Ian Talks Comedy

Gary Murphy and I discuss 50's TV, The Dick Van Dyke Show, meeting his partner Larry Strawther, Butch Whacks & The Glass Packs, moving to LA, working on Merv Griffin, writing spec scripts, getting hired on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, meeting Johnny, working two weeks and going to the Anniversary party, the classic Reagan Who's on First routine, getting fired and then rehired, leaving for Thicke of the Night, the inherit problems, Gilbert Gottfried, writing a Happy Days and a Charlie & Co., Gladys Knights' comedy chops, writing "The Pope's Roadie" sketch for That Was the Week that Was, Without A Clue - an overlooked Sherlock Holmes film, My Sister Sam, Night Court - "Dan the Walking Time Bomb", Reinhold Weege and John Larroquette, the writer's strike and "Danny's Got His Gun" three-parter, Acting Sheriff and working with GOULET, The Sinbad Show, CBS kills The Boys are Back, The Faculty, choosing to work on Men Behaving Badly over Everybody Loves Raymond and quitting mid-season, Union Square, Caroline in the City and Lea Thompson, God the Devil and Bob - unnecessary controversy, working with Alan Cumming, James Garner, French Stewart, Laurie Metcalf, and Nancy Cartwright, Linwood Boomer and Malcolm in the Middle, great pilot, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Carpoolers, Notes from the Underbelly, TV Land kills The Exes, Alexa & Katie, and his current series Sydney to the Max and the cast Ruth Righi, Ian Reed Kessler, and Caroline Rhea. 

Larry Arnstein talks about growing up on Park Avenue but in an apartment in the back, going to prep school in the middle of nowhere, using the girl to boy ratio as a way to pick a college, meeting his funny and brilliant partner Matt Hurwitz, writing for the Chicken Little Show, writing a short film Purient Interest, writing for Eight is Enough and having to service all ten characters, getting recommended for SNL's 6th season, working 9 am to midnight, his forgiving wife, Peter Tauber and the Rockettes, how Gilbert Gottfried was always laugh out loud funny, Commie Hunting Season, Gail Matthius, Ann Risley, is Gilbert & Sullivan hip, the sobriety of David Carradine and Ray Sharkey, Charles Rocket and the f-bomb, getting fired, writing  a Love, Sidney, Not Necessarily the News, watching hours of B-roll and seeing things politicians did not want the public  to see, working with the Kroft puppets on DC Follies, You Asked to See It, Again, how Jimmy Brogan was funnier as the warm up comedian than most shows he warmed up for, This Just In , how his books are perfect for AM radio, what he's working on now.

The Dogma of Rufus: A Canine Guide to Eating, Sleeping, Digging, Slobbering, Scratching, and Surviving with Humans                                                      The Bad Driver's Handbook: Hundreds of Simple Maneuvers to Frustrate, Annoy, and Endanger Those Around You                                                              The Ultimate Counterterrorist Home Companion: Six Incapacitating Holds Involving a Spatula and Other Ways to Protect Your Family                         The Dog Ate My Resume: Survival Tips for Life After College                                                                                                                                                                     Cleopatra's Confessions: A Feline Guide to Coping with Dogs, Humans, and Other Pointless Interruptions to a Good Nap

Comedy writers and Second City legends Jim Fisher and Jim Staahl joined me via Zoom.

We discuss Fish's early days in a stand up comedy duo, joining Second City as David Steinberg's understudy, being groomed as the next David Steinberg, Jim Staahl's college career, being called a "funny" Hamlet, auditioning and understudying all five male performers (Fisher, David Blum, Joe Flaherty, Brian Doyle Murray and David Rasche), Fisher unionizing Second City giving the performers a week off and Staahl having to sub for all the men, Fisher passing out from mono at intermission and Staahl going from eating dinner to onstage before Act II, corporate gigs, leaving Second City with Tino Insana and forming The Graduates, going to the Comedy Store and filming a special with Robin Williams, Staahl joining the cast of Mork & Mindy when Robin crashed his auditioned and they improvised together, being a go-between for Mork & Mindy execs for Robin and Jonathan Winters, Tom Poston, Jay Thomas, the practical joking of former guest Stu Kreisman, the Osmonds poo poo a wine taster sketch, writing and performing with Steve Martin in a special, the menschness of Martin Short, creating, writing and performing in Laugh Trax with Howie Mandel, Gail Matthius, and Lucy Webb, writing "Sledge Hammer", jokes that wouldn't fly today, and their Magnum force parody episode Magnum Farce.

