Rob Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends

Actor Rob Lowe looks back on his life in show biz in his autobiography "Stories I Only Tell My Friends".

He grew up in Dayton, Ohio and his parents moved to Malibu, California when he was a teenager. At his Malibu high school, many of the kids were surfers who looked down on actors. But, he managed to find a group of actors in his school and neighborhood. Some of his early friends/collaborators were Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Sean Penn, Holly Robinson, Janet Jackson, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

In the early 1980s Lowe tried out for roles in Ordinary People and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He did not get those roles and he considered going to college to study film. Then he got his big break with the Francis Ford Coppola film The Outsiders (1983). Much of the book is about Lowe's experiences on the set working with the master Coppola. He asked his neighbor Martin Sheen about working with the eccentric director on Apocalypse Now. The Outsiders was a big break for many young actors including C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon and Emilio Estevez. Lowe played "Sodapop" Curtis and was disappointed that many of his best scenes were cut out of the final film. The teen stars were underage, but drank on the set of The Outsiders. Lowe developed a drinking problem and ended up in rehab later in life.

The next sections of the book looked at his other films such as Class (1983), Hotel New Hampshire (1984), About Last Night (1986), and the "brat pack" film St. Elmo's Fire (1985).

In the 1990s, Lowe showed that he could be funny in many comedy films such as Wayne's World, Tommy Boy and Austin Powers.

In 1999, he agreed to a pay cut compared to the money had been making by making his move into TV. The NBC smash hit The West Wing was a perfect role for him since he always had an interest in politics. He worked with a stellar cast including Allison Janny, Martin Sheen and John Spencer. Written by Aaron Sorkin, Lowe played Sam Seaborn. He left after 4 seasons due to a contract dispute.

Since leaving The West Wing, Lowe has appeared in TV shows Brothers and Sisters, Parks and Recreation, and Californication.

*Some information from imdb.com.

The Career of Comedy Legend Dick Van Dyke

Recently I read Dick Van Dyke's autobiography "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business". He turns 90 this year and he has had quite an amazing career as an actor, singer and dancer.

He narrated the audio version of his book and I was struck by the fact that he is an introspective man who is religious and cerebral. He often has questioned the meaning of life throughout his journey here on earth. He has had times where he went through an identity crisis, wondering about what he should do with his life. He has considered other careers but ultimately returned to his love of performing.

Early in his career he took jobs as a radio announcer and also worked in local TV in Atlanta and New Orleans.

His pivotal role came in 1961, when Carl Reiner cast him as the lead role in a sitcom he created. He beat out Johnny Carson for the role of Rob Petrie on what later became The Dick Van Dyke Show. Reiner saw Van Dyke in a Broadway performance of Bye Bye Birdie. Reiner had worked with Sid Caesar on the groundbreaking comedy program Your Show of Shows. The Dick Van Dyke show aired from 1961-1966 on CBS. 158 episodes aired in total over the 5 seasons. Van Dyke played Rob Petrie, a comedy TV writer. His wife was played by Mary Tyler Moore. In the book, Van Dyke talked with pride about their collaboration. The show also starred Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. The show remains timeless and still has a following to this day. No pop culture or political references ensured that the show could stand the test of time. Garry Marshall wrote for many episodes and later he created Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Van Dyke spoke fondly of his co-star Morey Amsterdam. He had a background in Vaudeville and he actually worked in a Chicago speak easy owned by mobster Al Capone. Amsterdam was a brilliant comic who had a joke for every situation. He was also a musician who wrote words for the theme song for the Dick Van Dyke show. Amsterdam was a financial wiz who was always studying the stock quotes when not working on the show. After the first season, the Dick Van Dyke show was almost cancelled. It was consistently being beat in the ratings by the Perry Como show. After 5 seasons, Van Dyke wanted to continue the show. But, Reiner wanted to go out on top, fearing that the show may get stale.

As a physical comedian, Van Dyke idolized his predecessors such as Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. He was honored to perform the eulogies at the funerals of Laurel and Keaton in the 1960s.

Van Dyke met with Walt Disney to discuss doing the film Mary Poppins (1964). He was enthralled by the story and the music. Working with Julie Andrews was amazing and the film was a watershed moment in his life. "I thought Walt Disney hired me because I was such a great singer and dancer. As it turns out, he had heard me in an interview talking about what was happening to family entertainment. I was decrying the fact that it seemed like no holds were barred anymore in entertainment . . . That's why he called me in, because I said something he agreed with. And I got the part".

In the 1970s he entered rehab for an addiction to alcohol. He also had to give up cigarettes due to signs of emphysema. He teamed up with the legendary Carol Burnett on her show and they did a play together.

