Ian Talks Comedy

Norman Stiles and I discuss watching Howdy Doody and having a friend on Mr. Wizard; being a welfare worker and writing jokes for Allen & Rossi; writing for the Merv Griffin Show; getting into the Childrens Television Workshop and then Sesame Street; how Sesame Street is taped in chunks; creating Count von Count; Jim Henson not being around; the TV special Out to Lunch; working with Christopher Cerf; writing on the Muppet Show pilot; leaving to create When Things Were Rotten and why the series was cancelled; writing the Space Force pilot for Fred Willard; writing for The Captain and Tenille Show, Fernwood Tonight, and America Tonight; pitching a show for Aaron Spelling called Invisible Reporter; going back to Sesame Street; writing the "Death of Mr. Hooper" episode; the Sesame Street curriculum; guest stars including Phil Donahue; Between the Lions; and living in Hoboken.

Marc Warren & Dennis Rinsler joined me to discuss their childhood influences; meeting in college; becoming teachers in NYC in the 70's and writing a script based on it; getting it sold and moving to L.A.; working arduous hours on Madame's Place; working on 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour, the pilot for Putting on the Hits, and FTV; Fast Times the TV show; Together We Stand / Nothing is Easy; Frank Mula; getting hired at Full House in 1988; famous episodes - Beach Boys, Kity Crispies, Lake Tahoe; being parents helped them come up with ideas; very special episode on Alzheimer's, death, and anorexia; moving to the WB's The Parent Hood after Full House ends; creating Nick Freno Licensed Teacher; it failing due to creative differences; moving to Disney Channel with Even Stevens; Disney gives them free reign; going on to That's So Raven and Cory in the House; Dennis retires; Marc works on Bizardvaark with Olivia Rodrigo; Saget always had a fowl mouth; Coulier loved to fart; and Stamos was a class act; teaching now and banning cell phones

Eileen O'Brien joined me to discuss going to college to be a teacher; taking a job that led her to a South Carolina PBS station; discovering the world of production; becoming a PA on Great Performances; working as a PA for George Carlin; the hamburger story; getting started at SNL; Kevin Kay; doing cue cards for the Eddie Murphy showcase in September 1983 and messing up; Robin Williams; Audrey Peart Dickman; having to quit cue cards because of the toxic ink; Al Siegel and Raquel Welch; Al Siegel as mentor; helping Gary Kroeger get into the after party; doing cue cards for Madonna at 1st MTV Awards and later at SNL; Julia Louis-Dreyfus always being perfect; keeping Brandon Tartikoff on cue cards; Francis Ford Coppola terrified of cue cards; Christopher Guest; Michael Palin; Billy Crystal; Harry Dean Stanton and the Replacements; not realizing Spinal Tap is a joke; Tina Turner freaks out in dress; Sam Kinison; Ringo Starr; Charlton Heston; Jim Belushi and Robert Downey Jr.

Adam Lapidus joins me to talk about using his initial; being 6' 9"; Conan O'Brien; NYC real estate; his father being childhood friends with Dave Davis and then reconnecting; meeting James L. Brooks and being asked to be a PA on Taxi at 16; going to NYU; getting a PA job on the Ellen Burstyn Show; Norman Steinberg; Megan Mulally; Jim Burrows secret of TV directing; writing freelance for Charles in Charge, It's a Living, and Who's the Boss; first staff job on Throb; pitching a Simpsons to Dave Davis who pitched it to James L. Brooks; Sam Simon being against it; favorite jokes in it; writing Brooke Shields in to meet her; doing the commentary track; getting a job on Full House; writing the Rigby the Rhino episode and his theme song; Cleghorne; writing Secret Service Guy, which never aired; writing a Weird Science; working on a Smart Guy; WB wanted to turn it into Dawson's Creek; it's creepy very special episode; Much Ado About Nothing for MTV; The Jersey for Disney; Tripping the Rift; Fatherhood; Phil of the Future and having an episode rejected because "children don't get irony"; Xiaolin Showdown; Suite Life of Zach and Cody; Brenda Song; easy to discuss line readings with child actors; "Cooking with Romeo and Juliet" favorite episode; Suite Life on Deck; Debbie Ryan; Jesse; using your daughter for stories; Bunk'd; Team Kaley; Disney micromanagement vs. Netflix freedom; quitting writing to teach at Boston University; winning Professor of the Year Award.

John C. Larrochia joined me to discuss growing up watching Dean Martin's Roasts and Johnny Carson; his funny family members; opening up in high school; joining FDNY; forming his foundation; touring Dallas; mechanical bulls; holding an Almost Gala; his TV show on You tube and Optimum; joining hazmat team; D.B. Frick; the charities sponsor: Barish & McGary; working in the Hazmat division; how 9/11 affected him and his family; his health; playing pickleball; Pete Davidson; much help from Joe Piscopo; working with Jon Stewart; making a widow laugh during trying times; teachers; people whose first day at work on 9/11

Jay Moriarty joins me to discuss how "All in the Family" changed TV; he and his partner writing a spec AITF and getting turned down; writing the "IQ Test" episode of Good Times; pitching "Louise's Daughter" to The Jeffersons"; getting a staff job; his 2 favorite episodes about MLK's death and the KKK; writing Jeffersons episodes about age discrimination and suicide; the fight to make "Florida's Problem"; how his book, Honkey in the House" is a behind the scenes look at Norman Lear's sitcoms and how to write them; not liking writer's rooms; how writer's thought writing would be like The Dick Van Dyke Show; writing for three camera sitcoms; spec scripts vs. spec pilots; not liking the clip show or the disco episode; the creation of the "Sorry, Wrong Meeting" episode about the KKK; remaking "The Draft Dodger" live in 2021; Bill Cosby not being a writer; every show must have a problem, complication and solution using George's kidney episode as an example; Chuck Lorre writers rooms; using The Jeffersons to educate about CPR and the Heimlich maneuver; James Karen; abilities of the Jeffersons cast; Zara Cully; Louise vs. Mother Jefferson and George v. Florence; the problem with "Checking In"; trying to get Steve Martin; Archie says "God damn"; Joe Biden comes to Norman Lear's shiva; writing for Norman Lear is like a religion; Dear John; Jere Burns; there should be books on writing other shows, such as Taxi or Cheers; Modern Family has two writers rooms; Cheers writers spend hours topping each other on jokes, but not as much goes to story; Back to the Future: The Musical

Jay Madison joined me to discuss growing up in Madison, Wisconsin; watching superhero shows an d old movies; Al in the Family; Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Fernwood 2Night; WC Fields; starting stand up in San Diego and moving to Minnesota; meeting Louie Anderson, Roseanne, and Tom Arnold; starting to write with Judd Apatow; rewriting a movie with Judd; getting hired at Roseanne; appearing at Evening at the Improv and Star Search; writing "Bird is the Word", the Vegas episodes and the episodes about Dan's father on Roseanne; Ned Beatty & Shelley Winters; Barry Rubinowitz; writing the Chris Farley ep of Jackie Thomas; working with Chuck Lorre & Bonnie Bramlett; making the show more authentic; nobody can be poor on TV; UPN made Malcolm & Eddie rich; doing Jackie Thomas, Herman's Head and Greg Kinnear in a three-year stretch; working on Fresh Prince; creating Malcolm & Eddie; Richard Pryor guest stars; "Strike" episode of Jackie Thomas with Norm MacDonald, Bill Maher, and Seinfeld bashing; Tom Arnold's great at playing dumb guys; picking up Gary Coleman; ABC wanted to renew but balked when Tom & Roseanne wanted to control slot; Tom's role on show was larger than supposed to be; Phil Leeds; Jackie Thomas writers based on real people; Michael Boatman's character was based on William Lucas Walker; Red Buttons; his acting career; Naked Gun 33 1/3; being on Fresh Prince; Bridesmaids; writing for Americas Funniest Home Videos; My Big Redneck Wedding and its spinoffs; doing stand up for fun; comics who don't change with times; when reality doesn't need punching up; stand up is a night time game; knowing when to hang it up; his writing disability which made it hard to type scripts before computers; Franken & Davis

Jerry Rannow discusses his love of old-time comedy and book about Mabel Normand; his comedy writer detective series; his first book on how to write for TV; growing up in Wisconsin in the 50's; meeting the head of Love American Style at a party and pitching; dropping out of UW Milwaukee to be in Bye, Bye, Birdie; his TV debut on Channing; guesting on My 3 Sons and The Beverly Hillbillies; being a regular and writer on the Jonathan Winters Show; his current play in production; Wisconsin; writing an All in the Family about Mike donating his sperm that CBS would net let on; The Doors guesting on Jonathan Winters; working with Red Skelton; The Masters Club: Percy Helton; having lunch with John Wayne; his play has been compared to The Purple Rose of Cairo; losing laughter in life; Fatty Arbuckle; Room 222 and his favorite episodes; writing for Love, American Style; Welcome Back Kotter - favorite episode Hotsy Totsy gets pregnant; writing with his wife; real life entering episodes; Kotter's opening joke; Travolta ad libs; he and Robert Hegyes write a Marx Brothers movie; his Happy Days ep where Richie becomes a DJ mirrored his life; Harper Valley PTA; Barbara Eden; George Gobel; freelancing on The Love Boat, What a Country!. Throb, Small Wonder, Check it Out; working in Canada on Snow Job and The Baxters for Norman Lear; pitching to Norman Lear; writing for Head of the Class; not going to Moscow; too many kids in the cast; Dan Frischman and Charles Fleischer; Pat Morita; leaving Hollywood and going to Wisconsin and opening up an ad agency; continuing to write every weekday

Ray Stewart joined me to discuss his love of movies, especially the Road Pictures; seeing a real life movie star in person; acting as far back in first grade; his mother who wanted to be an actress but directed all the towns productions with Ray coming along; going to the University of Texas; befriending Rip Torn; studying under Sanford Meisner; taking eight years to make a living from acting; his 1st off-Broadway job at the Cherry Lane Theater; his first Broadway show, Cry of Players; doing commercials; his plays Mary Stuart, The Lincoln Mask, and Postcards; Tv appearances on Dark Shadows, Ed Sullivan Show; guest starring on Bob Newhart and his role on Barney Miller; favorite episode; being brought back for the ending; AES Hudson Street; being on a Charo special; Silent Movie, comedy; losing his accent; playing the reporter who announced the shooting of Jr. on Dallas; The Vals; Space Raiders; Days of Our Lives; retiring; touring with Fantastics in Japan