"Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!" is a Fascinating HBO MAX Documentary

 Mel Brooks was born in 1926, so he turns 100 years old this year. This HBO MAX documentary does a thorough, excellent job of detailing his iconic life in comedy. Director Judd Apatow interviews Brooks, but also has many clips from Mel on talk shows hosted by Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, Tom Snyder and more. Mel was an entertainer in the Catskills resorts of upstate New York in the 1940s after serving in the US military during World War II. From 1950-54, he was a writer for "Your Show of Shows," which was one of the earliest comedy shows in infancy of the television medium. Here he formed important relationships with Carl Reiner and Sid Caesar. Brooks and Reiner are known for their comedy bit, "The 2000 Year Old Man." Reiner played the straight man. In 1962, Mel was one of the guests on the first episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."  The documentary goes through his impressive resume as a writer-director on such films as: "The Producers" (1967), "The Twelve Chairs" (1970), "Blazing Saddles" (1974), "Young Frankenstein" (1974), "Silent Movie" (1976), "High Anxiety" (1977), "History of the World Part I" (1981), "Spaceballs" (1987), "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993), and others. From 1965-70, he wrote the TV show "Get Smart" which he created with Buck Henry. In 1967, "The Graduate" was released, written by Buck Henry and starring the woman who would become Mel's wife, Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson). Mel Brooks is one of few celebrities who can say he is an EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony). He won the Tony for his 2001 stage production of "The Producers." The documentary talks about how hard it was for Mel to lose his wife Anne Bancroft and friend Carl Reiner. Anne passed in 2005 and Carl passed in 2020. Mel and Carl had a tradition of watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy together in Carl's home, eating dinner off  TV trays. After Reiner's death, the chairs and TV trays were put on display at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York. At age 99, Mel still had projects in the works. "Spaceballs 2" and "Very Young Frankenstein" are in post production. 

*Some information from imdb and wikipedia. 

Danny McBride is Building an Empire

 

Danny McBride is the writer, creator, actor and producer of the following three MAX shows.

Eastbound and Down, 2009-2013, where he played a major league/minor league baseball player and also worked as a commentator on a sports TV show. Will Ferrell appeared in this show as a car dealership owner patterned after wrestler Ric Flair.

Vice Principals, 2016-2017, where he played a high school vice principal. He directed 2 episodes of this show. He said that this show was an homage to the high school teen comedies of the 1980s, like the Molly Ringwald films. Instead of it looking at the challenges and anxiety of being a high school student, it looked at how the high school teachers have many of the same issues. There was an episode where people were climbing through heating vents to get to the other side of the school in order to evade the principal. That was a shout out to a similar scene in The Breakfast Club. 

The Righteous Gemstones, 2019-2023, (on March 9, 2025, the final season kicked off on MAX). He plays a minister in a family of wealthy ministers that runs a mega church. These "religious" people need to practice what they preach. John Goodman plays his father in this show, and the head minister. Adam Devine plays his brother, and Edi Patterson is his sister. McBride directed 4 episodes of this show.

In each show he plays a vulgar, drug abusing buffoon with a distinctive haircut. His characters lack a moral compass.

Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones both co-starred Walton Goggins and Edi Patterson.

McBride’s shows stand out since they have talented, funny actors, character development and creative writers that come up with excellent storylines that hold your attention.

Here are some movies that McBride has appeared in…

Hot Rod, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, Sausage Party, Up in the Air, The Angry Birds Movie. He’s appeared in movies since 2003.

He did a voice in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

Here are some quotes from McBride…

          

In my school, people liked the gym teachers because they were the football or soccer coaches. But look, if they're cool, they get respect.

I've always had the hair of Lionel Ritchie since I was a boy, but the mullet sadly is a hairpiece. My wife won't let me rock that hairstyle.

I'll still try to nail acting jobs, but with 'Eastbound,' creating it is what gives me the ultimate pleasure at the end of the day.

I usually choose movies that I would want to see. I appreciate drama and if the right script came across my desk, drama you will see.

I made movies all the time when I was a kid.

I had a classic gym teacher in junior high who wore a weightlifter's belt all the time.

        

Information from imdb.com.