In 1993 he appeared in an episode of the ABC sitcom Coach, which featured his brother Jerry Van Dyke.

From 1993-2002, he starred in the crime/mystery drama Diagnosis Murder as Dr. Mark Sloan. It co-starred Victoria Rowell, his son Barry Van Dyke, and Charlie Schlatter. He felt strongly that the show needed to be a wholesome program, with no overt sex or violence. people tried to re-tool the show and make it more "hip" but this angered Van Dyke. In his 70s, Van Dyke was the computer graphics specialist for the show.

In 2004 at age 79, there was a final reunion version of the Dick Van Dyke show. It was a curtain call for the cast.

At age 80, Van Dyke was a cast member in the film A Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller.

Spanning a career that has lasted over 5 decades, Van Dyke is still working. He has become a fan of barbershop style singing and regularly performs this style of music.

* Information from imdb.com and the book "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" by Dick Van Dyke.

From You Tube to the E! Channel

The E! network, known for the Kardashians, has a new star. Grace Helbig has translated her You Tube following into a 30 minute quirky comedy show where she displays her odd outlook on life. The Grace Helbig Show airs after Joel McHale's pop culture show The Soup, Fridays at 10:30 pm eastern on E! She has aired 3 shows so far and her guests have included people like Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Aisha Tyler (The Talk, Archer), comedian Nick Kroll and fellow You Tube star Miranda Sings. Helbig is 29 years old and she has over 2 million followers on You Tube. Check out her You Tube channel here. Just 10 years ago, You Tube was launched and it has created many stars who can earn big bucks if they have a large number of followers. Helbig told Entertainment Weekly magazing that her show is "a curious introvert's nighttime talk show". Her dream guest would be wrestler turned film star The Rock. Her You Tube channel will continue even though she has a show on cable. She says it is her core, her hobby, job and center focal point. She wants to continue to engage with fans via social media. She appeared on James Corden's CBS Late Late Show to promote her new venture. Find out about her show here.

It's a new phenomenon for television executives to seek out internet stars who can make the transition to traditional media, but it will probably become more and more common. Internet stars can attract young viewers, who advertisers desire.

* Some information from Entertainment Weekly magazine, April 3, 2015

More Late Night TV Changes

Tonight is the premiere of British comic James Corden as the fourth host of the CBS Late Late Show. Last year we saw the debut of Jimmy Fallon as the new host of NBC's The Tonight Show after Jay Leno left. We also had announcements of David Letterman leaving CBS later this year and Stephen Colbert taking over that coveted slot. The CBS Late Late Show has followed Letterman's program since 1995. Tom Snyder was the host from 1995-1999. Craig Kilborn then hosted the show from 1999-2004. The last host was Scottish comic Craig Ferguson from 2005-2014.

Since the arrival of Letterman in 1993, CBS has had a strong comedy presence in late night. For decades, NBC ruled late night with Johnny Carson's show, and the other networks struggled to keep up. The other networks and syndicators tried to compete with Carson with shows hosted by Dick Cavett, Joey Bishop, Pat Sajak, Merv Griffin, Magic Johnson, Chevy Chase, Arsenio Hall and more. From 1972-1989, CBS aired the late movie after the late local news. This started after the cancellation of Merv Griffin's attempt at a late night show. CBS tried various shows during late night such as their Crimetime After Primetime from 1991-1993. This lineup featured various crime shows such as Sweating Bullets, Scene of the Crime, Silk Stalkings, Forever Knight, Fly By Night and more. From 1992-1995, CBS aired Lorne Michaels' sketch show The Kids in the Hall on Friday nights.

* Some information from en.wikipedia.org.

Carson's Cash

In 1979, Johnny Carson was burned out. He had hosted The Tonight Show on NBC since 1962. His lawyer Henry Bushkin told the head of NBC, Fred Silverman, that he wanted out of his contract. A court case ensued and Carson was wooed by ABC. Eventually, Johnny reconciled with NBC and a new contract was signed. The deal turned out to be one of the most lucrative agreements in TV history. NBC knew that Carson's show was a cash cow for the network, so they would do whatever was necessary to keep him. The deal paid a staggering $25 million per year. Johnny had 15 weeks off per year and only had to work three shows per week. His show was trimmed from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. He also would have ownership of his show and the show following his which turned out to be Late Night with David Letterman. This turned out to be a lucrative part of the deal since Carson Productions would earn money from any airings of Johnny's show and Dave's show. Letterman secured a similar deal in 1993 when he signed with CBS. His production company, Worldwide Pants, owns the Letterman show and the show following his, The Late Late Show. That show has been hosted by Tom Snyder, Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson. Later this month, the fourth host will take over, James Corden.
Information from the book Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin.