tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post469981365138315774..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: What's it like writing for animals? By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91830398392039895542019-12-15T16:18:51.714-08:002019-12-15T16:18:51.714-08:00.
"However, I think there was a cat who once...<br />.<br /><br />"However, I think there was a cat who once refused to work with Dustin Hoffman."<br /><br /><br /><br />But that was ONLY because that was the play that he was portraying a sexy, juicy, BEEFSTEAK tomato......and as we ALL know, when Dustin Hoffman is doing his "tomato", ESPECIALLY his BEEFSTEAK tomato, he is almost always VERY difficult to deal with....<br /><br />.msdemoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01925950306739697218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72298681429190001802018-09-18T11:37:00.137-07:002018-09-18T11:37:00.137-07:00Dianne, what are you talking about, low-budget? T...Dianne, what are you talking about, low-budget? The show paid for aliens!MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66122586431552618912018-09-18T03:07:08.779-07:002018-09-18T03:07:08.779-07:00Anyone could see how cheap the props were in Star ...Anyone could see how cheap the props were in Star Trek TOS. How could anyone think the producers would spring for real animals?Villagediannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9103396353178143152018-09-17T13:10:45.093-07:002018-09-17T13:10:45.093-07:00One time I was at the Jerry's Deli by the Beve...One time I was at the Jerry's Deli by the Beverly Center for lunch. A man and woman were in the booth next to mine. When the waiter arrived, the guy decided to impress his companion by showing how the elite did things. Setting the menu aside, he said, "You know, I have a feeling today for something special... could your chef put together a salad like SO?" He then proceeded to go into an elaborate description of what he wanted, delivered in tones of disinterested grandeur.<br /><br />I thought for a moment of explaining to him that the Danny DeVito bit in GET SHORTY was not meant as a how-to guide but a satire on how the character had enough status in the business to get away with such nonsense, but this fellow really seemed to enjoy delivering a summer stock imitation of the scene. <br /><br />The server came to me next. I ordered one of their regular sandwiches. It arrived and I had a cup of coffee afterward while polishing off three essays by Montaigne over the course of the meal. As I packed up and left my tip, the guy and his date were still sitting at the next table waiting for their order. <br /><br />"This place really has terrible service," he explained to her. E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36447199114561113722018-09-17T09:54:00.810-07:002018-09-17T09:54:00.810-07:00I'd like to mention the Phil Silvers episode, ...I'd like to mention the Phil Silvers episode, "The Court Martial" that stars a chimpanzee. <br />May be the greatest adlib and staying in character in television history.<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bpZBHoLUgwMissynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20256003390630054542018-09-17T07:42:19.519-07:002018-09-17T07:42:19.519-07:00Ken, I've been reading your blog for a few yea...Ken, I've been reading your blog for a few years and have grown to respect and treasure your insights about the process of comedy (and drama) writing. Thanks to you, I've watched shows and read reviews that made me appreciate the nature of theatre and personal relationships from a much more natural, plausible point of view. I just saw an episode of Bojack Horseman that made me think of you, called "Free Churro", in which Bojack delivers the eulogy at his mother's funeral. Everything you've written about seems to be there, including "Becker". You helped me look at the show from a lot of angles I wouldn't have otherwise, and enjoy it and be affected by it on a lot of levels I didn't understand before. Thank you. And just because I'm a dick, the word for nature's fast, visible electrical flashes from the sky is "lightning". "Lightening" is what d-bags do for their hair on the beach. <br />Gilligannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24500782502413329462018-09-17T06:52:50.586-07:002018-09-17T06:52:50.586-07:00In answer to VP81955, I checked Wendie on Wikipedi...In answer to VP81955, I checked Wendie on Wikipedia and they list her age at 67. Mike Barerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14447874605833321732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30401922993675609622018-09-17T06:39:01.463-07:002018-09-17T06:39:01.463-07:00I think this is from a previous post, but I love i...I think this is from a previous post, but I love it. It is stories like these that bring me back everyday. <br /><br />Thanks!!!Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11777496001166356949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50563986146584561342018-09-16T23:45:34.612-07:002018-09-16T23:45:34.612-07:00I was the warmup guy for 200+ episodes of Frasier,...I was the warmup guy for 200+ episodes of Frasier, and let me tell you -- Moose (Eddie) was always a treat for the audience. His little animal antics were such a wonderful complement to the whip-smart writing and acting. It was brilliant to write that dog into the show.<br /><br />I told sooooo many Moose jokes. And Mathilde would bring him out and run him through some tricks in between scenes. That dog loved performing. And treats. <br /><br />- David Willis<br />Nickname unavailablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09226815516346970836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36928442829049748762018-09-16T20:21:33.986-07:002018-09-16T20:21:33.986-07:00The great William Schallert guested on that tribbl...The great William Schallert guested on that tribble ep.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21330698973918524312018-09-16T20:01:20.654-07:002018-09-16T20:01:20.654-07:00Children still need to be reunited with their pare...Children still need to be reunited with their parents after being legally kidnapped on orders of this president.<br /><br />People presently are barred from entry from the US due their religion... again due to this president.<br /><br />Journalists are being murdered (ask the people of Annapolis MD) due to this president stigmatizing the press as "enemies of the people," once again by this president.<br /><br />I'm sorry, there are many, many, many more people who require justice much more seriously than some poor screenwriter who got her feelings hurt that she didn't win an Emmy.<br /><br />It's a shame Megan Amram doesn't put all this energy toward helping one of the truly vulnerable groups targeted in our country right now.Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46554661227595440712018-09-16T18:02:54.599-07:002018-09-16T18:02:54.599-07:00On Dustin Hoffman: supposedly the mostly polite bu...On Dustin Hoffman: supposedly the mostly polite but still megalomaniacal character played by Danny DeVito in Get Shorty was based on Elmore Leonard’s experiences with Hoffman, while planning a movie project that never got made. The scene where DeVito meets John Travolta and Rene Russo at a restaurant for breakfast, arrives late, convinces them to cancel what they’ve ordered and instead get a special dish that isn’t on the menu, then leaves before the food arrives, all without ever stopping talking, is a minor classic. I’ve watched it and tried to imagine Dustin Hoffman doing that. It seems completely plausible. <br /><br />I really hate saying this, because I remember when he was still a New York theater actor who showed up on public television regularly, and seemed to be an egoless chameleon, totally dedicated to his craft. Then the first years of his fame as a movie star followed that trajectory. Now—jeez mareez. I guess fame can be a slow-acting poison.estivhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12736355730705116526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42663809956096308782018-09-16T13:07:08.090-07:002018-09-16T13:07:08.090-07:00Wasn't it W.C. Fields that said, "Never w...Wasn't it W.C. Fields that said, "Never work with animals or children?" But seriously, one of the things I noticed about Eddie/Moose was how little direct interaction he had with the other actors. In other words Eddie was present, Martin would walk him, they would talk to him, but rarely ever touched Eddie. I've heard that some animal trainers don't want actors getting to familiar with an animal because they want to have the animal's full attention. i.e. The trainers don't want the dog or whatever focusing on an actor when he's supposed to be paying attention to the trainer. This is most evident when a dog is obviously looking at something offstage (the trainer) instead of at the actor in a scene. There are exceptions. On MARRIED WITH CHILDREN you would see the actors occasionally petting or brushing or trying to teach a trick to, "Buck." (The dog) As of this writing I can't remember how actors interacted with Lassie or other famous T.V. dogs. Maybe there's a trainer out there who can give us some insight. <br />M.B. <br />P.S. I used to know someone that had a Jack Russell terrier. Not my favorite breed.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14263213158262543502018-09-16T11:38:57.239-07:002018-09-16T11:38:57.239-07:00The original STAR TREK series episode "The Tr...The original STAR TREK series episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" in the '60s introduced a cute new little animal called a tribble.<br /><br />Tribbles were cute little puff balls and the twist was they multiply exponentially. The episode was essentially a comedy and toward the end of the episode Captain Kirk opens an overhead hatch and dozens of fuzzy little tribbles start raining down on him.<br /><br />After the episode first aired, the network began receiving angry hateful letters complaining how these little tribbles obviously had been abused animals during production.<br /><br />The series producers were surprised by these letters but then had the last laugh. Tribbles were never real animals. They were simply inanimate props.<br /><br />That's always been my favorite "working with animals" story.Janet Ybarranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15412462627092860892018-09-16T11:19:06.537-07:002018-09-16T11:19:06.537-07:00On "My Favorite Martian," Ray Walston wa...On "My Favorite Martian," Ray Walston was doing a scene with a chimp. The chimp went psycho and ripped Walston's face. Out to the hospital for stitches, then right back to the set.Craig Gustafsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503925766039307551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29293634108680749642018-09-16T09:52:05.251-07:002018-09-16T09:52:05.251-07:00I saw Wendie Malick at a "Hot In Cleveland&qu...I saw Wendie Malick at a "Hot In Cleveland" filming the day she turned 64. (We received commemorative cookies with her picture on them, and she admitted her age to us, unlike many of the characters she might play.) What a pro, and I'm glad to see her in a few eps of "Mom" as Adam's ex. VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40973917865013751942018-09-16T09:11:25.070-07:002018-09-16T09:11:25.070-07:00Friday question:
Who do you think would be easier...Friday question:<br /><br />Who do you think would be easier to work with--Dustin Hoffman, or a cranky cat with a SAG Card?<br /><br />Frank Beansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17402102370878830142018-09-16T08:36:06.106-07:002018-09-16T08:36:06.106-07:00While I agree with you about Megan not deserving a...While I agree with you about Megan not deserving an Emmy, here is an article which blasts the Emmys for her not winning.<br /><br />https://news.avclub.com/tragedy-befalls-the-creative-arts-emmys-as-an-emmy-for-1828916395<br /><br />And you should see the number of articles bemoaning that she deserved to win. #JUSTICEFORMEGAN is the new hashtag.<br /><br />And if you thought it's all over then she is coming back for season 2 <br />https://twitter.com/meganamram/status/1038592701476687877<br /><br />God save Emmy.<br /><br />Tednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87717534125395579062018-09-16T08:22:07.648-07:002018-09-16T08:22:07.648-07:00Can you give your take on this article on Jon Plow...Can you give your take on this article on Jon Plowman's book where he refused Hoffman's offer to direct a comedy series. <br /><br />He has a pretty low opinion on Hoffman. <br /><br />I thought, as someone who has acted in many comedy movies, Hoffman would be able to grasp comedy. But not Jon who says “Think how long it might have taken just to explain the gags to him.”<br /><br />https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dustin-hoffman-wanted-direct-vicar-dibley-ex-head-comedy-turned-095830471.html<br /><br />Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15340878658018766492018-09-16T08:15:51.032-07:002018-09-16T08:15:51.032-07:00So only a cat had the guts to stand up to Dustin H...So only a cat had the guts to stand up to Dustin Hoffman's lecherous paws, huh?<br /><br />Nancynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80938492876800523092018-09-16T08:08:23.280-07:002018-09-16T08:08:23.280-07:00"I'm only sorry he never got to be on INS..."I'm only sorry he never got to be on INSIDE THE ACTOR'S STUDIO with James Lipton." - Glad to know that you too hated his conceited vanity show.<br /><br />Glennoreply@blogger.com