttp://www.davecreek.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73811202691073262042010-05-14T15:35:06.541-07:002010-05-14T15:35:06.541-07:00Ken, Earl Pomerantz has done a couple of good post...Ken, Earl Pomerantz has done a couple of good posts on his favorite jobs.<br /><br />What was your favorite?Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4405794176258555102010-05-14T14:49:16.697-07:002010-05-14T14:49:16.697-07:00Thanks for answering my Friday question, Ken, abou...Thanks for answering my Friday question, Ken, about <b>table writing</b> vs. <b>individual drafts</b>...<br /><br />...and as a bonus, answering the question of why so much sitcom these days feels <b>"serviceable"</b> rather than <b>"brilliant"</b>.<br /><br />Todd<br /><br />P.S. "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" is one of the few complete series I own on DVD. I think it influenced a generation of sitcom writers. I even have one writer friend who throws "living room talent show" parties just like the Petries, complete with professional accompanist - though no couple yet has nailed "Mountain Greenery"!Toddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18356276069594893455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21393317849472512262010-05-14T13:07:56.304-07:002010-05-14T13:07:56.304-07:00You don't realize it, but you more or less ans...You don't realize it, but you more or less answered a question I submitted a while back. I wanted to know exactly what the connection was between your two careers as a radio pesonality and TV comedy writer.<br /><br />I have another question. You mentioned Mad magazine. I started reading both TV credits and Mad bylines at an early age, and I noticed that a lot of Mad writers (Larry Siegal, Dick DeBartolo, etc.) also wrote for TV. So my question: Have you ever written for, or have been asked to write for, or have tried to write for, Mad magazine?Kirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02155991693956178030noreply@blogger.com