Succession

 

This is another HBO produced hit, joining shows like The Sopranos, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, Oz, The Wire, Entourage, etc. HBO has the slogan “It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” This makes sense since the quality of programs put out by HBO is impressive. TV critic David Bianculli wrote a book called “The Platinum Age of Television.” He mentioned many of the 21^st century HBO shows in his book since their productions are outstanding.

This aired from 2018-2023, with 39 episodes. The show was created by Jesse Armstrong, who wrote 16 of the episodes. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for the film “In the Loop.” 8 Primetime Emmys were won for “Succession.”

The imdb rating is 8.8, which is very high. The Godfather is 9.2, The Sopranos is 9.2, The Wire is 9.3, Breaking Bad is 9.5, Mad Men is 8.7.

The show is about the Roy family, a very wealthy family who owns the world’s largest media company. The drama arises when the elderly man who founded the company has serious health issues, and it needs to be decided who will take over the company. Brian Cox plays Logan Roy, the patriarch of the family. His kids are played by Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook. These characters have no redeeming qualities. They are spoiled brats who have zero integrity. There is a lot of backstabbing, lying and bickering in this show. You never know who is being sincere when they say something. The members of the Roy family think nothing of double crossing one another.  But, that makes it entertaining. People have drawn parallels between the Roy family and Rupert Murdoch’s (founder of Fox News) family. The show is heavily influenced by King Lear by Shakespeare.

The actors, sets and costumes are all top notch. The writing staff is incredible and the scripts are highly creative. It’s easy to get sucked into this show. It's just fascinating and so well done. 

Some information from imdb.com. 

 

Book Review: Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme and Mike Thomas

 

This Johnny Carson biography has been long awaited. It was released on election day, November 5, 2024. Bill Zehme wrote a good portion of the book, then contracted cancer. He passed away in 2023 at age 64 and his assistant, Mike Thomas, finished the book. Zehme had written books about show biz giants such as Frank Sinatra, Andy Kaufman, Hugh Hefner and Jay Leno.  I expected this book to be longer, especially since Zehme worked on it for many years. The book did a good job of covering the major events in Johnny’s life, from his time growing up in Nebraska, to his various TV shows that he hosted and touched on his retirement years. Many people have questions about Johnny’s 13 retirement years (1992-2005) after The Tonight Show ended. Apparently, he spent a lot of time on his 130 foot yacht, Serengeti. The book mentioned how Johnny and his fourth wife Alex had some challenges, but he did not want to be a guy who got divorced four times.  I would have liked Zehme to go into more detail about Johnny’s different shows, such as Carson’s Cellar, The Johnny Carson Show, Earn Your Vacation, Who Do You Trust and of course The Tonight Show. The Carson biography by his talent coordinator Craig Tennis went into more detail about the behind-the-scenes aspects that went into producing The Tonight Show. The book talked about Johnny’s challenging relationship with his mother and how that led to shape his view of women. This can be linked to the fact that he had four marriages and had problems with infidelity. His drinking got in the way of building strong relationships with women, so did the fact that he was married to his job. But that was common with many men of his generation. In his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, Johnny discussed how he did not handle alcohol well.  The book talked about his four wives, how he met them, the differences between them, and factors that led to the marriages ending. The end of Johnny’s first marriage was devastating to him, probably since they had three kids together, and she was with him through the early days of his career. Some may think that Johnny was always rich and famous, but he was not. He had to pay his dues like anyone else. He had shows that were not successful. I wish the book would have talked more about people like Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, Fred de Cordova, Peter Lassally, etc. This book did not delve into the psychological analysis of Johnny to the degree that other books did, especially the book by his lawyer Henry Bushkin. The book had some email quotes from Johnny’s son which I don’t think we have seen before. It's not a revelation that Johnny was not a great father or husband, but his son realizes that he did the best he could under the circumstances.  It would be nice to get a definitive biography of Johnny that went into extensive detail about every aspect of his life, but it remains to be seen whether that will happen.

There have been many biographies of Johnny Carson over the years. Some others that I’d recommend include:

Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin

King of the Night by Laurence Leamer

And Now…Here’s Johnny! By Nora Ephron

Johnny Tonight by Craig Tennis

Carson: The Unauthorized Biography by Paul Corkery

So, there are many ways to learn about the fascinating life of a supremely talented but complicated man who many view as the undisputed king of late-night TV.

People who crave a deep dive into the life of Johnny Carson and his Tonight Show should check out Mark Malkoff’s Carson Podcast. This podcast was produced from 2014-2022 and totaled almost 400 episodes. Many prominent celebrities were interviewed who appeared on Johnny’s show. In addition, several people who were crew members on Johnny’s show discuss what it was like behind-the-scenes on such an iconic program.

 

 

HBO's The Newsroom Was Another Hit for Aaron Sorkin

 

The Newsroom aired from 2012-2014 on HBO, 25 episodes (all are now on MAX).

The creator/primary writer was Aaron Sorkin (Syracuse University, Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater).

Writer of…The West Wing, A Few Good Men, Moneyball, The Social Network, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The American President, etc. He also adapted “To Kill a Mockingbird” into a stage production where Jeff Daniels played the lead role of Atticus Finch.

He’s known for writing rapid fire dialogue, and “walk and talk” scenes that feature tracking shots that lead characters down a hallway as they converse.

He has had challenges in his personal life. He was a chain smoker but quit after having a stroke. He has battled substance abuse issues.

He has won one Oscar (The Social Network), three Golden Globes and six primetime Emmys.  He has been nominated 174 times for various awards and has had 104 wins.

The Newsroom starred Jeff Daniels who played Will McAvoy, a cable news anchor in New York. Other stars included Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr, Allison Pill, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Sam Waterston, Marcia Gay Harden and Jane Fonda.

This show did a fantastic job of demonstrating the intensity, manic energy and pressure-cooker atmosphere that comes with working in TV news. In news coverage, there is the balance between being first and being right. Multiple sources must be confirmed before putting a story on the air. This show was excellent since it was a time capsule of the period in which it took place. Real stories were covered in this show, such as the BP oil spill, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the explosion at the Boston Marathon. The character development is excellent, and I wish there would have been more episodes.

Jeff Daniels won a leading actor Emmy Award for his role in 2014.

The lobby and exterior shots depicting ACN (Atlantis Cable News), the fictional cable network, are New York’s Bank of America tower.

The interiors were shot at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.

Sorkin learned about the world of cable TV news by observing Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN newsrooms first-hand as a fly on the wall.

The role of Mackenzie McHale (the new executive producer) was offered to Marisa Tomei but the negotiations fell through.

Jane Fonda had a memorable role as Leona Lansing, the CEO of the media conglomerate that owns the ACN cable channel. This is not unlike her third husband, CNN Chairman Ted Turner.

Surprisingly, the reviews for season one were mixed. Seasons two and three received better critical acclaim.

“Newsroom” stars Jeff Daniels and Sam Waterston starred together in the TV mini-series “Godless”.

The show aired on the Canadian, European and Indian versions of HBO, as well as on other networks around the world.

The show has an imdb rating of 8.6 out of 10. That is very high. For comparison, The Godfather is 9.2, Schindler’s List is 9.0 and Seinfeld is 8.9. The West Wing, another Sorkin creation, is 8.9.

*Some information from imdb.com and Wikipedia.

     

Everybody’s in L.A. with John Mulaney Was Unusual Yet Refreshing

 

This was a different type of show that aired live via Netflix for six consecutive nights in May of 2024. It had the feel of a late-night show, even though it was on at 7:00 pm pacific/10:00 pm eastern time. The host was comedian John Mulaney (SNL writer from 2008-2022, and voice actor on animated show “Big Mouth”). The announcer/sidekick was comedic actor Richard Kind (best known for Mad About You and various animated projects). I did not like this show at first, but it grew on me. This was a show that took chances and did something different. We don’t see that enough on today’s TV shows. The title refers to the fact that the week it aired was the week of the “Netflix is a Joke” comedy festival. Therefore, at that point it seemed like everyone, especially in the world of comedy, was in L.A. at the same time. The theme song was “To Live and Die in L.A.” by the group Wang Chung (1985). That song has probably seen a resurgence in popularity since this program aired. It was a mix of serious topics with comedians chiming in with their thoughts too. Each show had a serious topic that is of interest to those in L.A., such as earthquakes, coyotes, palm trees or the future of Los Angeles. Each show featured a highly educated expert on the topic, joined by funny people who provided comic relief. Comedians that appeared on the show included: David Letterman (note: Mulaney appeared on Letterman’s Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction”), Nikki Glaser, Bill Hader, Cedric the Entertainer, George Wallace, Sarah Silverman and more. Musical guests appeared on the show such as: Los Lobos, Weezer, Beck and St. Vincent. The shows had remote segments where they would check in on what was going on in the L.A. area with everyday residents. A taped segment had several comedians looking at a home for sale in Los Angeles and making humorous observations. The show felt disjointed at times, but that is the nature of live shows, which can be refreshing. Sometimes it felt like the host and guests were flying by the seat of their pants. With a live show, they were able to take phone calls, which was a nice touch. One segment had them sending two people in limos on a hunt around L.A. looking for Red Hot Chili Peppers member “Flea.” I was looking at Reddit comments regarding this show and someone said this… “Netflix, don’t let John leave the building without giving him a weekly talk show.” Mulaney would make a great late night talk show host, with his quirky sense of humor. His show was a bit like Conan’s in the NBC days, with that crazy, unpredictable vibe. Someone on Reddit commented that he needs to be the new Daily Show host. He did well with the interviews too, considering many people were on the set at the same time. One of the “stars” of the show was Saymo, a delivery robot, which is apparently a common sight around L.A. It would randomly appear, and people would open its lid to reveal drinks. An article said that the set for this show was patterned after Johnny Carson’s Malibu home. USA Today called the show “So weird, but also wonderful.” The review said…” It does not make sense. It does not follow regular formats. It is so strange. And yet it is also pretty funny.” Who knows what the numbers were for this show, but hopefully we will see more.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction

 

When Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show in 1992, people wondered what his next project would be. Besides brief appearances with David Letterman, a Kennedy Center Honors Award and a Bob Hope special, he disappeared. Johnny passed away 13 years later, in 2005. When David Letterman retired from his CBS Late Show in 2015, people thought that Letterman would pull the same disappearing act as his idol, Carson. Thankfully, that did not happen, and David Letterman has kept active with various projects. He is still a co-owner of the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Indy racing team. Since growing up in Indianapolis, he has been a die-hard auto racing fan. He appeared at the “Netflix is a Joke” Comedy Festival in Los Angeles. He makes regular appearances on his official You Tube page, being interviewed by longtime producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. Plus, he has released several seasons of his Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Since 2018, Letterman has released 5 seasons and 28 episodes. The tagline for the show is “His beard is big. His guests are bigger.” The show has been nominated for a primetime Emmy five times. Its theme song was written and performed by Letterman’s longtime band leader, Paul Shaffer.  This show demonstrates Letterman’s top notch interviewing skills. Even if the viewer is not interested in a specific guest, Letterman makes it fascinating.

His two most recent guests were Miley Cyrus and Charles Barkley. At age 77, David Letterman is no spring chicken. People have suggested that he return to daily TV, or even have a weekly show, perhaps filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, who looks up to Dave like Letterman looked up to Carson. At his stage in life, Dave probably wants a show like he has on Netflix, where he can call the shots and decide how busy he will be. No doubt, he does not need the money. His net worth is a staggering $400 million.

The show is refreshing since Letterman interviews people of all ages and disciplines. It would be easy for him to stick with people only from his age group and talk with nothing but comedians. But he has talked with people much younger than himself who would appeal to a youthful demographic. Examples include: Lizzo, Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Billie Eilish. That is not to say that he has not interviewed more “seasoned” guests, such as: George Clooney, Howard Stern, Robert Downey Jr, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld. In 2018, Letterman interviewed President Barack Obama for this program. That was his first interview since leaving the White House.

His interview with Miley Cyrus had Dave talking with Miley’s mother and sitting with her as Cyrus performed at the legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles.

When he talked with NBA great Charles Barkley, Dave joined him on the golf course and Charles showed Dave around the TBS studios where he acts as an NBA analyst. Letterman joined Barkley and his cohorts on TBS to discuss the current state of the NBA. Dave talked with Barkley’s co-hosts on the NBA show, including Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s refreshing since the show is not just Letterman sitting in a studio interviewing a guest for an hour, although he could make that interesting. Each show is partially in studio and partially on location. It is nice to see Letterman in a long form interview format where he does not need to break for commercials every few minutes like he did with his shows on CBS and NBC.

In 2022, Letterman did another project for Netflix, called “That’s My Time with David Letterman.” This show consisted of six episodes, recorded at the “Netflix is a Joke” comedy festival in Los Angeles. Each episode featured a comedian doing a stand-up set with Letterman briefly interviewing them afterwards. In 2023, Disney Plus released a show called “Bono and the Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman.” This show had Letterman interviewing the duo from then legendary band U2 in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Bono and The Edge performed some of their iconic songs, reimagined.

Without a doubt, Letterman will be remembered as one of the icons of late-night television, like his idol, Johnny Carson. 

*Some information from Wikipedia and imdb. 

A Transitional Season for SNL: 1984-85

Next year, Saturday Night Live marks 50 years on the air. It’s been a springboard for many funny people over the years, such as Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, David Spade, Will Ferrell, Molly Shannon, Jan Hooks, and many more. It’s an American institution that has stood the test of time. I really enjoyed the 10th season, which was 1984-85. I was in high school at that point and found many other fans of SNL in my classes. This season started on October 6, 1984 and ended on April 13, 1985. A writers’ strike and budget constraints caused it to be an abbreviated season. At this point, Dick Ebersol was in his final season as showrunner. Lorne Michaels took a 5-year break from 1980 to 1985. The cast for 1984-85 included: Martin Short, Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer, Rich Hall, Jim Belushi, Mary Gross, Gary Kroeger, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pamela Stephenson and Christopher Guest. The opening credit sequence was created by the same person who made the video for “You Might Think” by The Cars. It depicted the cast members as giants among New York City landmarks. The previous season saw the departure of Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Robin Duke, Brad Hall (husband of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Tim Kazurinsky. Christoper Guest became the host of Saturday Night News.

Harry Shearer left mid-season, in January of 1985, due to creative differences. He did not enjoy the experience and atmosphere of working on SNL. He was the co-creator, co-writer and co-star of the 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. He has provided many voices for The Simpsons, which has been on Fox since 1989. 

Martin Short joined the cast of SCTV later in its run, 1982-83, where he was known for characters like Ed Grimley, defense attorney Nathan Thurm, and songwriter Irving Cohen. His Ed Grimley character had a shock of hair sticking up like Alfalfa from The Little Rascals. His catchphrase was “I must say.” Ed was obsessed with Wheel of Fortune and its host Pat Sajak. Nathan Thurm was a paranoid lawyer who would appear in a 60 Minutes parody on SNL. In that skit, Christopher Guest played the novelty toymaker, Herb Minkman. Irving Cohen was a very old songwriter, and his catchphrase was “Give me a C, a bouncy C.” He would reminisce about the old days of Vaudeville. Jackie Rogers Junior was an odd albino performer who was in a memorable SNL skit where he was a game show host. It was called “Jackie Rogers Junior’s $100,000 Jackpot Wad.” In his autobiography, “I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend,” Short said that he preferred SCTV over SNL, since the former was taped, not live. He liked being able to perfect a sketch and try it many times, but this was not possible on SNL. He was hesitant to join the SNL cast but said yes after hearing that the show had hired Crystal, Shearer and Guest. Those four signed one-year only contracts. 40 years later, Short is still going, after a career with a wide variety of TV and movie projects. He appeared in the films Three Amigos, Father of the Bride, Innerspace, Captain Ron and Mars Attacks. He played the clueless celebrity interviewer Jiminy Glick on Comedy Central from 2001-03 on the show Primetime Glick. In 2016 he had an NBC variety show with SNL alum Maya Rudolph called Maya and Marty. He currently stars in a Hulu series called “Only Murders in the Building” with Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. Martin Short and Steve Martin have a very funny live stage show that has toured the country. For 50 years, Short has been friends with musician and fellow Canadian Paul Shaffer, who was part of the SNL band before he worked as David Letterman’s bandleader. A memorable skit from the 10th season had Short and Harry Shearer playing dim witted synchronized swimmers. The skit was directed by fellow cast member Christopher Guest. Short is 74 years old but still in demand. All this week he is the guest host on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. 

Billy Crystal had appeared in the sitcom “Soap” (1977-81), but SNL allowed him to appear on a sketch show. His character Fernando, had the catch phrase “You look marvelous.” He would also say “It is better to look good than to feel good.” He was based on the actor Fernando Lamas. He did a segment called Fernando’s Hideaway where he would interview celebrities. Episode 15 had him interviewing Mr. T and Hulk Hogan. Fernando became so popular that he had his own song and music video, “You Look Marvelous.” On SNL, Crystal portrayed New York City talk show host Joe Franklin. People outside the New York area probably did not realize that Franklin was a real talk show host, and Crystal was doing a spoof. One Joe Franklin skit had Martin Short playing magician Doug Henning, and one had Short playing singer Jackie Rogers Jr. 

The writers acknowledged that they did not utilize Julia Louis-Dreyfus as much as they should. It didn’t hurt her career since she went on to have success with Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep. 

Jim Belushi had the goal of establishing himself as a funny sketch player, but it must have been rough to be in the shadow of his late brother, John Belushi, an SNL legend. Jim starred in the sitcom According to Jim from 2001-2009. 

Rich Hall was a writer-performer on David Letterman’s morning show in 1980. He appeared on the late-night show Fridays from 1980-82. He is the only person to have been a cast member of both Fridays and SNL. He currently splits time between Montana and London. He has become better known overseas than in America. 

After leaving SNL, Christopher Guest became known for his mockumentary films such as Spinal Tap, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind and more. In SNL, Guest and Crystal played co-workers Willie and Frankie who describe painful situations they bring on themselves. Their catchphrase was “I hate it when that happens.” Guest played a Spanish ventriloquist who appeared in the Joe Franklin Show spoof. 

Mary Gross is the sister of Michael Gross, who played Steven Keaton in Family Ties. On SNL she played Alfalfa from The Little Rascals, and did many impressions, such as Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Pee-Wee Herman and Mary Tyler Moore. 

Pamela Stephenson was born in New Zealand. A Rolling Stone writer called her “A bright spot in a weak season.” She has a doctorate in psychology and has been married to comic Billy Connolly since 1989. 

On SNL, Gary Kroeger impersonated Walter Mondale. He played Donny Osmond in a sketch where Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Marie Osmond. After leaving SNL he appeared in various TV shows and has relocated to his hometown in Iowa. He writes a column for a newspaper and has owned a restaurant. He has appeared in community theater productions.

The musical guests for this season included: The Thompson Twins, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Kinks, Billy Squier, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, The Commodores and more.

I still look back fondly on season 10 and it was my introduction to the comedy of Martin Short. He is my favorite comedic actor. 

 *Some information from imdb and wikipedia.

ABC's Modern Family Has Been a 21st Century Hit

I have always been a fan of situation comedy TV shows. I think the golden age of sitcoms was in the 1980s when NBC had their “Must See TV” lineup. On Thursday nights this included: The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court. For the last several years, sitcoms have become rare for the major broadcast networks. Much of prime time is occupied by reality shows like Survivor, Big Brother or The Amazing Race, and the hour-long crime dramas such as CSI, FBI or NCIS. The reality shows are cheaper to produce since the only star to pay big bucks is the host. The crime dramas seem to follow a specific template and they lack creativity in my opinion. Some of the best sitcoms through the years have included: Seinfeld, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Jeffersons, All in the Family, MASH, Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Recently CBS aired the final episode of Young Sheldon, which I thought was well done. That was a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory. So many spin-offs are a disappointment when compared to the original show, but I enjoyed Young Sheldon more than The Big Bang Theory. The E! network airs Modern Family each weeknight, and I feel that it was an excellent show, with a top notch cast and creative storylines. The show has been credited for reviving the sitcom format for the 21st century. This show aired on ABC for an impressive 250 episodes, from 2009 to 2020. The main structure of the show was based around three couples and their adventures. The three couples are diverse, representing a nuclear family, a blended family and a same-sex family. Ed O’Neill and Sofia Vergara played Jay Pritchett and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. Jay is much older than Gloria, who is from Columbia. Jay owns a company that makes blinds and organizes closets. Jay’s kids are Claire and Mitchell, other key characters in the show. O’Neill is best known for his role as Al Bundy in the Fox sitcom “Married with Children” (1987-1997). Craig T. Nelson (“Coach” and “Young Sheldon”) turned down the role of Jay Pritchett. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell played Claire and Phil Dunphy. Julie Bowen appeared in 83 episodes of the sitcom “Ed” from 2000 to 2004. Claire works for her father’s company and Phil sells real estate. Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet play Mitchell Pritchett and Cameron Tucker. They adopted a baby from Vietnam. Mitchell is a lawyer and Cameron sometimes works as a substitute teacher. Primary kids in the show were Rico Rodriguez as Manny Delgado, Sarah Hyland as Haley Dunphy, Nolan Gould as Luke Dunphy, Ariel Winter as Alex Dunphy and Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily Tucker-Pritchett. Anderson-Emmons won a Screen Actors Guild Award at age 4 in 2011. That made her the youngest winner of that award. On imdb, even Stella the dog, a French Bulldog, gets a credit. Her name is Beatrice and she was in 46 episodes. The co-creator of this show was Steven Levitan. He created the show “Just Shoot Me” (1997-2003). He directed several of the “Modern Family” episodes. The other creator was Christopher Lloyd who was show runner/writer for “Frasier.” The 6 main cast members appeared in all 250 episodes, which is unusual for a show with an ensemble cast. This show has won 22 Emmy Awards over its 11 seasons. Ed O’Neill knew the show would be a winner from the beginning. He felt it would be on for 10 seasons after reading the first script. At first, he was hesitant about signing on to do the show. Creators Levitan and Lloyd set out to create a relationship-driven and heart-warming show so that families could watch together. The show had some similarities to “Cheers” and “Frasier” since it would make viewers laugh and cry. The cast was allowed to improvise to a degree. The casting director saw over 1400 actors for the 10 main characters. The show was designed to be enjoyed by the whole family, so the writers wanted to avoid any racy storylines. Often times, someone in the show will break the fourth wall and look into the camera. Recurring characters were played by Fred Willard, Nathan Lane, Adam DeVine, Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion. “Modern Family” is a mockumentary type of show, similar to “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” CBS and NBC turned down the show. The show’s average number of viewers ranged from 6 million to almost 13 million. In the 2010-11 season, “Modern Family” was the #1 scripted show in the 18-49 demographic. From the first season, the show received critical acclaim from Rotten Tomatoes, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Metacritic and others. The series has been successful in syndication in America, plus in other countries, including The United Kingdom, South Africa, Sweden, Israel, India and Canada. *Some information from imdb and Wikipedia.

