Looking Back on Eight is Enough

Recently we "cut the cord" and got rid of cable stations other than local TV. I discovered the wide array of programming via Tubi, which is a free service with lots of programming, especially classic TV. I saw they had the show Eight is Enough (ABC, 1977-1981), which I only watched sparingly as a kid. It's a show I have rarely seen in syndication. I dicovered I liked it since it had good characters and storylines. It was a show with a mixture of comedy and drama. It starred Dick Van Patten as the family patriarch, Tom Bradford, who worked as a newspaper columnist in Sacramento, California. Van Patten passed in 2015. Diana Hyland was the original wife, but she only shot 4 episodes, and passed away. Betty Buckley as Abby Bradford replaced her and was in 102 episodes, all but the first 10. Abby was a tutor for son Tommy when he got injured in season 2. Betty has been a successful Broadway star, winning a Tony. The family had 8 kids, 5 girls and 3 boys. Most of the actors who played the 8 kids did not have memorable roles after leaving this show. The oldest was David Bradford, originally played by Mark Hammill, who was only in the first episode, he left since he did Star Wars. The night the pilot aired, Mark Hammill was involved in a serious auto accident where he sustained serious facial injuries. Therefore, he quit the show. The role of David Bradford was taken over by Grant Goodeve. His character had already moved out of the house from the beginning and had his own apartment. In the late seasons, the theme song was written and sung by Grant Goodeve. Lani O’Grady played Mary Bradford, (died in 2001 of a drug overdose). Susan Richardson played Susan Bradford, (she appeared in the film American Graffiti (1973). She has struggled with health and financial challenges. Laurie Walters played Joanie Bradford, Dianne Kay played Nancy Bradford, Connie Needham played Elizabeth Bradford, and Willie Aames played Tommy Bradford, (was in the sitcom Charles in Charge with Scott Baio, 1984-1990, 126 episodes). Adam Rich played the youngest in the family, Nicholas Bradford. (died in 2023 of a drug overdose). For the first four seasons, they tried to give the eight kids an equal amount of lines. But, certain kids became popular, such as Willie Aames in later seasons, so he got more lines. Grant Goodeve, Lani O’Grady and Susan Richardson saw their roles get smaller and smaller. The final season had Ralph Macchio (Karate Kid, The Outsiders and Cobra Kai) in 19 episodes. Two Eight is Enough reunion movies aired in 1987 and 1989. *Some information from imdb.com.

