The Writers Guild of America West will present Designing Women and Evening Shade creator Linda Bloodworth Thomason with its highest honor — the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement. The award is presented to a Guild member who has “advanced the literature of television and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the television writer.” Designing Women star Jean Smart will present the statuette to Bloodworth Thomason at the Wgaw’s annual WGA Awards on April 14.
The multiple Emmy-nominated television creator-writer, director, and producer launched her career with an Emmy-nominated script on M*A*S*H* in 1973. She concurrently worked on M*A*S*H* and Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff Rhoda before creating and producing her first series Filthy Rich in 1982. Filthy Rich would lay the groundwork for the creation of landmark comedy series Designing Women by bringing her together with actresses and collaborators Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Smart.
In addition to her work in television,...
The multiple Emmy-nominated television creator-writer, director, and producer launched her career with an Emmy-nominated script on M*A*S*H* in 1973. She concurrently worked on M*A*S*H* and Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff Rhoda before creating and producing her first series Filthy Rich in 1982. Filthy Rich would lay the groundwork for the creation of landmark comedy series Designing Women by bringing her together with actresses and collaborators Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Smart.
In addition to her work in television,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The classic sitcom series "M*A*S*H" was groundbreaking in a number of ways. It still holds the record for most-watched finale, pulling in 106 million viewers for the two-hour finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" in 1983. It helped create television dramedies, mixing the horrors of war with a whole lot of heartwarming humor. And perhaps most of all, it pushed the boundaries of what could be said and shown on television and helped promote some pretty progressive ideals. Unfortunately, behind-the-scenes there was a lot of fighting between series creator Larry Gelbart and the network censors, which might at least partially contributed to his leaving the series after the fourth season. (He also wanted more creative freedom and didn't want to let himself grow stagnant, so good on you, Gelbart!)
Most of the time, CBS just forced Gelbart and the other writers to make changes to the show's scripts in order to feel safe enough to air in primetime.
Most of the time, CBS just forced Gelbart and the other writers to make changes to the show's scripts in order to feel safe enough to air in primetime.
- 3/10/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The classic wartime sitcom series "M*A*S*H" was entirely fictional, but it was often inspired by real people and events. Heck, Alan Alda, who starred as Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce and also wrote, directed, and served as a consultant on the series, even served as an Army officer in Korea shortly after the war — though he was not in a medical unit. Not only that but Jamie Farr, who played the eccentric yet lovable Corporal Klinger, served during the Korean War and even wore his own dog tags on the show. Both of them helped bring some authenticity, but even then it was important for the series' head honchos to get a better understanding of the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (Mash) life, which meant visiting the United States Army's 8055th, still stationed in South Korea at the time.
In the DVD commentary for "M*A*S*H" (via the book "TV's M...
In the DVD commentary for "M*A*S*H" (via the book "TV's M...
- 2/17/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
One of television's greatest cads is Army surgeon Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, played by Alan Alda, on the classic sitcom series M*A*S*H. He's almost always hooking up with one nurse or another, but in one special episode, audiences got to see what happened when a woman truly captured his heart. In the season 4 episode "The More I See You," a nurse named Carlye ends up working in the Mash 4077 unit, and Hawkeye recognized her as the only woman (at that point) he had ever loved. She broke his heart and might even explain why he has such a negative view of marriage and even monogamy throughout the series, and their reunion is as chaotic as you might expect.
Carlye is played by actor Blythe Danner in the episode, and she's absolutely fantastic. She manages to feel totally at home in the world of "M*A*S*H...
Carlye is played by actor Blythe Danner in the episode, and she's absolutely fantastic. She manages to feel totally at home in the world of "M*A*S*H...
- 2/3/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The groundbreaking television sitcom version of "M*A*S*H" may have been centered on the Korean War, but it famously ran for 11 years, over three times as long as the war. Like a lot of series, the length of its run led to significant tonal shifts as writers and actors left the show and new creatives came on. In particular, "M*A*S*H" went from an acidic, satirical portrait of military cynicism at a mobile surgical unit (the 4077th) to a much more earnestly anti-war show.
You can trace a lot of those changes in the ways the series' characters changed and developed. In the first half of the show, most of the folk who work at the 4077th are either bureaucratic blowhards like Majors Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit) or nihilistic, hedonist heroes like "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda). Surrounded by war and death, the characters had extremes to lean into,...
You can trace a lot of those changes in the ways the series' characters changed and developed. In the first half of the show, most of the folk who work at the 4077th are either bureaucratic blowhards like Majors Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit) or nihilistic, hedonist heroes like "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda). Surrounded by war and death, the characters had extremes to lean into,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
Warning: The following post contains spoilers about tonight’s fifth season finale of FX’s Fargo, “Bisquik”
Who knew a TV series based on an iconic Oscar-winning Coen Brothers noir movie had so much juice in it five seasons out?
But Fargo series creator Noah Hawley continues to prove that there’s a thousand bodies buried in those Minnesota snow drifts.
Granted, M.A.S.H. ran for 11 seasons; the industry joke being that the CBS show ran longer than the actual three-year Korean War. But similar to how Larry Gelbart pulled a relentless amount of inspiration from that 1970 Robert Altman, Hawley’s mind for ‘true stories’ about folksy Scandinavian-Midwesterners isn’t blank yet like a freshly fallen snow.
Typically, especially in streaming times, a series checks out around season 3, and to see Fargo in a renaissance, testosterone mode this season has even given Hawley a new sense of hope for the FX series.
Who knew a TV series based on an iconic Oscar-winning Coen Brothers noir movie had so much juice in it five seasons out?
But Fargo series creator Noah Hawley continues to prove that there’s a thousand bodies buried in those Minnesota snow drifts.
Granted, M.A.S.H. ran for 11 seasons; the industry joke being that the CBS show ran longer than the actual three-year Korean War. But similar to how Larry Gelbart pulled a relentless amount of inspiration from that 1970 Robert Altman, Hawley’s mind for ‘true stories’ about folksy Scandinavian-Midwesterners isn’t blank yet like a freshly fallen snow.
Typically, especially in streaming times, a series checks out around season 3, and to see Fargo in a renaissance, testosterone mode this season has even given Hawley a new sense of hope for the FX series.
- 1/17/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Sudden success is a hell of a drug. Be it entertainment, sports, or certain, shockingly competitive sectors of the healthcare industry, you can count on numerous fast risers to get high on their own supply and take an ego-fueled torch to their career.
Television actors are especially susceptible to these vain slip-ups, and it's easy to understand why. Before the advent of prestige TV, the small-screen medium was, particularly for young-ish performers, viewed as a potential springboard to big-screen stardom. Sometimes it works out. Chevy Chase bolted from "Saturday Night Live" midway through its second season and instantly became a movie star on the strength of his work in Colin Higgins' sporadically hilarious "Foul Play" (even though he's far from the funniest element of the film). And sometimes you're David Caruso, who quit "NYPD Blue" to topline a pair of 1995 flops in Barbet Schroder's "Kiss of Death" (underrated) and William Friedkin's "Jade".
Generally,...
Television actors are especially susceptible to these vain slip-ups, and it's easy to understand why. Before the advent of prestige TV, the small-screen medium was, particularly for young-ish performers, viewed as a potential springboard to big-screen stardom. Sometimes it works out. Chevy Chase bolted from "Saturday Night Live" midway through its second season and instantly became a movie star on the strength of his work in Colin Higgins' sporadically hilarious "Foul Play" (even though he's far from the funniest element of the film). And sometimes you're David Caruso, who quit "NYPD Blue" to topline a pair of 1995 flops in Barbet Schroder's "Kiss of Death" (underrated) and William Friedkin's "Jade".
Generally,...
- 1/7/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Recently, more than half a century after its premiere, Fox released a retrospective special about the storied anti-war sitcom "M*A*S*H" that included rare and previously unseen interviews with the show's cast and crew. When they weren't reminiscing about their characters and opening up about cast changes over the years, former members of the fictional 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital discussed episodes of the show that broke the TV mold, pushing the medium beyond its established boundaries and yanking on viewers' heartstrings in unexpected ways.
Among the spotlighted episodes in "M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television" was "The Interview," the season 4 finale that saw the show briefly take the form of a black-and-white war documentary. The late writer and executive producer Burt Metcalfe said the experiment took inspiration from Edward R. Murrow's 1950s newsreel show "See It Now," which included interviews in Korea during the war. "We'd always had a...
Among the spotlighted episodes in "M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television" was "The Interview," the season 4 finale that saw the show briefly take the form of a black-and-white war documentary. The late writer and executive producer Burt Metcalfe said the experiment took inspiration from Edward R. Murrow's 1950s newsreel show "See It Now," which included interviews in Korea during the war. "We'd always had a...
- 1/7/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Actors are a confounding creative breed. They can be wonderfully inventive one moment and then turn right around and surrender to their most vain impulses the next. Fortunately, most actors are eminently directable. They might put up a bit of a fight and insist that they know better than their director, but if the director has earned their trust, they'll eventually come to their senses and realize they aren't always the best judge of their own work.
It's also important to understand that, in most cases, actors aren't being difficult out of diva-like entitlement. They're the only person who's spending all of their time on- and off-set thinking about this specific character, so, of course, they're going to get protective every now and then -- especially if they're a television actor who's been playing the same part for multiple seasons. It's a well-meaning impulse and one that a sensitive director...
It's also important to understand that, in most cases, actors aren't being difficult out of diva-like entitlement. They're the only person who's spending all of their time on- and off-set thinking about this specific character, so, of course, they're going to get protective every now and then -- especially if they're a television actor who's been playing the same part for multiple seasons. It's a well-meaning impulse and one that a sensitive director...
- 1/3/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
On Monday, Jan. 1, M*A*S*H fans are invited to ring in the new year with M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, a two-hour special airing on Fox and featuring new interviews with series vets Alan Alda (who played Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger) and Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt), as well as the late Wayne Rogers (Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre) and William Christopher (Father Francis Mulcahy).
M*A*S*H executive producers Gene Reynolds and...
M*A*S*H executive producers Gene Reynolds and...
- 1/2/2024
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Without hyperbole, "M*A*S*H" is one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Centered on the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, the anti-war comedy-drama became one of the most-watched shows in history and is continually revered by younger generations discovering it for the first time. The show boasted a phenomenal ensemble cast, with Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) serving as the defacto main character. He's the chief surgeon after all, but he's also a bit of a lush. Then again, just about everyone on "M*A*S*H" drank from time to time. This is the show that gave us the iconic line, "War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse," so it isn't surprising that there'd be a bit of self-medicating happening. But a few years into the series' run, there was a noticeable shift in how...
- 12/17/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Comedic breaking: it's been around for pretty much as long as performances. Flip through classic TV channels and you'll find Rue McClanahan delivering her lines into the back of her hand to hide giggles in episodes of "The Golden Girls," Mary Tyler Moore barely suppressing her grin in"The Dick Van Dyke Show," and Horatio Sanz wiping away tears with Mickey Mouse waffles on "Saturday Night Live." Breaking seems like an unstoppable phenomenon, especially once more than one castmate well and truly gets the giggles, but it's also a surprisingly controversial one: for every person who laughs along with the actors, there seems to be another who thinks breaking is unfunny and unprofessional.
Larry Gelbart, who created the influential and long-running '70s sitcom "M*A*S*H," was apparently not into character breaks, and he told author Ed Solomonson that one actor in the show's ensemble cast did it more than any other.
Larry Gelbart, who created the influential and long-running '70s sitcom "M*A*S*H," was apparently not into character breaks, and he told author Ed Solomonson that one actor in the show's ensemble cast did it more than any other.
- 12/17/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
When Larry Gelbart brought "M*A*S*H" to television, he had dauntingly spacious shoes to fill. Robert Altman's 1970 film, based on a novel by Richard Hooker, was a New Hollywood sensation that mined the Korean War (an obvious Vietnam substitute) for edgy, hard R-rated laughs. It was the third-highest-grossing movie of the year and racked up five Academy Award nominations (including one for Best Picture). Matching the quality of the film was challenging enough. The biggest problem facing Gelbart was retaining the ribald tone, a tall order considering network television's conservative content standards in the early 1970s.
Gelbart's solution was to sand down the sharp misogynistic edges of the characters and embrace a more humanistic gallows sense of humor. The small-screen version of the 4077th was certainly mischievous, but they weren't mean-spirited. They would've never pulled the humiliating shower prank on Hot Lips from the film. Yes, there were extreme personality clashes,...
Gelbart's solution was to sand down the sharp misogynistic edges of the characters and embrace a more humanistic gallows sense of humor. The small-screen version of the 4077th was certainly mischievous, but they weren't mean-spirited. They would've never pulled the humiliating shower prank on Hot Lips from the film. Yes, there were extreme personality clashes,...
- 12/16/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
I was about 8 years old when I first met Norman Lear.
My dad, Carl Reiner, was working on Sid Caesar’s Show of Shows and Norman was writing for Colgate Comedy Hour, so they were both in New York. In those days, it was a small world of people who trafficked in sketch comedy. Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Dom DeLuise — all these guys and their families would hang out together. My family and Norman’s family used to have summer houses near each other on Fire Island, and Norman had a daughter, Ellen, who was around my age, so we used to play together.