The Midnight Special

This show was taped at NBC Burbank, down the hall from Johnny Carson. The executive producer was Burt Sugarman. Producers were Dick Ebersol and Stan Harris. It aired as a special in 1972 and started its weekly run in 1973. 90 minutes, 1:00 am to 2:30 am, Friday nights. At that point, stations would sign off after 1 am. Sugarman wanted to attract the 18-33 age bracket audience. There was another reason to have programming after 1:00 am. As of 1971, tobacco ads on network TV were prohibited, so that led to lost revenue that the networks wanted to earn back. Once the time slot became popular, NBC added Tomorrow with Tom Snyder to air Monday through Thursday from 1:00 am to 2:30 am. Wolfman Jack was the announcer and he hosted from 1973-81 for 109 episodes. There was a different guest host each week. The show featured performances by some of the biggest popular music acts of the day. They were taped in front of a live audience. The performers sang live, with no lip-syncing. In 1981 when the show was cancelled, it was replaced by the sketch comedy show SCTV. In 1983, in the dawn of the MTV era, the time slot was taken over by Friday Night Videos. Performers on the show included: Electric Light Orchestra (seven appearances, more than any other band), David Bowie, Tina Turner, The Bee Gees, Paul McCartney, Blondie, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Chuck Berry, BB King, Earth, Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers, Supertramp, Prince and many more. Comics that appeared included: Steve Martin, David Brenner, Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, George Burns, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Richard Belzer, Joan Rivers, Jonathan Winters and more. This show was created by Burt Sugarman, who was a friend of Johnny Carson. In the 6/4/24 episode of Mark Malkoff’s “Inside Late Night” podcast, Sugarman talks about how Johnny promoted the show since he knew it would attract younger viewers to his show. Sugarman and Carson would play tennis together. From 1975 to 1980, Sugarman was married to Carol Wayne, who worked with Johnny Carson as his “Tea Time Lady” in the Art Fern sketches. Since 1989 he has been married to Mary Hart, host of Entertainment Tonight from 1981 to 2011. The You Tube page for this show has lots of fascinating videos. The quality of the performances was top notch, especially for fans of that era’s music. *Some information from imdb and Wikipedia.

