tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8207601171853883203..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Richard Burton & Jack Elam offered the same partBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29649497281219213732013-03-14T10:17:31.589-07:002013-03-14T10:17:31.589-07:00Robert Wagner would have been good for that role.Robert Wagner would have been good for that role.chuckcdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86378639281984041932013-03-12T22:38:31.064-07:002013-03-12T22:38:31.064-07:00I read that they did write a script for Cleese to ...I read that they did write a script for Cleese to return to Cheers, but he turned it down. So the character was rewritten and recast with John McMartin for the episode "The Visiting Lecher" (McMartin's character is an old colleague of Frasier's, similar to Cleeses's).Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77561433157159232013-03-11T13:40:41.126-07:002013-03-11T13:40:41.126-07:00Huh! I just discovered that WASP isn't meant t...Huh! I just discovered that WASP isn't meant to be taken literally.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21094724542367963162013-03-11T10:33:39.003-07:002013-03-11T10:33:39.003-07:00I have a Friday question. Over on his blog, http:/...I have a Friday question. Over on his blog, http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/11/a-compilation-of-the-weeks-rabble-rousings-on-contracts-and-advances/ John Scalzi has been talking about contracts and advances for authors. What about in Hollywood, in TV and movies? What makes a good contract and what should a writer look for?Jerry Bloomfieldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75836269300555348292013-03-10T11:14:54.384-07:002013-03-10T11:14:54.384-07:00Hmm, 6 Million Dollar Man ran from 74-78...Hmm, 6 Million Dollar Man ran from 74-78...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13841795575882206901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20909957635996221202013-03-10T04:16:33.530-07:002013-03-10T04:16:33.530-07:00I enjoy watching Jack Elam in films more than I ev...I enjoy watching Jack Elam in films more than I ever did Richard Burton. I still smile when I think of the character he played in Support Your Local Sheriff with James Garner. Come to think of it Harry Morgan was in that one also.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-832406064367710472013-03-09T22:33:37.841-08:002013-03-09T22:33:37.841-08:00Gotta agree with D. McEwan on this one. This may b...Gotta agree with D. McEwan on this one. This may be one of those instances where it's good the first choice couldn't do it. I remember that Cheers episode, and Larry Bird would've been funny, but there's just something about Rebecca thinking somebody like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stole her earrings -- I mean, she really believed it -- that is just hilarious.<br /><br />And I guess that sets up an interesting Friday Question: Have there ever been any times in your experience on shows where a Plan B, for say a guest actor or even a location shot, turned out better than you could've possibly hoped even your Plan A would've been? Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43434297822939588362013-03-09T22:20:22.963-08:002013-03-09T22:20:22.963-08:00Simpsons wrote an episode for Tom Cruise where he ...Simpsons wrote an episode for Tom Cruise where he plays Bart's Big Brother, but then he backed out and the episode is largely forgotten now.Mikenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28145167333373874692013-03-09T20:34:14.677-08:002013-03-09T20:34:14.677-08:00Richard Burton actually appeared (I think in a cam...Richard Burton actually appeared (I think in a cameo) on Lee Majors' later series, "The Fall Guy," which ran on ABC during the early years of "Cheers'" network run.<br /><br />http://www.leemajors.co.uk/a/man.htmlJake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55069817674594946892013-03-09T19:46:07.209-08:002013-03-09T19:46:07.209-08:00I just watched The Spy Who Came in for a Cold One ...I just watched The Spy Who Came in for a Cold One - working my way through Cheers for the first time - and have to say Ellis Raab was meh in the role, Terence Moss notwithstanding. That part CRIED OUT for a big name - and it needed a Richard Burton, or a George Lazenby (at the time - probably the only movie 007 who would have done a TV guest spot, though Roger Moore would have been wonderful), or a TV spy like Robert Vaughn, or Robert Culp. Raab said the words, and brought a nice melancholy to the later scenes - but wow it would have been better with a known quantity.Craig Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06037542638067599437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31596591318975801462013-03-09T19:19:44.001-08:002013-03-09T19:19:44.001-08:00I always wondered if the writers at BARNEY MILLER ...I always wondered if the writers at BARNEY MILLER made a point of writing parts specifically for their legions of semi-regular bit players - as opposed to the Scanlons/Martys who were characters that show up a few times. I mean people like Libertini...the great Phil Leeds..Florence Halop, etc. LouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74204619938788126042013-03-09T14:57:25.600-08:002013-03-09T14:57:25.600-08:00For those who enjoy listening to screenwriters tal...For those who enjoy listening to screenwriters talking about their craft, here's an incredibly thought-provoking lecture from Charlie Kaufman I stumbled upon. I think it's well worth your time...<br /><br /><a href="https://soundcloud.com/bafta/charlie-kaufman-screenwriting-lecture" rel="nofollow">https://soundcloud.com/bafta/charlie-kaufman-screenwriting-lecture</a>Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52241645073805112272013-03-09T14:38:06.682-08:002013-03-09T14:38:06.682-08:00Hmm, the first page I read (http://tvtropes.org/pm...Hmm, the first page I read (<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AcceptableEthnicTargets" rel="nofollow">http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AcceptableEthnicTargets</a>) has some serious issues:<br /><br />1. It thinks WASP males are sometimes discriminated against in films -- The ultimate example? Caddyshack. (Whaaa?) There's just so many things wrong with that assertion, I can't be bothered to list them all.