tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8539728957584207720..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7235940686027703142018-01-09T05:43:43.967-08:002018-01-09T05:43:43.967-08:00If second episodes are tough because you have to r...If second episodes are tough because you have to retell the pilot, what about all the viewers who jump on at episode 3, 4, 8, or the second series premiere? Is there a rule of thumb for when you can start assuming people know who your characters are, or do you try to ensure every episode would make sense to someone completely new to the show?Stevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30069500606270483512018-01-08T23:17:50.458-08:002018-01-08T23:17:50.458-08:00And one more question:
In the later years, MASH ha...And one more question:<br />In the later years, MASH had much more of a focus on drama, and much less satire or farcical elements. Larry Linville left the show right at the point when this change was beginning, and it's hard to imagine his character fitting in with some of the more serious plotlines that were written in the final years. Given this, I'm wondering if there was any discussion among the writers of what to do with Frank, or any thought about how to alter or evolve his character so he would fit better with the shifting tone of the show? czesklebahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03970450739647820862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-682024548658736052018-01-08T18:26:39.486-08:002018-01-08T18:26:39.486-08:00Here's a possible Friday question:
Ken, one no...Here's a possible Friday question:<br />Ken, one notable thing that happened during your tenure on MASH was the significant transformation of Margaret Houlihan's character. Among other things, she was softened and made more likable, she went from being gung-ho to fairly anti-war, and she developed a sort of proto-feminist perspective in many areas. I'm wondering what was the basis for this change? Did Loretta Swit request alterations to the character, or did it wholly originate with the writing staff?<br /> czesklebahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03970450739647820862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78186391128213589522018-01-08T17:41:12.085-08:002018-01-08T17:41:12.085-08:00@Craig Gustafson: Actually, the news of Henry Bla...@Craig Gustafson: Actually, the news of Henry Blake's death did get out several months before the episode aired. The following item appeared in a syndicated column by TV reporter Marilyn Beck on November 13, 1974 (four months before the episode was broadcast):<br /><br />"“MASH” celebrated the completion of this season’s shooting with a cast party at 20th Century-Fox late last week. All the cast and crew were on hand — except for McLean Stevenson, who celebrated his permanent departure from the company by not attending. He left the soundstage as soon as the final camera “cut” was called.<br />Stevenson is moving on to a new contract with NBC, which he is convinced will bring him greater stardom than he has enjoyed as Lt. Col. Blake on “MASH”. As for how CBS will handle his absence from the series, they’re “killing” him off. One of the last things shot before the “MASH” company disbanded for hiatus was a sequence in which Blake finally gets his discharge — only to be killed in the crash of a plane bound for home."<br /><br />I think in general people were less squeamish about spoilers back then than they are now.<br />czesklebahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03970450739647820862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53299817071207477002018-01-07T13:23:53.920-08:002018-01-07T13:23:53.920-08:00Laura brings up an important point about the new b...Laura brings up an important point about the new blacklist -- Spacey was excised from his newest film and now he can't even be referenced. Not defending his actions, but I can't help being reminded of the original blacklist. One example: the movie TALES OF MANHATTAN used to be shown on TV with the entire Paul Robeson section cut, and he was "disappeared" from the 1919 All-America football team. There was a time when being a Communist (or even suspected of leftist leanings) was as unforgivable as being a sexual harasser today. Are we going to go through this again? Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48511232525105692392018-01-07T13:16:29.487-08:002018-01-07T13:16:29.487-08:00I seem to remember that there was a joke on Back T...I seem to remember that there was a joke on Back To You that people thought needed to be cut, they raised a big stink about it, and then the joke was cut in repeats. I think it had something to do with Polish people.A.B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2625173244059970332018-01-07T12:08:36.954-08:002018-01-07T12:08:36.954-08:00Ms.Long participated in speech tournaments when sh...Ms.Long participated in speech tournaments when she was in high school in Indiana. Obviously, good training that paid off.<br /><br />Occasionally, she competed against another Hoosier student who likewise went on to become an NBC fixture in the eighties, Jane Pauley.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57555522709375321922018-01-07T11:51:19.202-08:002018-01-07T11:51:19.202-08:00Friday question: Did an actor ever ad-lib a line i...Friday question: Did an actor ever ad-lib a line in one of the shows you worked on that got left in?