Book Review: Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss

This book is excellent, and it's a must-read for all fans of The Simpsons. Author Mike Reiss explains all aspects of working for this legendary show, which has been on the air for over 30 years on the Fox network. Like many successful comedy writers, Reiss attended Harvard and wrote for their publication, The Harvard Lampoon. His writing partner, Al Jean, also attended Harvard and writes for The Simpsons too. The pair worked as writers for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in the 1980s. Reiss wrote for ALF, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Sledge Hammer and Head of the Class. Besides The Simpsons, he also has written for animated shows including The Critic (starring Jon Lovitz), The Oblongs, Hard Drinkin' Lincoln and the Ice Age films. This book is packed with trivia about The Simpsons, the cast and crew, and he mentions the impressive list of guest stars who have done the show. Reiss talks about his experiences traveling the world and meeting Simpsons fans. He acknowledges that being a comedy writer is a strange way to make a living, but his wit and talent is evident in this book. He mentions his favorite comedy movies and his favorite books about comedy. He was one of the writers for The Simpsons Movie, which was released in 2007. Anyone who enjoys The Simpsons will be pleased with this book since it is filled with fascinating facts about this great show, put together by very talented people.

Book Review: Hello Molly, A Memoir, by Molly Shannon

I always thought that Molly Shannon was a strong cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. I enjoyed her characters of Mary Katherine Gallagher ("Superstar"), Sally O'Malley ("I'm 50 years old"), Terry Rialto the NPR host, her characters in the skits Dog Show and Goth Talk, and joyologist Helen Madden ("I love it, I love it, I love it"). She always had a lot of charisma as a performer. I thought she was like a female Martin Short. So, it was interesting to learn about her background through her book. She was one of the strongest female SNL performers, along with Jan Hooks, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristin Wiig and others. I have read probably 10 or 12 books written by SNL cast members. She was raised outside of Cleveland, Ohio and had a tragedy early in life that would always affect her. She was just 4 years old when she was in a car accident where her mother, sister and cousin were all killed. Molly sustained mild injuries. She was raised by her dad, who always encouraged Molly to be a fearless performer and a risk taker. This explains her style on camera, where she is unleashed, brave and daring. She is not self-conscious in the least, which makes for an amazing sketch comedy performer. Her relationship with her dad was hot and cold, and he had a drinking problem. Nevertheless, her dad was a unique guy and he was the basis for some of Molly's charismatic characters. As a kid, Molly was a troublemaker who found it exciting to shoplift. She graduated from NYU in 1987, where she attended with fellow SNL star Adam Sandler and took various odd jobs in Los Angeles. In L.A. she was part of the Up Front Comedy Theater, where she developed characters. Molly mentioned how producer Lorne Michaels hired many Irish Catholic writers and performers over the years. Her book had lots of behind-the-scenes anecdotes about working on the legendary show. Mary Katherine Gallagher was not a hit right away. SNL always has a dress rehearsal Saturday nights before the live show. Different skits are tried out, to see how audiences react. Molly debuted Mary Katherine Gallagher in a show with Gabriel Byrne as a priest. It was a big hit in dress rehearsal. Her skit moved from the bottom of the show to the top of the show. She received fan mail from people dressed up as the hit character, which warmed her heart. She mentioned how it was such a physical role and SNL even hired a stunt coordinator to assist her. Anyone who has read the autobiography of SNL cast member Chris Kattan knows that accidents can happen on the show. Some called Molly a female Chris Farley. Writer Steve Koren worked with her on the skits. A Gallagher skit with guest host Gwyneth Paltrow had Molly knocking over several bathroom stall walls. There was an unforgettable sketch with Rosie O'Donnell and Whitney Houston. Molly bonded with Rosie since they both lost their mothers at a young age. Molly did not see SNL as a stepping stone to bigger things, she saw it as an ultimate destination. She discussed the genesis of her crazy joy-ologist character, Helen Madden. Molly had a great relationship with Will Ferrell and they wrote crazy stories together, like their Dog Show sketches. She discussed portraying Monica Lewinsky talking about the president as an infatuated teenager. She enjoyed the adulation from SNL fans but had a melancholy longing for the approval of her mother. In 1999, the movie Superstar was released, based on her SNL character of Mary Katherine Gallagher, the nervous and awkward Catholic school girl. Like many other SNL-based films, it was not a big hit at the box office. She also appeared with SNL alum Will Ferrell in the film Talladega Nights. Other film appearances included Scary Movie 5, Hotel Transylvania, Bad Teacher, Analyze This, and Never Been Kissed. TV appearances included Divorce, Enlightened, Wet Hot American Summer, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Glee, The Middle, Will and Grace and Bob's Burgers. She released a book for children in 2011 called Tilly the Trickster. She made her Broadway debut in 2010 with the musical Promises Promises. She starred with Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. I enjoyed learning about this enrgetic, talented performer and her road to showbiz success. Courtesy of imdb, here are a few quotes from Molly Shannon.... I used to get painful crushes on really unavailable guys. I feel great about it. I did six full years, and I loved it. I just felt like it was time. Not everything is going to be a perfect decision. Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss, and that's the way it goes - about leaving Saturday Night Live (1975) to pursue a film career. My dad was a real fun guy and, despite his personal problems, he was a great father. It wasn't easy, but he did a good job of raising my sister Mary and I all by himself. When comedy really sings and moves and clicks and rings, it makes my heart pound.