Book review: “Johnny Came Lately” by Fred deCordova, 1989

From 1970 until Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show went off the air in 1992, his executive producer was Fred deCordova (1910-2001). Before working for Johnny, Fred already had built an impressive resume in Broadway, TV and film. He worked with stars such as Jack Benny, Fred MacMurray, George Burns, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and many more. He earned a law degree from Harvard. He directed 108 episodes of My Three Sons. Johnny never let him forget that he directed a film called Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) which starred Ronald Reagan and a chimpanzee. Fred talked about what he called “The Five Musketeers.” This included himself, Johnny, Ed, Doc and director Bobby Quinn. He had a chapter on the Joan Rivers controversy when Joan got a Fox late night show to go against Johnny. This caused a rift and Johnny never talked to Joan for the rest of his life. Fred’s book talked about the many guest hosts who filled in for Johnny over the years. Some were great, some, not so much. Fred mentioned the stars that they would love to have on the show, but their response is always…thanks, but no thanks. Those include: Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Meryl Streep and others. I enjoyed the first half of Fred’s book more than the second half. The first half was largely focused on the day-to-day activities involved in planning The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He detailed in-depth information about his schedule planning the show which involved many meetings. Fred said that every day he had lunch at the NBC commissary, known as The Hungry Peacock, with assistant producer, Peter Lassally. He discussed the roles of the segment producers and writers, who are key to the success of the show. The segment producers/talent coordinators find the appropriate guests and interview them to determine what they need to discuss on the show. Certain writers would provide jokes for the monologue, and others provided material for the comedy bits that Johnny did after the first commercial break. If you listen to Tonight Show producer Peter Lassally’s Carson Podcast, he said that he did most of the work and Fred largely was a figurehead who chatted with the guests. True or not, Fred was involved in many meetings and behind-the-scenes details of putting the show together. He also stood just off camera to give Johnny time cues. During the breaks he would talk to Johnny about any issues with the show. He was an advisor on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show after Johnny retired. Fred even played a producer of a late-night show (what a stretch) in Martin Scorsese’s film The King of Comedy (1982). Ironically, Scorsese wanted Johnny for the main role, a late-night talk show host, but he said no and the role went to Jerry Lewis. Fred played himself on HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show in 1995 and 1998. The fictional late-night show profiled on The Larry Sanders Show seemed to be patterned after Johnny’s show. The second half of the book was the autobiography section, where Fred discussed his work in show business. Different people will find different things interesting. Some may not want to read about every detail of what went into planning Johnny’s show. I found that to be endlessly fascinating. But in the second half of the book, I did not find it interesting to hear some of Fred’s “Old Hollywood” stories about the likes of Ronald Coleman, David Selznick, Sam Goldwyn, Jack Warner, Sam Spiegel, Harry Richman, Tallulah Bankhead and the like. But those people all played important roles in the life of Fred, and an autobiography will discuss prominent people. It’s just that for someone my age, those people were way before my time. No book is 100% perfect, and for those who are hardcore fans of Johnny and his show, this book is recommended, especially the first half. Another great book about the details of putting together Johnny’s show is “Johnny Tonight” by Craig Tennis. The author had the inside scoop since he worked on Johnny’s show for several years as a segment producer.

Looking Back on Laugh-In

My dad was a big influence on me when it came to television. He was a big fan of wacky TV comedy shows. Some of his favorites were Hee Haw, The Muppet Show, The Red Green Show, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, and the show I will write about today, Laugh-In. When something made my dad laugh, it got my attention. He was also the person who got me interested in Johnny Carson. Laugh-In had something in common with Johnny Carson’s show. They were both taped at the NBC Burbank facility. The Laugh-In announcer, Gary Owens, would say the show originated from “Beautiful downtown Burbank.” The full name of the show was Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. It was hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. The show aired from 1968-73, a tumultuous time for America, with lots of political strife due to the highly controversial Vietnam war. It was a time when people needed some levity to forget the issues of the day. Even President Richard Nixon had a cameo on the show where he uttered the catch phrase “Sock it to me.” He appeared on the show while running for office in 1968. His competitor, Hubert Humphrey, declined appearing on the show and later regretted that decision. The show was a big break for sketch comedy performers such as: Arte Johnson, JoAnne Worley, Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Ruth Buzzi, Henry Gibson, Dave Madden, Richard Dawson and more. During its entire run, due to high turnover, only four cast members stayed with the show, including Rowan, Martin, Gary Owens and Ruth Buzzi. It was known for its rapid fire pace, with quick cuts from one comedic gag to another. Editing the show was time consuming and tedious. The show won 7 Primetime Emmy Awards. As far as all awards, it won 11 and was nominated for 34. In 1969, one of the writers included Lorne Michaels. One has to wonder if he was influenced by Laugh-In to launch Saturday Night Live in 1975. Due to the popularity of the show, Laugh-In attracted many big name guest stars, including: John Wayne, Tiny Tim, Jack Benny, Sammy Davis Jr. (his catchphrase was “Here comes the judge”), Henny Youngman, Phyllis Diller, Rich Little, Tim Conway, Dinah Shore, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles and more. Late night TV icons like Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett and Steve Allen appeared on the show. A 1977 revival of the show was shot but was not renewed after one season. One of the stars was Robin Williams. This was just before he starred in Mork and Mindy (1978). 1969 was the first year of Hee Haw, which became a country version of Laugh-In, with wacky sketches and recurring characters. 1974’s The Muppet Show had some similarities to Laugh-In, with the structure of some of its jokes and skits. The 1968 Pontiac GTO muscle car was nicknamed “The Judge.” The ads used the phrase from Laugh In “Here comes the judge.” It is ranked #42 on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows of all Time. A staple of the show was the “joke wall” where cast members would stick their heads through holes in the multi-colored wall and recite quick jokes. Arte Johnson’s catchphrase, as Wolfgang the German soldier, was “Verrrry interesting!” Lily Tomlin’s telephone operator Ernestine was known for saying “One ringy dingy…two ringy dingy.” Also, “A gracious afternoon…is this the party to whom I am speaking?” The first season provided music videos by groups such as The Bee Gees, The Temptations, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Strawberry Alarm Clock. The phrase “Sock it to me” was popular on Laugh-In, but had also been used in the 1967 song by Aretha Frankin called “Respect.” A chain of Laugh-In restaurants opened in 1968-69, but all were closed by the mid-1970s. In its second and third seasons, 1967-68 and 1968-69, Laugh-In was the #1 show on TV. For the 1968-69 season, 31.8 million people watched the show.