<br /><br />2. While someone thought it was important to list WASP males, nobody thought to include: Red heads, Southerners, Canadians. And they're just the first three that came to mind when I think of who are often mocked in sitcoms.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17443330579560291412013-03-09T14:26:01.674-08:002013-03-09T14:26:01.674-08:00John Cleese was so great, I'm surprised the ch...John Cleese was so great, I'm surprised the character never returned -- He would have been great for Frasier, too.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83761580345088417462013-03-09T13:22:23.500-08:002013-03-09T13:22:23.500-08:00Perhaps Burton declined because the Welsh drink th...Perhaps Burton declined because the Welsh drink their beer warm.Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45761325166666916052013-03-09T12:13:41.433-08:002013-03-09T12:13:41.433-08:00@ D. McEwan: Murphy BROWNE? Guess that was the ver...@ D. McEwan: Murphy BROWNE? Guess that was the version shown in an alternate timeline of Earth. The one I remember here was called Murphy BROWN. ;-}YEKIMIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01921751875397071034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50914021070176931332013-03-09T12:02:13.211-08:002013-03-09T12:02:13.211-08:00I guess this would be a Friday question. Back whe...I guess this would be a Friday question. Back when you asked us what our favorite sitcoms are, you came away from it saying you had a number of new sitcoms to sample as a result of our lists. I remember you specifically mentioned Red Dwarf as one you'd like to check out. Did you get to sample any new sitcoms and what did you think of them?Krytennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62829878201293479582013-03-09T11:57:16.434-08:002013-03-09T11:57:16.434-08:00And John Cleese went on to win an Emmy for that Ch...And John Cleese went on to win an Emmy for that <i>Cheers</i> guest spot, indicating that he brilliantly played a role that was carefully tailered to him. (If Jack Elam had won an Emmy for playing a role carefully tailered to John Cleese with zero rewriting, then-a you got somthin'!)<br /><br />Julia Roberts also did a <i>Murphy Browne</i>, which was very zeitgeisty 20 years ago.<br /><br />Ellis Rabb was indeed memorable and perfect in that role, but he lacked the <i>excitement</i> that a big name guest star like Burton would have carried. There were no promos ballyhooing: "Eliis Rabb guest stars on <i>Cheers</i> tonight! Must See TV!"<br /><br />In your final example, the pull-out improved it. What on earth could be funnier than Rebecca thinking Admiral William J. Crowe stole her earrings? Yes, thinking a famous basketball player stole her earrings is funny, but thinking they were stolen by the Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is about The Funniest Thing Ever. Thinking Queen Elizabeth stole them wouldn't be as funny as thinking Admiral Crowe did. That was one of those "Made Me Laugh All Week Just Remembering It" episodes.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74194557796719260222013-03-09T11:53:52.611-08:002013-03-09T11:53:52.611-08:00That's a great episode, and I think Ellis Raab...That's a great episode, and I think Ellis Raab did a great job. Hard to picture Jack Elam playing it, but I bet it would've been good. Hard to imagine Burton, for me-- maybe because I think A Spy Who Came in from the Cold may be the only movie I've seen him in.<br /><br />What surpasses me is the notion the Six Million Dollar Man and Cheers ran at the same time, I think of them as being two different eras of TV.Jim, Cheers Fannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10489195096882368932013-03-09T11:30:27.155-08:002013-03-09T11:30:27.155-08:00(Sorry, reposting because I forgot to leave a name...(Sorry, reposting because I forgot to leave a name)<br /><br />Oddly enough, when Britney Spears guest-starred on HIMYM, the show wasn't a hit. Instead, HIMYM was a bubble show that had only just managed to avert cancellation during in its first two seasons.<br /><br />It was Britney Spears' guest role that turned the show into a hit for the first time, spiking the ratings to a then-series-high.<br /><br />The show subsequently grew thanks to syndication and became the megahit that it is today.Olivernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81883721142508620462013-03-09T11:29:19.896-08:002013-03-09T11:29:19.896-08:00Oddly eough, when Britney Spears guest-starred on ...Oddly eough, when Britney Spears guest-starred on HIMYM, the show wasn't a hit. Instead, HIMYM was a bubble show that had only managed to narrowly avert cancellation during in its first two seasons.<br /><br />It was Britney Spears' guest role that turned the show into a hit for the first time, spiking the ratings to a then-series-high.<br /><br />The show subsequently grew thanks to syndication and became the megahit that it is today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43628471753107108152013-03-09T11:05:50.610-08:002013-03-09T11:05:50.610-08:00Interesting that Bird declined, but Kevin McHale d...Interesting that Bird declined, but Kevin McHale didn'ttbnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4324713014528194552013-03-09T10:39:43.276-08:002013-03-09T10:39:43.276-08:00http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Accepta...http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AcceptableTargets<br /><br />Here's an interesting article, amongst thousands of others, just to give you a glimpse of the website.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35083763102738938562013-03-09T10:35:11.547-08:002013-03-09T10:35:11.547-08:00What do you think about http://tvtropes.org/
The...What do you think about http://tvtropes.org/ <br /><br />The wikipedia of Television show tropes.Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7394827881422986072013-03-09T09:04:11.426-08:002013-03-09T09:04:11.426-08:00Ellis Raab was GREAT in that episode.Ellis Raab was GREAT in that episode.Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.com