tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8368144526869140620..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday Questions By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12599212955727370452015-01-13T04:33:05.267-08:002015-01-13T04:33:05.267-08:00Wow, I thought for sure fellow hardcore Trekker Da...Wow, I thought for sure fellow hardcore Trekker Dan Ball would have made this comment already: The reason that Kirstie Ally did not reprise her role as Saavik after "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" was that her representation demanded that she be paid a LOT more in future films-- more money than some of the other cast members were paid. Paramount wasn't having it, and replaced her with Robin Curtis for subsequent movies, eventually writing Saavik out all together. Which is a damn shame, because that character was really interesting; half Vulcan and half Romulan? SO MANY PLACES to go with that, and they never did.<br /><br />FUN FACT FOR NERDS: In "ST4: The Voyage Home", Saavik was supposed to be pregnant with Spock's baby (having "helped him through" Pon Farr in ST3). This is why she chooses to stay on Vulcan, instead of helping them save the whales. (It's in the novelization, and IIRC, there were lines about it that were filmed but later deleted.)<br /><br />BONUS FUN FACT FOR THOSE WITHOUT LIVES: In "ST6: The Undiscovered Country", the character Valeris, played by Kim Cattral, was *supposed* to be Saavik, but casting issues prevented Curtis from reprising her role. Rather than recasting Saavik again, they just kinda changed the name in the script and called it a day. Keep this in mind when next watching "ST6", and it makes Spock's relationship with/to her and his sense of betrayal totally understandable, instead of "Why is Spock SO VERY pissed at a character he barely knows?" <br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4777141566801159122015-01-12T16:10:45.546-08:002015-01-12T16:10:45.546-08:00David, another risque line (for the time) was in T...David, another risque line (for the time) was in The Odd Couple episode when Oscar meets a girl in a restaurant who appears to be destitute. With Felix out of town, Oscar invites her to sleep over in Felix's room. But Felix gets home early and discovers the girl sleeping in his bed. Confused, he mutters to himself, "It's not my birthday..."Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30052176877779537232015-01-12T05:40:58.676-08:002015-01-12T05:40:58.676-08:00There were several lines on The Odd Couple TV show...There were several lines on The Odd Couple TV show that were so risque they make me laugh twice as hard because I feel like the writers snuck one past a sleeping censor. Prime example: when in a flashback episode Oscar visits the then-single Felix in his apartment, in which all the furniture is covered in plastic. When Felix says that he HAS to marry Gloria, Oscar replies "You HAVE to marry her? A man who covers everything in plastic?"<br /><br />Ken, obviously a writer's first job on a comedy is to be funny, but there must be some examples of when you or your co-writers "slipped one past the goalie" simply to see if you could...<br />Davidhttp://www.joeandnemo.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74006967168311487932015-01-11T22:37:47.542-08:002015-01-11T22:37:47.542-08:00If I may answer one of Casey's questions: MIKE...If I may answer one of Casey's questions: MIKEY and NICKY was filmed in 1973, followed by reshoots in 1974 (both sessions were while COLUMBO was on hiatus). May shot several tons of footage and literally spent two years in the editing room before Paramount finally gave her an ultimatum (i.e., completion date). She missed it, they took it away from her, had another editor finish it and released it to blah reviews. She disowned this cut, of course, but frankly, she had no one to blame but herself. When I was at Paramount in the early 90s, I wondered if all that footage had survived, but it was not kept. I saw it again a few years ago and it really is a dreadful movie, with what be the screen record for mismatched shots, due to her improvisational style. But the bottom line is: It was in the can long before MURDER BY DEATH.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77752799629198702252015-01-11T19:49:52.785-08:002015-01-11T19:49:52.785-08:00After reading this piece about actors leaving succ...After reading this piece about actors leaving successful TV shows for failed movie careers, I saw the new Glee, in which Rachel left a successful Broadway show for a failed TV show. You can't spell "success" without "suc".AAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994241172130699272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6249070348197398352015-01-10T16:02:44.767-08:002015-01-10T16:02:44.767-08:00That guy who left Dobie Gillis after five episodes...That guy who left Dobie Gillis after five episodes as Milton Armitage, whatever happened to him?Breadbakernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20245245696879572012015-01-10T10:38:32.509-08:002015-01-10T10:38:32.509-08:00Twilight Of The Gods...Silvers had suffered a stro...Twilight Of The Gods...Silvers had suffered a stroke. And Sid Caesar had done three movies around that time: Silent Movie,Fire Sale, and Cheap Detective. In the first, he's always sitting or bedridden. In the latter two, he's in a wheel chair.Bill Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041905291496937729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54091673546376723922015-01-10T10:15:25.427-08:002015-01-10T10:15:25.427-08:00I saw "Murder by Death" twice when it fi...I saw "Murder by Death" twice when it first came out. The ending was crap, but that movie got HUGE laughs in the theater, all the way through.<br /><br />"The Cheap Detective" pissed me off. Sid Caesar and Phil Silvers in a Neil Simon movie!? I'm there! And top-billed Silvers had ONE line.<br /><br />Which segues to - I wouldn't see Steve Martin's "Sgt. Bilko". (A) The character was tailored for Silvers. (B) Martin, Aykroyd and Hartman hosted a Bilko marathon on TV and made frequent smug comments about "Well, we certainly don't act THAT big nowadays," totally alienating the series' fan base and tanking the movie. I also avoided "For Love or Mummy", with the "new" Laurel and Hardy.<br /><br />You can replace a comic actor. You can't replace a comedian.Craig Gustafsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2260329215950017652015-01-10T08:39:34.084-08:002015-01-10T08:39:34.084-08:00Todd Everett said...
“The piece is more about Mar...Todd Everett said...<br /><br /><i>“The piece is more about Marcia Strassman, who had recently died, though Stevenson does come into the conversation”</i><br /><br />The article about Stevenson is further down on the page. Or try this:<br /><br />http://www.newsfromme.com/2013/05/14/mac/Hank Gillettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17328364486555780403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78065054261422142602015-01-10T05:52:13.434-08:002015-01-10T05:52:13.434-08:00Caught most of Murder by Death and watched your po...Caught most of Murder by Death and watched your post movie wrap up and intro to The Cheap Detective. Thought you were good about explaining things and giving a nice overview. I was wondering why the Blue Screen. I would think you would have been more comfortable on a set or sitting with some props. Definitiely I feel you would have looked less stiff and formal. Any reason particulary they chose to shoot your comments this way? <br />As far as the movies themselves (What I saw of them) - they were serviciable parodies. I liked Murder a bit more because I enjoyed the parodies of the various detectives. I can see why Simon might not be happy with the choice of Capote but for the feel of the movie and the parody aspect of it, I thought he worked ok. (Though it does date the movie a bit more) If Simon had a different view I could understand. I don't think current audiences would "get" this movie today. Unless you are a fan of old movies or the detective genre a lot of the movie would not work and the parody aspect would be lost on the viewer. I'm sorry I missed California Suite. I was interested in your thoughts. I like the movie but only a couple of the stories really work for me and the Cosby / Pryor bits while funny, don't work with the tone of the other stories. Also I have a real problem with the casting of the child of Jane Fonda and Alan Alda. Definitely too young and not reflective of the interpretation the characters have of her. Made the sequence between Fonda and the teen tonally "off", Simon's dialogue sings though in the exchanges between the parents and in the Michael Caine / Maggie Smith segment. Just great stuff. Glad you had the opportunity to do this. Should we lobby them When / If they do a Natalie Wood retrospective so you are first choice? Tim Rifenburgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46504898596007211272015-01-10T02:51:02.226-08:002015-01-10T02:51:02.226-08:00Capote has his own genre parody as co-writer of Jo...Capote has his own genre parody as co-writer of John Huston's Beat The Devil, made by the guy who helped invent the form in the first place. Capote wasted his time throwing parties and sucking up to the rich and famous. When they found out he was writing a novel based on that society, they dumped him, ending his ability to write, and eventually, breathe....Network plugging interference caused some out-of-character moments on The Odd Couple. No way would Randall's Felix debase himself on "Let's Make a Deal".Bill Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041905291496937729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29461886908711916482015-01-09T21:05:59.480-08:002015-01-09T21:05:59.480-08:00Included in the lineup is “California Suite” and (...Included in the lineup is “California Suite” and (thank you BTW) “Heartbreak Kid”, Elaine May directing the latter and acting in the former. May has been brought up primarily in relation with Nichols; might you have any more interesting facts of Elaine May as a writer/ director/ actress/ script doctor? Why didn’t she receive credit for some of the scripts she reworked and edited? What are your feelings on “Ishtar” and its relevancy today, in face of its initial failure? Were May and Matthau paired together in “CS” because of “A New Leaf”, despite only playing Henrietta as a result of disagreements with the studio? Peter Falk was working on “Murder By Death” and “Mikey and Nicky” around the same time, just a coincidence? What was the extent of May’s influence on “Heartbreak”?<br /><br />Really enjoying the marathon! <br />Casey Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83285473696229264022015-01-09T20:47:18.575-08:002015-01-09T20:47:18.575-08:00Ken! Nice to see you on TCM tonight. It was like ...Ken! Nice to see you on TCM tonight. It was like running into an old friend I had not seen in 22 years since I was stationed in Bangor Washington and listening to you broadcasting Mariners games. I have always said you were the most entertaining broadcaster I ever heard, and that includes Joe Garagiola. Thanks for putting a smile on my face tonightTOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10082845401765227553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67093494708576238372015-01-09T20:14:03.958-08:002015-01-09T20:14:03.958-08:00Best Odd Couple episode
Password is great but Fel...Best Odd Couple episode <br />Password is great but Felix's Fear of Flying is hard to top, especially when he banters with the stewardess and comes back to an empty plane.<br />and this bit of dialogue<br />"Are You Belkin Airlines?"<br />"Are you the FAA?"<br />"No"<br />"Well we're Belkin Airlines"<br /><br />Great individual scenes/characters: <br />any courtroom scene<br />Password<br />Victor Buono talking to his plants during the rent strike<br />John Byner negotiating with the boys for a parking spot. John Byner - funny guyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50962449255741068512015-01-09T19:58:55.927-08:002015-01-09T19:58:55.927-08:00With all the attention given to the TCM appearance...With all the attention given to the TCM appearance, Ken never mentioned his appearance on Stu's Show this week. http://www.stusshow.com/<br /><br />Whenever Levine and Isaacs appear on that show, I use it as an opportunity to stock up on shows from the archive, which cost 99 cents but are always on a four for the price of three sale. To tell them apart in my playlist, I attempted to type "Ken Levine" in the artist's field in the track in iTunes, and it kept placing Kenny Loggins there instead. Aargh! Stoopid technology!!AAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994241172130699272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27187057155700499852015-01-09T19:47:32.037-08:002015-01-09T19:47:32.037-08:00Ken:
I missed your intro to Murder By Death but c...Ken:<br /><br />I missed your intro to <i>Murder By Death</i> but caught your outro, and I have a couple of points to make.<br /><br />1. You focused on the puns and jokes that didn't work (in your opinion), but for my money, <i>Murder By Death</i> has a phenomenally high success rate for a comedy of this nature. It's one all comedy writers should study.<br /><br />2. I totally disagree on the performance of Truman Capote. It's true, he doesn't give an "actor's" performance in this film, but he's hilarious nevertheless because he plays it completely as himself. There's a reason Truman Capote spent much of his career as a professional celebrity, more known for talking than for writing. It's because it's fun and funny to hear him talk, and he seems to be having such a good time doing it. When Lionel Twain gives his big speech at the end about the sins committed by various mystery writers, it's easy to imagine Truman himself making the same speech at a cocktail party or on a talk show panel. His pique seems entirely genuine.Joe Blevinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00608854305357391691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68137778565574781892015-01-09T18:32:19.774-08:002015-01-09T18:32:19.774-08:00One reason Steve Carrell was so successful with th...One reason Steve Carrell was so successful with that character was because it wasn't precisely the same as Ricky Gervais. Except for the final episode of the British series, David Brent never exhibited any redeeming qualities at all. But by the second season of the American show, Greg Daniels was turning Michael Scott into a marginally sympathetic character, and even an occasionally competent salesman.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85110680937152626162015-01-09T17:12:39.068-08:002015-01-09T17:12:39.068-08:00Just watched your intro on TCM and you were terrif...Just watched your intro on TCM and you were terrific!<br />One suggestion: find yourself a TAILOR! I know you're tall, darlin', but you were SWIMMING in that brown jacket. Speaking of which, maybe a stylist would be helpful for your next on-screen appearance, or ask your wife or daughter for wardrobe advice.<br />I love you anyway - I bought your books at full price!<br />Great Neil Simon series. Truman Capote - wow - I must go watch that performance,joanneinjaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10039608219858473097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38442267501192604102015-01-09T16:55:29.062-08:002015-01-09T16:55:29.062-08:00Then there are the ones who just won't quit......Then there are the ones who just won't quit....<br /><br />Estelle Getty played Sophia Petrillo for seven years on THE GOLDEN GIRLS, one year on the spin-off GOLDEN PALACE, and a couple of more years on EMPTY NEST. Rue McClanahan talked later about how much Estelle loved playing that character, joking that she'd put on that gray wig and show up as Sophia at your daughter's birthday party if you asked her to.Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41443645758661494032015-01-09T16:44:21.451-08:002015-01-09T16:44:21.451-08:00Re: James' comment about Falk's portrayal ...Re: James' comment about Falk's portrayal of Columbo's idiosyncrasies. <br /><br />This is one of a handful of shows that I have on DVD in its entire run. If you go back and watch the very first ones, it's a little jarring how hard-assed and aggressive Columbo can be once he's sure he knows the killer. His befuddled deference schtick got much thicker in later episodes, but he could turn on a dime and really get in your face in those first ones. Pat Reedernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-15608241839543752252015-01-09T16:37:30.080-08:002015-01-09T16:37:30.080-08:00Thank you, sir, for answering my question.Thank you, sir, for answering my question.One More Questionnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23237800865067684352015-01-09T16:29:12.316-08:002015-01-09T16:29:12.316-08:00Curt Alliaume said...
Mark Evanier wrote a pretty...<b>Curt Alliaume said...</b><br /><br />Mark Evanier wrote a pretty good summary of why McLean Stevenson left M*A*S*H here: http://www.newsfromme.com/?s=mclean+stevenson<br /><br />The piece is more about Marcia Strassman, who had recently died, though Stevenson does come into the conversation<br /><br />In any case, I'd add that it took one hell of an actress to sit around laughing at Gabe Kaplan's jokes.<br /><br />And of course I had a crush on her.Todd Everetthttp://toddeverett.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72601468004940651192015-01-09T15:20:47.795-08:002015-01-09T15:20:47.795-08:00Speaking of other actors performing iconic roles: ...Speaking of other actors performing iconic roles: Jo Anne Worley and Cindy Williams had summer-stock success a few years ago playing an updated (and obviously altered) version of The Odd Couple - Olive Madison and Florence Unger.<br /><br />I also love the Fat Farm episode and Jack Klugman's expressions, e.g. the dinner scene with the invisible desserts.RCPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251247613686669877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37453232018626442602015-01-09T15:17:54.573-08:002015-01-09T15:17:54.573-08:00Friday Question:
As CHEERS went on, did the write...Friday Question:<br /><br />As CHEERS went on, did the writers and directors ever let John Ratzenberger improvise his "little known facts" from time to time? For example, like this one from season 10, episode 16, "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't": "Well, quite ironic actually, uh, seeing as how tuna, known in Latin as Pisces Middayacus, roughly translated as lunch fish, was uh, w-was not a contemporary of the, uh, prehistoric reptilian land wanderers."Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15022858915895171658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27294301038504531482015-01-09T15:14:13.921-08:002015-01-09T15:14:13.921-08:00Wow, which ODD COUPLE episode?
I mentioned one he...Wow, which ODD COUPLE episode?<br /><br />I mentioned one here recently, where they vacation in Hocaloma. It had Joan Hotchkis as Oscar's girlfriend Nancy, and had two fantastic guest stars, Vito Scotti and Barbara Colby.<br /><br />I'll join others by voting for any episode in a courtroom. "Mr. Unger, can you either talk faster or smaller?"<br /><br />Password, of course.<br /><br />Also the one where Felix takes a writing course, which had Wally Cox in it.<br /><br />Too many great episodes to name. I know a relative of one of the actors in the show, who immediately pegged me as being from New York by how familiar I was with the show.Mike Schryverhttp://otrcomedy.comnoreply@blogger.com