My Favorite Current Artists

I love art museums and classic art, but I wanted to showcase some of the top notch current artists. I tend to like art that is colorful, with a sense of whimsy and energy.

Josh Agle, also known as Shag, based in Palm Springs, California. His work often has a 1960s vibe, with tiki bars and groovy people drinking cocktails.

Melvin McGee, whimsical surrealistic style oil painter. His work caught my eye at a local art festival.

Rob Gonsalves, 1959-2017, was a Canadian painter of magic realism. I first noticed his distinctive work at the Saper Art Gallery in East Lansing, Michigan.

Romero Britto, Brazilian artist whose work portrays a vibrant, celebration of life. His work has been on display in over 120 countries. As an artist, he says that he has a role as an agent of positive change.

Alec Monopoly, born in 1986 and originally from New York City. He hides his identity and paints the Monopoly man from the board game.

Top Notch Comedy Writers Come from the Harvard Lampoon

Everyone knows that getting into Harvard is very challenging. They only accept the cream of the crop, academically. The average high school grade point average to get into Harvard is a 4.0. Most students take AP or IB classes that make their g.p.a. above 4.0. Many people would not associate super academic people with people who are incredibly funny, but at Harvard, the humorous students write for The Harvard Lampoon. Members must demonstrate that they are funny on paper, by submitting six pieces of humor writing. These are evaluated by the Lampoon members, including the president of the organization. Founded in 1876 by seven Harvard undergraduates, The Harvard Lampoon is one of the world’s longest-running continuously-published humor magazines. The Lampoon publishes five issues annually and occasionally parodies other magazines (People, Time, Mademoiselle, Playboy, National Geographic, and many more) or the day’s popular literature (Bored of the Rings, The Hunger Pains, Nightlight, Lame of Thrones). The publication’s circulation is 30,000. It’s inside a castle-like building (pictured above) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a few blocks from Harvard Square. You have probably heard of The National Lampoon, which once had a magazine and was behind films such as Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Animal House, and others. The National Lampoon was founded by Harvard Lampoon members in 1970. But, everyone associated with National Lampoon was not a Harvard Lampoon member. The Lampoon name was licensed to National Lampoon and that provides much of the revenue for the Harvard Lampoon. The National Lampoon Radio Hour included Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer. 1973 was the launch of a stage show called National Lampoon; Lemmings which was a launching pad for Chase, Guest and John Belushi. This was a precursor to Saturday Night Live. Alumni of the Harvard Lampoon include: business tycoon and newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, authors George Plimpton and John Updike, MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell, and actor Fred Gwynne. Many of the top comedy writers in late night TV and sitcoms are Lampoon alumni such as: Conan O’Brien (SNL, The Simpsons, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Conan), Greg Daniels (The Office, SNL, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Parks and Recreation), Colin Jost (SNL), Jeff Martin (The Simpsons, David Letterman), Jim Downey (SNL, David Letterman), BJ Novak (The Office), Mike Reiss (The Simpsons, The Critic, Johnny Carson), Steve Young (David Letterman), Bill Oakley (The Simpsons), Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons), Robert Carlock (SNL, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Dana Carvey Show, 30 Rock), Al Jean (The Simpsons, The Critic, Johnny Carson), Jon Vitti (The Simpsons, The Critic, King of the Hill, The Office), Steve O’Donnell (David Letterman, The Simpsons, Seinfeld), Al Jean (The Simpsons, Johnny Carson, ALF, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show), Jon Beckerman (David Letterman, Ed), David X. Cohen (Beavis and Butthead, The Simpsons, Futurama), Andy Borowitz (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Facts of Life, Square Pegs), George Meyer (David Letterman, The Simpsons), Eric Kaplan (David Letterman, The Simpsons, Futurama, The Big Bang Theory, Malcolm in the Middle), Ethan Cohen (Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, American Dad). An old copy of the Lampoon was shown in the season four finale of NewsRadio. It was called a "nefarious scandal sheet." Honorary members include: John Cleese, Bill Cosby, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno, Adam Sandler, Tracey Ullman, Robin Williams and more. It's incredible to think about how many Lampoon writers worked on very funny, popular shows, especially The Simpsons, SNL and David Letterman.