Ian Talks Comedy

For over 45 years, Marty Nadler has been making people laugh in television (Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley), film (Pretty Woman, Princess Diaries, Valentines Day), stand-up (in the Improv in the 1970's and today), and on my podcast today.

3 episodes of Marty's 1979-1980 CBS series Last Resort https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMj2trx1E8c&t=4197s

Look for Marty's new movie I, Mordecai starring Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, and Sean Astin.

My guest tonight is a real Renaissance woman.  She has been an actress on stage, screen, and television.  She writes, produces, improvs, acts, sings, dances, and teaches and best of all she’s here with me today.

Larry Strawther got into show business as a gofer for the Merv Griffin Show.  He went on to write for Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, My Sister Sam, The Sinbad Show and Night Stand.

His Most Extreme Elimination Challenge is still a cult classic among 20 and 30 year olds.

But for me, he is best known as the executive producer (1989 - 1990), producer (1988-1989) and writer (1987 - 1990) for my favorite sitcom, Night Court.  He also wrote my all-time favorite episode of television Night Court's "Another Day in the Life" and tries to stump me with his copy of the script.

He also talks about working with Marion Ross, Harry Anderson, Dianne English, Reinhold Weege and Robert Goulet.

Lane Sarasohn is a pioneer in television satire.  He, along with Ken Shapiro, Chevy Chase and Richard Allen launched Channel One in 1967 and released their greatest hits  in the 1974 hit film the Groove Tube (which grossed $104 million in today's money), which influenced much of  the comedy that followed.  In this supersized   episode,  he discusses the genesis of the Groove Tube, working with Chevy Chase and Susan Anton on their TV specials, pilot that should of hit and those that shouldn't have, and working on Not Necessarily the News.

Links

http://lanesarasohn.com/ - Lane's personal webpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JljrU7_RxPY&t=257s - One Armed Bandit Sketch

http://www.ironictimes.com/    - Lane and show #1 guest Matt Neuman's hilarious take at the news

Special thanks to Carol Hatfield Sarasohn (Lane's wife of 51 years) for being so gracious with me taking her husbands time.

Steve Zacharias has had three careers in screenwriting.  First as a television writer on such shows as The Odd Couple, All in the Family (for which he won an Emmy), The Partridge Family, Happy Days, and Quark.

Then in film with screenplays for Revenge of the Nerds,  The Last Resort, Johnny B. Goode, In the Army Now, and Eddie.

And for the last 15 years, teaching screenwriting at DuPaul University.

Steve talks about all of this and more on this weeks episode.

Our guest next week will be Steve Zaccharias ("All in the Family", "Happy Days", "Revenge of the Nerds".

As my first guest, I interview "Chicken Little Comedy Hour" "SNL", and "Fridays" writer and "Not Necessarily the News" head writer on his almost 50 years of comedy writing.

Some sketches mentioned. 

SNL: Dave's Variety Store, You Can't Win, Bucks Monologue 5/24/80

Fridays: Hollywood Cubes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se-eXJPu8_c&t=301s

Do yourselves a favor and visit Matt's website www.ironictimes.com, a sort of written version of Weekend Update and make sure to subscribe!

Matt Neuman has had an almost fifty-year career in sketch comedy  writing for the Chicken Little Comedy Hour, SNL, Fridays, and Not Necessarily the News among others.  He has worked alongside and with the legendary Bob & Ray, Al Franken, James Downey, Don Novello, Christopher Guest, Larry David, Michael Richards, Elaine Pope, Al Jean, Mike Reiss, George Meyer, and Conan O'Brien to name a few.