  

Worldwide Pants

 

For David Letterman’s morning show (1980), that was produced by a company called Space Age Meats. (Letterman always seemed to have a meat obsession). On his CBS Late Show he did a segment called “Know Your Cuts of Meat.” Space Age Meats is also credited with producing Letterman’s NBC show Late Night with David Letterman from 1982-1990. This was produced in partnership with NBC and Carson Productions. Founded in 1991, Worldwide Pants was responsible for co-producing the final two years of Letterman’s Late-Night show (1991-1993) along with NBC and Carson Productions.
Letterman’s 1993 contract had some things in common with Johnny Carson’s 1980 contract. Carson Productions gave Johnny ownership of his show and projects made by the company (Amen and The Big Chill being two examples). With ownership of his Late Show and other programs, Letterman had many projects to contribute to building his wealth. Other than Late Show with David Letterman, the most successful Worldwide Pants show was Everybody Loves Raymond, starring Ray Romano (1996-2005). Letterman had Romano on his Late Show and wanted to base a sitcom around his life. This was co-produced with HBO Independent Productions and creator/executive producer Phil Rosenthal’s company, Where’s Lunch. The company tried to produce two programs with Bonnie Hunt, The Building (1993) and Bonnie (2015). Both were short lived. Worldwide Pants produced The Late Late Show which had different hosts, including Tom Snyder (1995-1999), Craig Kilborn (1999-2004) and Craig Ferguson (2005-2014). The program Ed was produced from 2000-2004 and aired on NBC. HBO shows produced by Letterman’s company include The High Life (1996) and Foo Fighters Sonic Highways (2014). Netflix shows include The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (2018-present) and That’s My Time with David Letterman (2022). That’s my Time was a great showcase for young up-and-coming comics. Three shows were produced for PBS in conjunction with Sesame Workshop. The Knights of Prosperity was produced for ABC in 2007. In 2024, TBS aired a Worldwide Pants show called Stupid Pet Tricks, a program that was based on a Letterman staple from his Late Night and Late Show. It was hosted by Sarah Silverman.
Other crazy names for Letterman production companies over the years included: Cardboard Shoe Productions, United States Chemical Cheese Productions and Recreational Poultry Productions.

*Some information from Wikipedia and latenighter.com. 

Saturday Night Live Season 11, A Turbulent Period

This was a challenging season for the franchise to say the least. It marked the return of executive producer Lorne Michaels after a five-year absence. The season ran from November 1985 to May 1986.

The show had just come off a successful season with cast members Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest, with Dick Ebersol as producer. That season wanted to attract people with previous comedy experience. For example, Martin Short appeared on SCTV before doing SNL.

Cast members for season 11 included: Robert Downey Jr. (his uncle Jim Downey was a writer for the show), Joan Cusack, Anthony Michael Hall, Randy Quaid, Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, Terry Sweeney, Danitra Vance, Damon Wayans, Dan Vitale and A. Whitney Brown. This season had an emphasis on youth and the cast did not seem to gel.

Most did not make it to the next season except for Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, Nora Dunn and A. Whitney Brown. The season ended with a fake fire in the studio, questioning who would survive for season 12 and who would not. In the closing credits everyone had a question mark after their name. NBC President Brandon Tartikoff threatened to cancel the show after this disappointing season. Michaels talked him out of doing that.

Lovitz had success with his “liar” character and “Master Thespian.” Nora Dunn had her fashion-obsessed Pat Stephens character. Dennis Miller was a strong Weekend Update anchor, with his sarcastic, smarmy attitude.

Damon Wayans sabotaged his career and got fired. He played a flamboyantly gay character in a sketch where he was not supposed to do that. Many do not realize that the leeway for improvisation on SNL is virtually non-existent. Cast members must do the skits exactly as written.

Dan Vitale was fired during the season due to substance abuse issues.

Chris Elliott from Late Night with David Letterman auditioned for the show. He was offered the job but decided not to take it. In 1994 he would join the cast of SNL. His daughter Abby was in the cast from 2008-2012.

Terry Sweeney was the first openly gay cast member. He portrayed Nancy Reagan.

Danitra Vance was the first black female member of the primary SNL cast. In 1994, she died of cancer at age 40.

Writers for season 11 included: Jim Downey (Head Writer), Al Franken, Tom Davis, George Meyer, Herb Sargent, Carol Leifer, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel, Don Novello, Jon Vitti, John Swartzwelder and more. Meyer, Swartzwelder and Vitti would later write for The Simpsons.

Hosts during this season included: Madonna, Chevy Chase, Pee-Wee Herman, John Lithgow, Tom Hanks, Teri Garr, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Danza and more.

Musical guests included: Simple Minds, Sheila E, Mr. Mister, Sade, The Dream Academy, Laurie Anderson, Al Green, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Level 42, George Clinton and more.

Sam Kinison and Penn and Teller appeared as special guests a few times during the season.

SNL has had a show with so many ups and downs regarding writers and cast, but they have managed to hang on for 50 years.

*Some information from Wikipedia and snl.fandom.com/wiki/Season_11.