The Carson Podcast

Being a show biz junkie, who always wants to learn more about entertainment, I listen to a lot of podcasts. My main interest is the history of late night TV. These days, it seems like everyone has a podcast. So, one must be discerning about which ones we dedicate time to, otherwise we spend our whole lives listening to podcasts. The very best podcast I have found is no longer in existence, but all episodes are still online. The Carson Podcast was active from 2014 to 2022. Over the 8 year period, they had 391 episodes! Host Mark Malkoff interviewed those who worked for Johnny's show, those who appeared on Johnny's show, and top entertainers who were influenced by Johnny Carson. This podcast is the best way to learn about every aspect of Johnny Carson's career. Often times, I felt that the most interesting guests were those who worked on Johnny's show, such as the segment producers, the writers and the musicians. They often had the best anecdotes. Malkoff interviewed many of the crew members, such as stage managers, the audio engineers, Johnny's publicist, secretary and assistants. These people often had the best insights since they saw the operation of the show, day in and day out. The show largely deals with Johnny's reign as the host of NBC's Tonight Show from 1962-1992. But, some shows talk about Johnny's earlier projects or his time after leaving the show. Johnny had a life that was turbulent at times, and he had struggles and triumphs like anyone else. He was not always rich and famous. He had to pay his dues, and some of his shows were not successful. Johnny admitted that he was not the perfect husband or father. This podcast looks at the ups and dows of Johnny's life, and what made him so extraordinary as a late night host. Time and time again, podcast guests bring up Johnny's strong ability as an interviewer. He truly listened to his guests. It was not an interview, it was more like a conversation. Johnny did not need to hog the spotlight for himself. He wanted his guests to shine, since that made the show look good as a whole. I think it helped that Johnny was very smart and multi-faceted. He could talk about anything. He had many hobbies, such as astronomy, listening to jazz, drumming, tennis, travel, and of course comedy. He loved to showcase new comedians. Many comedians credited Carson for their success. He showcased comics such as Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Carey, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Don Rickles, Robin Williams and many more. The Carson Podcast has appearances from some of the biggest names in show biz, such as Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Steven Wright, Dick Cavett, Charles Grodin, Rich Little, Richard Lewis and many more. I feel that one of Mark's best guests was Peter Lassally. He knows late night TV better than anyone else, due to his stellar resume. He worked as a producer for Johnny, David Letterman, Craig Ferguson and Tom Snyder. Before working for Johnny, Lassally worked for the mercurial Arthur Godfrey. People talk about Johnny being the king of late night, but I feel that as far as behind-the-scenes folks, the king of late night is Lassally. In his interview with Mark, Lassally was very candid about the inner workings of Johnny's show. Sometimes the podcast had mutiple guests at once, like a writer's round table or a stage manager's round table. Several stand up comics were on at once, so they could bounce ideas off of one another, as they recalled appearing with Johnny. The shows with talent coordinators, also called segment producers, were fascinating since they often had interesting anecdotes about booking celebrities and figuring out what they would do on the show. Writer Bill Carter appeared on the podcast multiple times. Few people know more about late night TV than he does since he wrote the book The Late Shift, (which became an HBO movie about Carson, Letterman and Leno), and was the TV writer for The New York Times. NBC photographers did the podcast, and even the guy who drew several of the "More to Come" bumper graphics. Irving Davis was on the podcast multiple times. He is the one who held open the rainbow curtain for Johnny before he came out for his monologue. He has a persoective on the inner workings of the show like few others. I was excited when I saw that Mark had secured Jim Mullholland as a guest. He wrote for Johnny, David Letterman and Dean Martin. Letterman producers Rob Burnett and Robert Morton were guests on the podcast. Bandleader Doc Severinsen and other band members appeared on the podcast. As a musician, that was the ultimate gig. Steady pay, no travel, and a place to practice your craft each night. Johnny's Tonight Show was big time show biz at its finest. Many of the crew members mentioned how the show operated like a well-oiled machine. We don't have time machines, and the story of Marty McFly was just fiction, but I have often thought it would be a dream to go back to the period of NBC Burbank where Johnny was doing his iconic show, and be a fly on the wall to see how it all came together. Listening to this podcast is the next best thing.

Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend

I have always admired the talent of Conan O’Brien. He is 60 years old, and from Brookline, Massachusetts. Even before his late-night show, he had a very impressive resume. Personally, he is my #3 favorite late-night host of all time, behind only Carson and Letterman. He graduated from Harvard, (like many successful television writers), studied improv comedy at The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles, wrote for The Simpsons and SNL. Conan's friend and writing collaborator from Harvard was Greg Daniels, who created the American version of The Office for NBC, Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill. Conan had no stand-up experience or hosting experience, but Lorne Michaels recruited him for the NBC Late Night show, filling the formidable shoes of David Letterman. Conan debuted as the host of that show in 1993, as Letterman went to CBS and his show which was one hour earlier. Jay Leno was given The Tonight Show after the departure of Johnny Carson in 1992. Letterman wanted that job, and decided to jump ship. Conan hosted Late Night from 1993-2009. He hosted The Tonight Show from 2009-2010. NBC wanted to hang onto Jay Leno, so they put him at 10 pm Monday-Friday. I think that affected the numbers for Conan's Tonight Show. That whole mess was a blunder by the folks at the peacock network. I felt bad for Conan since he got a raw deal. He hosted his TBS show from 2010-2021. So, Conan worked in late night TV for almost 30 years. Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years (1962-1992). Between his NBC and CBS shows, David Letterman worked in late night TV for 33 years (1982-2015). So, Conan will go down in history as one of the giants of the late night TV genre. According to celebrity net worth, Conan has accumulated $200 million. David Letterman and Jay Leno are each worth $400 million. November of 2018 was the first episode of Conan's podcast. At this point, the TBS show was transitioning from one hour to 30 minutes. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is released on Mondays, Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan is released on Thursdays. Both shows feature Conan O’Brien, Sona Movsesian (Conan’s assistant) and Matt Gourley (Podcast producer). This is available on Amazon Music, Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Sirius XM, Google Podcasts, etc. This is put out by Conan’s company, Team Coco, which produces 17 podcasts. Other than Conan’s show, the company produces podcasts by Rob Lowe, J.B. Smoove, Conan’s longtime sidekick Andy Richter, Rob Lowe, and Lea Thompson. Conan's podcast has featured interviews with some of the biggest names in show biz, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Paul Reubens, David Letterman, Dana Carvey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short, Steve Martin and many more. I have always had a fascination with the world of entertainment, especially late night TV. Thos ewho have an interest in celebrities and show biz will enjoy this podcast. Conan can be very funny of course, but he also is an excellent interviewer, and his subjects feel at ease with him, and discuss things with him that they might not discuss elsewhere. All of the best late night hosts are excellent interviewers who listen closely to their guests, and come up with thoughtful questions. Some of the best interviewers in the late night genre have included Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Conan, Tom Snyder and Dick Cavett. I would include Bob Costas in this list, due to his 30 minute show on NBC called Later. I never saw Jay Leno as a strong interviewer, but he has been very successful in the late night genre, probably due to his stand up skills and his likeability factor with people of all backgrounds. Conan’s Thursday show, Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan, is an interview with a non-celebrity, but someone who is a Conan fan. Many of them are from overseas, and they tend to have unique careers. The people from this show will appear on Conan’s new show on MAX (formerly HBO Max). The release of that show was delayed by the writer's strike. This show should be entertaining since Conan's remote pieces were always his strong point.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a Delight for Comedy Fans

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a series from Amazon Prime Video that aired from 2017-2023.This show looks at the stand-up comedy scene in New York City in the late 50s and early 60s. Embraced by critics and the public alike, the show won many Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards. The show tells the story of Miriam Maisel, a woman from an upscale New York Jewish family who tries her hand at stand-up comedy. She faces challenges of sexism and struggles to make a name for herself in a male dominated career. This show was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls). Both shows have rapid-fire dialogue. My wife is a Gilmore Girls fan and noticed that many of the actors from that show appeared in Mrs. Maisel. Both shows have quirky characters and a mix of comedy and drama. When watching this, I wondered if this was based on the life of Joan Rivers. Midge got her start at The Gaslight Café in NY (open from 1958-71, where Rivers had performed too). This was in the Greenwich Village neighborhood, known for folk music and comedy. Someone in the show played Lenny Bruce, who was a prominent and controversial comedian during this period. This character was inspirational to Maisel (and Joan Rivers). Wanda Sykes played comedian Moms Mabley. So, some characters were fictional, some based on real people. It has a Johnny Carson-like late night talk show (Gordon Ford Show). Joan Rivers was close with Johnny Carson, until their falling out when she got her own Fox late night show. The costumes and set design in this show are impressive and stylish. People who worked on the show obviously paid attention to every detail, and made it accurate to the time period. Stand out characters included- Rachel Brosnahan (Mrs. Maisel) Alex Borstein (Susie) Tony Shaloub (Abe) Kevin Pollak (Moishe) Jane Lynch (Sophie) I enjoyed this largely fictional look at comedy in New York in this period. At the same time, I’d love to see a comprehensive doc about comedy in NY in this period. The show could talk about Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Lenny Bruce, Phyllis Diller, Totie Fields, etc. A documentary could also examine the influence of Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Ed Sulllivan and others who showcased stand-up comics.Mrs. Maisel manages to be true to the look and feel of the era because Sherman-Palladino was able to draw inspiration from her father. Sherman-Palladino, who created the show with her husband Daniel Palladino, is the daughter of the late comedian Don Sherman, who died in 2012. Sherman was the head writer for Joey Bishop's show in the 1960s. *Some information from imdb and vulture.

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.