Book Review: Inside Comedy: The Soul, Wit, and Bite of Comedy and Comedians of the Last Five Decades, by David Steinberg

I found this book to be just fascinating. David Steinberg knows comedy. He was one of Johnny Carson's favorite guests, appearing 140 times with the king of late night. He had a chapter on The Tonight Show and gave Carson the highest praise as a brilliant comic who gave Steinberg his big break. He offers his thoughts on the giants of comedy, dating back to Lenny Bruce in the 1960s, and going up to today. David talked about working with some of the biggest names in TV comedy while directing shows like The Golden Girls, Seinfeld, Designing Women, Friends, Mad About You and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He discussed the phenomenon of comedians morphing into serious actors while discussing people such as Steve Martin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Ferrell, Chris Rock and many more. I listened to this book via Audible, and his final chapter on comedians as actors was five hours in length, but excellent and thought provoking none the less. I think the most obvious example of a talented comic becoming a versatile actor is Robin Williams. We all knew Robin was an inventive comic with a non-stop mind for improvisation. But, look at his work in serious roles like Good Will Hunting, What Dreams May Come, One Hour Photo, Insomnia and Dead Poets Society. He had some brilliant dramatic performances. Williams was friends with Christopher Reeve at the Julliard School of Drama in New York City. Anyone who is a fan of comedy needs to check out this excellent book where Steinberg demonstrates his wealth of knowledge in the subject. The picture above shows three funny guys, from left: Martin Short, Larry David and David Steinberg.

The Godfather Returns to Theaters

The blockbuster film of 1972 was Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. 50 years later, it is returning to theaters so fans can view it on the big screen. I have watched this film probably 20 times at home, but it was nice to see it in a movie theater. The cast includes many big stars such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and more. The term masterpiece is thrown around too much, but in this case I think it is applicable. Some may wince at the running time of almost three hours, but this is such an oustanding movie, that the length did not bother me. I think that the writing, acting, and cinematography are so well done that this qualifies as a film with no flaws. This has many iconic scenes and memorable quotes. The character of Clemenza says "Take the gun, leave the canoli." Later he says "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes." Luca Brasi practices his speech to Vito Corleone over and over..."Don Corleone, I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your home on the wedding day of your daughter. And may their first child be a masculine child." Marlon Brando's character said "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." He also stressed the importance of family when he said "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." Two more of my favorite films are also 3 hours long...Casino and Scarface. I'd love to see those on the big screen as well.

Book Review: Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America by Richard Zoglin

Despite its title, this book talked quite a bit about comedy in the 60s and the 80s. It started with information about Lenny Bruce, the groundbreaking, controversial comic of the 60s who influenced many after him. It also looked at contributions to the world of stand up by George Carlin, Robert Klein, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor and more. The book talked about the importance of comics getting a shot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. It mentioned how Freddie Prinze became an overnight sensation after a strong first appearance with the king of late night. The day after his debut with Johnny, he was offered his own sitcom which became Chico and the Man. Prinze was so young, and the fame hit so quickly that he had trouble handling it. At only 22 years old, he shot himself. The book mentioned the iconic Los Angeles Comedy Store,and how a strike by comedians in the 70s had an effect on how comics would be treated in the future. Club owner Mitzi Shore saw no reason to pay the comics for their stand up sets. Comedian Tom Dreesen headed up the union, and some comics crossed the picket line. This was in the era of David Letterman and Jay Leno performing at the club. The book talked about other iconic comedy clubs like Budd Friedman's Improv, The Laugh Factory and Catch a Rising Star. The book mentioned the challenges for women in comedy. Many female comics wanted to appear on Johnny Carson's show, but only a handful made it on the program, such as Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr and Ellen Degeneres. The main goal for many comics is to land a sitcom, which proved to be lucrative for people like Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, Ray Romano and more. This book could have been more comprehensive, going into depth about the comics, but overall it's a good analysis of a pivotal period for the art of stand up comedy. A more thourough book was The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff. The author of this book, Richard Zoglin, has also written books about Bob Hope and Elvis Presley. He wrote about entertainment for Time magazine for over 20 years.

Book Review: The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, by Ron Howard and Clint Howard

We hear a lot about child stars gone bad (think Lindsay Lohan or Gary Coleman). It seems like many people who make it big in Hollywood early in life end up having issues with substance abuse and ending up on the wrong side of the law. But, it does not always turn out that way. Ron Howard is someone who had admirable success as a child actor, then he transitioned into a successful director, while avoiding the pitfalls that destroy the careers of so many that work in show biz. From what it says in the book, Ron's parents instilled good values in their kids that served them well. The elder Howards were from Oklahoma and both dabbled in acting. In the book The Boys, Ron Howard and his younger brother Clint offer many fascinating anecdotes about a life in entertainment. Clint is not as well known as his brother, but both have been successful in a business that can be brutal and short lived for many. Clint has appeared in many Star Trek TV episodes, and films including Frost-Nixon, Austin Powers, The Waterboy, Tango and Cash and many others, over a 60 year acting career. Ron Howard has a net worth of $200 million while Clint has a net worth of $4 million. Ron has cast his brother Clint and his father Rance in supporting roles in his films. Also, Ron has directed his wife in eleven films. The book talks about Ron's success as Opie Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show. Ron worked with Andy, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors and other stars on this beloved show. As a kid, Ron had an interest in the behind-the-scenes aspects of shooting the show, and developed aspirations of being a director. He directed such films as: Splash, Cocoon, Backdraft, Apollo 13, A Beatiful Mind and The DaVinci Code. He won 2 Oscars, 4 Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. He has directed nine different actors in Oscar nominated performances, including Don Ameche, Dianne Weist, Russell Crowe and Glenn Close. Ron studied filmmaking at USC, a top-notch cinema school who can count George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as alumni. In 1976, Ron Howard was thrilled to earn a role in the film The Shootist. The stars were legends John Wayne, Lauren Bacall and Jimmy Stewart. The following year, Ron directed his first full length film, called Grand Theft Auto, with the assistance of executive producer Roger Corman. This was an action/comedy film that included a demolition derby scene where a Rolls Royce was destroyed. Many people from Happy Days wanted to help out Ron by appearing in his film. Various members of the Howard family appeared in the film too. The budget was $600,000 and it earned $6 million, so it was a big hit financially. Ron was still appearing in Happy Days, but he was becoming disillusioned with the project. Clint Howard mentioned his use of marijuana, cocaine and alcohol, and how they affected his life. His brother Ron felt guilty that he did not stop Clint from indulging in these chemicals in the 1970s. Ron would steer clear of such substances. By the 1980s, Clint's drug use was affecting his life in a serious way and Ron had to step in to tell him that he needed to turn his life around. In 1984, Clint seeked out help and entered rehab. He needed a few tries to get straight. By 1991, Clint was on the right track. Clint lasted less than a semester at Pepperdine University. As a character actor, Clint carved out his place in Hollywood. He has over 200 TV movies to his name. In reading the book, I learned about the connections between 2 of Ron's most popular roles in American Graffiti and Happy Days. Both were made in the 1970s and took a nostalgic look at life in the 1950s. It was fascinating to hear some of Ron's anecdotes about working on American Graffiti with George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus and others. After the success of American Graffiti, the TV networks wanted to capitalize on the popularity of nostalgia. The show Happy Days arose from a story in the anthology TV show Love American Style. Originally the show Happy Days was to star Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham but the popularity of Henry Winkler as The Fonz became evident. At one point, ABC considered changing the title of the show to Fonzie's Happy Days. Ron was offended by this suggestion, and it did not happen. Howard recounted what it was like to work with actors such as Winkler, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Donny Most and more on stage 19 at Paramount. Henry Winkler is the godfather of Howard's children. Happy Days went head-to-head against Good Times, which featured Jimmie Walker and his catch phrase "Dyn-o-mite." Happy Days was the victor. Ron Howard recalls the appearance of the immensely talented Robin Williams as Mork from Ork. Mork and Mindy became a Happy Days spin off, along with Laverne and Shirley and Joanie Loves Chachi. Those who want to learn more about the behind-the-scenes aspects of iconic shows like The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days and the world of a family navigating life in Hollywood will enjoy this book.

