The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a Delight for Comedy Fans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Godfather Returns to Theaters

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