<br />Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760229533287495672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24096595927980706202018-01-07T10:41:58.662-08:002018-01-07T10:41:58.662-08:00Potential Friday question here: I recently saw She...Potential Friday question here: I recently saw Shelley Long's Emmy acceptance speech for the first time, and was so impressed by how articulate (no umms or ahhs) and gracious she was - Diane would've been proud! I was also touched she took the time to thank the viewers for watching the show, a group not mentioned in many award speeches. Were the cast and crew of Cheers as moved by her speech as I was?Briannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87793954514229286902018-01-06T16:24:45.148-08:002018-01-06T16:24:45.148-08:00My understanding is that the name A Prarie Home Co...My understanding is that the name A Prarie Home Companion was owned by Keillor’s production company, so Minnesota Public Radio was forced to change the title once they cut ties with him.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42426415560824332462018-01-06T13:54:39.568-08:002018-01-06T13:54:39.568-08:00Thank you, Wendy Grossman, for citing the good exa...Thank you, Wendy Grossman, for citing the good example. I think you were responding to the part of my post that was a quote from cd1515's earlier post, though, not to an original thought on my part. :)<br /><br />BTW, I've heard about, but have never seen, an episode of 'Dragnet' that allegedly wrote the death of one of Joe Friday's partners into the story. The actor died and Jack Webb had them film a scene in which Joe is notified of his partner's death. This would be another pre-MASH example.Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-35603164979380246122018-01-06T09:52:01.044-08:002018-01-06T09:52:01.044-08:00Yeah, the death of the Sharon Raydor character in ...Yeah, the death of the Sharon Raydor character in this season's MAJOR CRIMES was the first thing that came to mind as how a surprise can still be managed nowadays. (It's not as broadly impactful because that MAJOR CRIMES isn't as much a pervasive pop culture TV phenomenon as M*A*S*H was--but not much is nowadays--but Raydor's death certainly surprised lots of viewers.)<br /><br />I hadn't thought about how it affected G.W. Bailey's billing tho'; that's kinda cool for him! Tommy Raikonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21527726858144666092018-01-06T09:50:40.344-08:002018-01-06T09:50:40.344-08:00Just one note, The Simpsons had a nice joke about ...Just one note, The Simpsons had a nice joke about the Arnold Palmer drink the day he died. I thought it was a nice tribute.Jessy S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82110778255712792532018-01-06T07:32:45.024-08:002018-01-06T07:32:45.024-08:00Norman Blumemthal, who produced for NBC the origin...Norman Blumemthal, who produced for NBC the original version of the game show "Concentration," relayed this story pertaining to the Kennedy assassination.<br /><br />On another, unidentified game show in 1963, a contestant was introduced as being from Dallas. The program's host jokingly asked her if she had "checked her guns at the door."<br /><br />The program was recorded a month before the assassination, but didn't air until after Kennedy's death.<br /><br />Although the show's producer was at fault for ignoring a network request to review upcoming tapes for any possible inappropriate references, the host had to make a live, on-the-air apology the next day.Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88551769750084453642018-01-06T06:51:49.381-08:002018-01-06T06:51:49.381-08:00The name of the Saturday night broadcasts of "...The name of the Saturday night broadcasts of "Prairie Home Companion" has been changed to "Live From Here."Kevin FitzMauricenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20220864532542363282018-01-06T00:09:50.821-08:002018-01-06T00:09:50.821-08:00Clipping the recently deceased: a Disney cartoon, ...Clipping the recently deceased: a Disney cartoon, "Mickey's Polo Game", was set to include Will Rogers among its caricatured celebrities. Rogers died before animation actually began, but at least some pre-production art survived with his caricature.DBensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01144515471557731622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29091875485371858412018-01-05T23:28:21.903-08:002018-01-05T23:28:21.903-08:00Ken:
I trust that you recall G.W. Bailey from your...Ken:<br />I trust that you recall G.W. Bailey from your MASH days.<br />For the last thirteen seasons, Mr. Bailey has been seen on TNT as the crusty Lt. Provenza on <i>The Closer</i>, which was rebooted after seven seasons into <i>Major Crimes</i>.<br />Essentially, Bailey was the Number Two cop, first under Kyra Sedgwick on <i>Closer</i>, thereafter under Mary McDonnell on <i>Major Crimes</i>.<br />The season just ending was announced as MC's final string at the outset.<br />In the fourth-to-last episode, McDonnell's character, Cdr. Sharon Raydor, suffered a fatal heart attack.<br /> - and Lt. Provenza became the squad leader for the duration.<br />So, for the series finale (three episodes) of <i>Major Crimes</i>, G.W. Bailey (possibly for the first time in his TV career) has become the top-billed star of the series.<br />Well, it fits what you're all talking about, so I mention it here.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05527404061764217504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81794192447012683532018-01-05T23:05:21.451-08:002018-01-05T23:05:21.451-08:00I think the rush to cut Kevin Spacey out of everyt...I think the rush to cut Kevin Spacey out of everything and pretend he never existed is insane. But not quite as nuts as Minnesota Public Radio trying to turn Garrison Keillor into a non-person by changing the name of "A Prairie Home Companion," their most popular show which (A) no longer featured Garrison Keillor anyway and (B) doesn't even have his name in the title. I saw an ad in a newspaper last week for a live tour where they called it "Formerly A Prairie Home Companion." But that's not a new name! That's the exact same name with the word "Formerly" in front of it! So it's not "formerly" that, it's still that. But they're in a quandary because if they did change the name, nobody would know what the hell the show was or buy tickets for it. They have reached peak PC idiocy, or at least I hope so. <br /><br />Since my wife is a Grammy voter, I'm wondering if the fact that Kevin Spacey sings on the Tony Bennett tribute album will kill its surefire win as Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. I hate that they nominate these pop stars-desecrating-classics-in-tribute-to-an-icon albums, but they always at least get nominated because they get votes from multiple labels. But this year, will the industry's fear over rewarding anything associated with Spacey be enough to keep them from voting to give their own artists a prize? What's especially ironic about this is that aside from Tony Bennett, Spacey is about the only person on that album who has a feel for standards and turns in a performance that might be worthy of an award. Pat Reederhttp://www.facebook.com/hollywoodhifibooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54225768099002800482018-01-05T20:08:19.793-08:002018-01-05T20:08:19.793-08:00Wendy:
Same thing here (an early sneak peek of an...Wendy:<br /><br />Same thing here (an early sneak peek of another set of FQs.<br /><br />I think it's a glitch in the Matrix...David Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4995465739253369402018-01-05T18:29:43.425-08:002018-01-05T18:29:43.425-08:00For those who haven’t read rhe Game of Thrones boo...For those who haven’t read rhe Game of Thrones books (A Song of Ice and Fire) I think some of the deaths in the early seasons were shocking. Now we are just numb to them.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11777496001166356949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73636839463239004882018-01-05T17:27:36.096-08:002018-01-05T17:27:36.096-08:00I have found a syndicated column revealing Blake&#...I have found a syndicated column revealing Blake's demise all the way back on November 24, 1974...Bob Gasselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04748728107349857332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6814495002245835742018-01-05T16:09:16.794-08:002018-01-05T16:09:16.794-08:00It probably isn't his favorite role, but Gene ...It probably isn't his favorite role, but Gene Hackman is also terrific in The Poseidon Adventure, the first (and best) of all the cheesy 70's disaster flicks.Garynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81258959485533248782018-01-05T15:45:34.834-08:002018-01-05T15:45:34.834-08:00Likewise, the original end of the movie concluded ...<i>Likewise, the original end of the movie concluded with a slapstick scene where the U.S. president is hit in the face with a pie, and a character responds, "Our gallant young president has been struck down in his prime!" So that was also removed, </i><br /><br />Too bad, because President Muffley being described as "young" would surely be good for at least a solid chuckle.Todd Everettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44303774077006237592018-01-05T14:53:21.570-08:002018-01-05T14:53:21.570-08:00@Michael: The movie "Dr. Strangelove" is...@Michael: The movie "Dr. Strangelove" is another famous example of dialogue having to be changed at the last minute. When Slim Pickens as the bomber pilot is looking over the emergency kit to be used in the case of a bail-out, he discovers that the supplies include drugs, cash, and some items designed to be able to bribe prostitutes for help. Pickens originally said, "A fella could have a pretty good night in Dallas with all that stuff." Then JFK was assassinated in Dallas before the release, and they dubbed over "Vegas" in place of Dallas.<br /><br />Likewise, the original end of the movie concluded with a slapstick scene where the U.S. president is hit in the face with a pie, and a character responds, "Our gallant young president has been struck down in his prime!" So that was also removed, although by the time Kennedy was killed, Stanley Kubrick reportedly had already decided he didn't like the scene and totally redid the ending.Andy Rosenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58274697571272349562018-01-05T14:49:30.905-08:002018-01-05T14:49:30.905-08:00Ken I have enjoyed seeing you on the CNN decade se...Ken I have enjoyed seeing you on the CNN decade series.If they were to make one for 2000 - 20009 what would be the top 10 series they would have to include as far as your concerned? I feel like this decade is full of high quality series, including the Sopranos, the Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, BSG, Deadwood, The Shield, and that just some of the dramas. Not to mention we had some of the great sitcoms come to an end Friends, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, and a whole new crop spring up, Malcom in the Middle, The Office. Have enjoyed watching them on Netflix. Collin W.noreply@blogger.com