In a 30 year career, Tom Reeder wrote for some of the best sitcoms of his generation: Barney Miller, MASH, Cheers, and Frasier as well as my personal favorite, Night Court.  His episodes are known for their quotability as well as its character explorations.

We talk about his days as an usher for the Carol Burnett Show, getting his job on Barney Miller, writing for Danny Arnold, "Hash", Fish, "Atomic Bomb", A.E.S. Hudson Street, Don Calfa, the difference between writing for Barney Miller and M*A*S*H*, the hard work of running Benson, Phyl & Mikhy, "Possession", Cheers and not knowing episode titles would someday be known, the fist two seasons of Night Court, cast changes, writing the Mac episodes, the Steve Landesburg myth, Michael Richards on "Take My Wife Please", Albania, Albania, you border on the Adriatic, writing the episodes of Cheers and Night Court that aired concurrently, "Cliff, what color is the sky in your world?, Stand by Your Man, Rosie O'Donnell, Nurses, The Boys Are Back, An Affectionate Look at Fatherhood, Dave's World and the fun set, Cosby, Frasier and the evolution of Kelsey Grammer, retiring from TV, becoming a travel blogger, his daughter's journalism career, and Rep. Tom Reeder (R-Wa.)

Darin Patterson is a stand-up comedian and writer who's performed at the Boston Comedy Arts Festival and the Park Slope Comedy Festival.  He is the host of the SNL Nerds podcast.  We talk about: the first time he saw SNL, our all time casts, Phil Hartman v. Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jan Hooks, blue collar real life comedy, my 2010 trip to SNL, and what's next on his podcast.

Kevin Bartini is one of the most sought after audience warm-up comedians, warming up crowds for The Daily Show, The Colbert Report,  The Nightly Show as well as headlining comedian across the United States.  He also is the only guest to see me do stand up.

Kevin spearheaded the drive to turn West 121st street into George Carlin Way.  He talks about the positives and negatives of that experience, Gilbert Gottfried's performance at the post-unveiling comedy show, Lewis Black, Rodney Dangerfield, Vaughn Meader, Jon Stewart, and Bill Cosby.

Kevin's albums can be bought here:

https://www.amazon.com/Unintentionally-White-Album-Kevin-Bartini/dp/B07CXNLJM1

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Masshole-Explicit-Kevin-Bartini/dp/B08BJD9DCM

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Masshole-Explicit-Kevin-Bartini/dp/B08BJD9DCM

My guest today created the character with the second most appearances on Saturday Night Live with twenty-seven, Mr. Bill..  Over his more than forty-five years in entertainment, he has been a writer, producer, director, voice-over artist, and even podcaster. He has also been active in environmental causes such as the destruction of Louisiana's coastline

Mark Rothman is best known for having been involved with the creation and production of Laverne and Shirley. He was also the head writer and show runner of numerous other shows including Happy Days and a writer for the Odd Couple. He  created Busting Loose and The Ted Knight Show. He also composed the theme song for Busting Loose. He was also writer, theme tune composer and executive producer for The Lovebirds, which used my last name as a laugh line. 

In 2013 he had his first novel, "I'm Not Garbo," published. It is a fable about Hollywood in the 1930's.  if you would like to buy a copy of the book go to [email protected]

For Mark's blog http://markrothmansblog.blogspot.com 

For Busting Loose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeEPUFhW6Kw&list=PLQU82Z2BymwNeWcxuZnYtLBWLXihccFg1&index=6&t=0s

For over 45 years, my guest has been writing comedy in all assets of the media; from National Lampoon magazine to TV specials, variety series, sitcoms highlighted by Cheers, Newhart, and as my listeners will know, my favorite sitcom “Night Court”.  He wrote a book Dick Cheney’s Diary in 2008 and is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.

Dick Cheney's Diary https://www.amazon.com/Dick-Cheneys-Diary-Stuart-Kreisman/dp/1606933558/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=stuart+kreisman&qid=1592486298&sr=8-4

On a special Ian Talks Comedy, I talk to my eight year old daughter, Alexa.