Disney Plus Offers an Impressive Array of Programming

Remember back in the day when we ordered DVDs through the mail from Netflix? Today that seems like ancient history when you look at all of the streaming options. Netflix competitors include Amazon Prime video, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount, Apple TV and more. ABC is part of a big conglomerate that includes Disney, Hulu, ESPN and more. I have been impressed at the variety of programming on the Disney Plus streaming platform. Star Wars fans will be pleased to find every movie as well as shows like The Manalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and many shows that reveal behind-the-scenes secrets of the George Lucas creations. Every episode of The Muppet Show is on Disney Plus. Animal lovers will enjoy the National Geographic programming, such as Secrets of the Zoo. Disney has the rights to Homer, Bart and The Simpson clan, so every episode, spanning over 30 years can be found here. Disney Plus has every Pixar movie ever made, from Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Soul, Encanto and more. The entire Marvel universe of super hero films is included. The platform has plenty of cartoons, going all the way back to Steamboat Willie, which had the first appearance of Mickey Mouse. Some of the best gems of this platform are shows that document the history of Disney, from the theme parks, movies, and executives that made the company a giant in the world of entertainment. The Disney bundle includes Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus.

Book Review: Starstruck by Leonard Maltin

Film critic Leonard Maltin has written several books about his love of cinema. His latest book is an autobiography about his life as a movie maven who worked for Entertainment Tonight for many years. He tells of his upbringing in New Jersey and eventually moving to California to dedicate himself to covering the world of film. Besides Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Maltin has been the best known movie critic for decades. I enjoyed his stories about teaching film classes at USC, the nation's premiere film school. Being in Los Angeles, he could screen films in class and get the stars or directors to show up to talk to students about their work. I think it would have been fascinating to attend his classes. Jerry Lewis also taught film at USC and two of his students were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. In the book, Maltin mentioned the incredible experience of interviewing Lucas at Skywalker Ranch. Maltin talks about his adventures in podcasting, working for Turner Classic Movies, and attending film festivals around the world. My main issue with the book is that there was too much focus on classic films and their stars. Maltin talked a lot about films of the 1940s and before. I would have appreciated more discussion of contemporary films and stars. The book wrapped up with a chapter where Maltin revealed his health challenges since being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago. Overall I enjoyed this tale of a man's dedication to what he loves...the world of Hollywood, film and celebrities.

Facebook Groups Have Kept Me Busy

I have not blogged in three years since I use my Facebook groups for posting my thoughts on entertainment. I created the groups Memories of The Rat Pack, 40+ Years of Saturday Night Live and Comedy in America. I am co-administrator for The Johnny Carson Fan Club and David Letterman fans. I really enjoy those groups and find that I learn so much from the posts of others. The Rat Pack group has grown at the fastest pace. The Carson group is my favorite. I am proud that among our members are many people who worked on the show, including a producer, a writer, a publicist, a stage manager and an audio engineer.