 

 

Carson Productions

 

As part of Johnny Carson’s landmark 1980 contract, Carson Productions was established. Its primary productions were “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” from 1980-1992 and “Late Night with David Letterman” from 1982-1993. Johnny’s contract gave him ownership of his show and the show that followed his, which was David Letterman’s program. With this contract, Johnny also received more money, more time off and the show was trimmed from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. Johnny had considered retiring or going to another network. NBC knew they had to pull out all the stops to keep him since his program was a cash cow for the peacock network.

Not every Carson Productions project was a hit. One successful show was “Amen” (1986-1991), starring Sherman Hemsley, best known for playing George Jefferson. A successful film they produced was “The Big Chill” (1983). From 1984-1993, Carson Productions co-produced along with Dick Clark Productions “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes.” This show starred Ed McMahon and Dick Clark and Johnny appeared on the show as the victim of a practical joke.

Other productions included a miniseries starring Rock Hudson and Suzanne Pleshette called “The Star Maker” (1981). “Lewis & Clark” only lasted one season and premiered in 1981. “Cassie & Co.” starred Angie Dickinson but only lasted one season. “Teachers Only” went on the air in 1982 and lasted two seasons.

In the years since Johnny’s retirement and death, the company has been changed to Carson Entertainment. Its main goal is to preserve Johnny’s legacy and license clips from "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

*Some information from Wikipedia.

 

The Career of Conan O’Brien

 

Conan O’Brien is 60 years old, so he still has plenty of time ahead of him to accomplish more in show business. He has an impressive resume, although he has weathered some significant challenges. I wanted to write about him since he is an impressive figure in the history of late-night TV, who is #3 on my list of favorites, behind Johnny Carson and David Letterman.

Conaco Productions is a production company was founded by Conan O’Brien in 2001. It produced “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan” (TBS). Having ownership of his programs has contributed significantly to Conan’s wealth, which is estimated at $200 million. Other shows produced by Conaco produced included “Andy Barker PI,” “Operating Instructions,” and “Outlaw.”

His dad was a doctor and his mother was a lawyer, so he came from a family that emphasized education. Both of his parents died in December of 2024, a few days apart. They were both in their 90s.

Here are a few key events in the timeline of Conan.

1981 Conan graduates from high school in Brookline, Massachusetts as valedictorian.

1981-85, attends Harvard where he was president of “The Harvard Lampoon,” the college humor magazine. He majored in history and literature.

1985-1987 Conan wrote for “Not Necessarily the News.” Another writer on the show was Greg Daniels, who Conan knew from Harvard. Daniels went on to write for “Parks and Recreation”, and he was the creator/writer for “The Office” and “King of the Hill.”  Around this time, Conan took improvisational classes at “The Groundlings” in Los Angeles.

1987 “Rich Hall Show,” writer

1987-88 “The Wilton North Report,” writer

1987-1991 He wrote for “SNL.”

1991 He worked with Robert Smigel to write a pilot for “Lookwell,” starring Adam West. NBC chairman Brandon Tartikoff liked the show, but it was not picked up as a series. Smigel would end up writing for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Saturday Night Live.”

1992-1993 he wrote for “The Simpsons”. Two episodes in season 4 (New Kid on the Block, Marge vs. the Monorail), 2 in season 5 (Homer Goes to College, Treehouse of Horror IV).

1993 marked his debut on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” replacing David Letterman in the 12:35 am time slot. He stayed at the show until 2009.

2009-2010 “Tonight Show” host. Conan was only host for a short period of time and then Jay Leno was reinstated as “Tonight Show” host. NBC wanted to hand on to Conan and Jay so they made a deal where Conan would eventually replace Leno as “Tonight Show” host. NBC tried putting Jay into a Monday-Friday 10 pm show, but the ratings were poor. An offer was made to Conan to start his show at 12:05 am eastern, following a 30-minute Jay Leno show but Conan declined. This was a poorly handled fiasco for NBC. The whole situation is detailed in the book “The War for Late Night.” This was written by Bill Carter, who also wrote “The Late Shift” which chronicled the period in 1991-93 where it was Leno vs. Letterman to take over for Johnny Carson. Leno got The Tonight Show and Letterman left for CBS.

April 2010 Kicked off a 30-city tour of live performances since he could not do TV shows for a certain period after leaving The Tonight Show.

2010-2021 Conan on TBS.

2019 Conan show on TBS was trimmed back to 30 minutes and the live band was dropped. Conan switched to a more casual wardrobe, often wearing a jean jacket over a button-down shirt.

2018 “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast begins. This is released every Monday. This podcast has become very successful, and Conan attracts big name guests.

2019-2023 “Conan without Borders.” This made sense since often the best Conan comedy bits were when he was outside of the studio.

2022 Conan’s podcast and entire Team Coco digital media business were sold to SiriusXM radio for $150 million.

2024 “Conan O’Brien Must Go” on MAX. This is another travel show, but it’s a brilliant concept since Conan is meeting up with people overseas that he has interviewed on his podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan.” That podcast comes out on Thursdays and features interviews with non-celebrities. It’s kind of like Conan took a cue from Johnny Carson who would sometimes feature non-celebrities on his show, or as he called them, “civilians.”

I have always felt that Conan had a very impressive career even before getting his Late-Night job in 1993. He graduated from Harvard, wrote for “SNL” and “The Simpsons.” Many writers for “The Simpsons” and “SNL” came out of Harvard, which can be a reason for the success and longevity of those programs.

Conan owes a large debt of gratitude to Lorne Michaels, who recognized his talents and saw his potential as a late-night host. Conan had zero experience as a stand-up comic or interviewer when he took the job filling the shoes of David Letterman in 1993. The odds were against him, but he prevailed. He worked in late night TV for 28 years, coming close to the longevity of 2 of his idols, Johnny Carson (30 years) and David Letterman (33 years). Other influences include Bob Hope, Woody Allen, Bob Newhart, Peter Sellers, Sid Caesar and others.

Conan may no longer have a late-night show on TV anymore, but Samsung has a 24/7 channel that has highlights from his TBS show.

Conan has been married to his wife Liza since 2000 and they have 2 children.

*Some information from imdb and Wikipedia.

 

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The Letterman Podcast

If you're a fan of late night TV, and especially David Letterman, I'd highly recommend The Letterman Podcast. They just marked the release of their 100th episode, which consists of a 4-part compilation, looking back on the best moments of the podcast. This podcast is relaeased on Fridays, and sometimes bonus episodes will come out earlier in the week. The host is Mike Chisholm, who is from British Columbia, Canada. He has endless enthusiasm and passion for all things Letterman. I may be a bit biased toward this show, since I have been a guest on two occassions. I have always been a geek who is obsessed with television, especially the late night shows. I love finding people who are as passionate about these type of shows as I am. This show is special since it explores everything about Letterman's career, from the morning show, the NBC Late Night show and the CBS Late Show. Some impressive names have appeared on this show, such as bandleader Paul Shaffer, and comedians Jeff Altman, Dick Cavett and Tom Dreesen. Band members Will Lee, Felicia Collins and Tom "Bones" Malone have also appeared on the podcast. Some of the best guests have been the behind-the-scenes people who worked on Letterman's shows. Producers, writers, a camera operator, a costume designer, a CBS executive, a comedy booker, a promotions director, a technical director, a special effects worker and a graphic artist have been interviewed on the show. Hello Deli owner and frequest Letterman character Rupert Jee appeared on the show. This podcast is the best way to delve into the precise details of David Letterman and how his show operated on a daily basis. This show ran like a well-oiled machine. People who worked on the show were at the highest level of their careers.

The Critic

There are a few animated series that I enjoy, such as The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Family Guy, etc. I discovered that the Tubi streaming service has a program I had not watched in years, but used to enjoy, The Critic. The main character is a New York City film critic (Jay Sherman) with his own cable TV show, voiced by Jon Lovitz of SNL fame. His catchphrase was “It stinks!” The show lampooned actors and the film industry. Jay Sherman is a loveable loser who has challenges with his personal life. He has a tyrannical media mogul boss who was based on Ted Turner. In 1994-95, the show aired on ABC, then Fox, then Comedy Central for a total of 23 episodes. The final 10 episodes were put on a website called atomfilms.com in 2000-01. The Critic spoofed films such as Howard’s End, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Apocalypse Now, The Lion King, The Godfather, Arthur and more. This show would be enjoyed by film fans, and Siskel and Ebert guest starred in an episode. The duo gave the show a lukewarm review. Film critics Rex Reed and Gene Shalit also played themselves. The show was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who were also the primary writers. These two have an impressive comedy resume. They wrote for Johnny Carson and The Simpsons. Like many successful comedy writers at the highest level, they went to Harvard. Some people from The Simpsons provided voices for The Critic (such as Nancy Cartwright, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Doris Grau etc). This show was the voice acting debut for Billy Crystal. Later, he did voice work for Pixar films Monsters Inc and Cars. Park Overall from the show Empty Nest provided the voice of Jay’s girlfriend Alice. The Critic was intended as a love letter to New York City. Ironically, it did better ratings-wise in the Midwest than New York or other major cities. The show was never a smash hit but achieved a cult status. *Some information from imdb and wikipedia.

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.