One day Ellen and I were playing jacks — I was teaching her how, explaining the rules, showing her what to do. Norman came over to watch and he started to laugh. Apparently, I was teaching her in a funny way, which he found hysterical. And he...
My dad, Carl Reiner, was working on Sid Caesar’s Show of Shows and Norman was writing for Colgate Comedy Hour, so they were both in New York. In those days, it was a small world of people who trafficked in sketch comedy. Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Dom DeLuise — all these guys and their families would hang out together. My family and Norman’s family used to have summer houses near each other on Fire Island, and Norman had a daughter, Ellen, who was around my age, so we used to play together.
One day Ellen and I were playing jacks — I was teaching her how, explaining the rules, showing her what to do. Norman came over to watch and he started to laugh. Apparently, I was teaching her in a funny way, which he found hysterical. And he...
- 12/11/2023
- by Rob Reiner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Few shows in the history of broadcast television can ever claim they were as successful as "M*A*S*H." Based on Richard Hooker's book "Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors," and the Robert Altman film that previously adapted that same book, the series aired for 11 seasons on CBS from 1972 to 1983 totaling a whopping 256 episodes. Its series finale remains the most-watched finale of any TV series. Unfortunately, the spin-off "AfterMASH" couldn't recapture that same magic — and the show's creator thinks he knows why.
The spin-off series only lasted two seasons, with the second season having its run cut short after the ratings plummeted. It was a short-lived experiment that failed to live up to its predecessor. In "TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book," author Ed Solomonson spoke with "AfterMASH" co-creator Larry Gelbart, who also developed the original show. When asked about the spin-off, Gelbart first...
The spin-off series only lasted two seasons, with the second season having its run cut short after the ratings plummeted. It was a short-lived experiment that failed to live up to its predecessor. In "TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book," author Ed Solomonson spoke with "AfterMASH" co-creator Larry Gelbart, who also developed the original show. When asked about the spin-off, Gelbart first...
- 12/9/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Fox is ringing in the new year by turning back the clock four decades.
The network announced Wednesday that on Jan. 1 it will air M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, a two-hour special featuring new interviews with surviving cast members Alan Alda (Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt) and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), as well as EPs Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe.
More from TVLineJane Seymour Is Pitching a Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman RevivalMasked Singer's Sea Queen Revealed?...
The network announced Wednesday that on Jan. 1 it will air M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, a two-hour special featuring new interviews with surviving cast members Alan Alda (Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt) and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan), as well as EPs Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe.
More from TVLineJane Seymour Is Pitching a Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman RevivalMasked Singer's Sea Queen Revealed?...
- 12/6/2023
- by Michael Ausiello
- TVLine.com
Fox will celebrate Mash: The Comedy That Changed Television in a new two-hour special set to air Monday, January 1 at 8 pm on the network.
A definitive look at the 14-time Emmy-winning television classic, the special centers around new interviews with original cast members Alan Alda (Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), William Christopher (Father Francis Mulcahy), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt), Wayne Rogers (Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre) and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan) and series executive producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe.
“In these intimate, highly personal remembrances, the creation and evolution of the show’s iconic characters are revealed, alongside rare and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, photos and stories,” according to Fox.
Writer/producer Larry Gelbart, as well as additional series stars Larry Linville (Maj. Frank Burns), Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter), McLean Stevenson (Lt.
A definitive look at the 14-time Emmy-winning television classic, the special centers around new interviews with original cast members Alan Alda (Capt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce), Gary Burghoff (Cpl. Walter “Radar” O’Reilly), William Christopher (Father Francis Mulcahy), Jamie Farr (Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell Q. “Max” Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt), Wayne Rogers (Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre) and Loretta Swit (Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan) and series executive producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe.
“In these intimate, highly personal remembrances, the creation and evolution of the show’s iconic characters are revealed, alongside rare and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, photos and stories,” according to Fox.
Writer/producer Larry Gelbart, as well as additional series stars Larry Linville (Maj. Frank Burns), Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter), McLean Stevenson (Lt.
- 12/6/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Over its 11-season run, "M*A*S*H" earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of the sitcom format. Amazingly, mainstream audiences generally rolled with this conceptual adventurousness. Indeed, one of the series' most famously experimental episodes, "The Interview", is both a critical and fan favorite. As long as the writers stayed true to the characters, viewers were down for just about anything.
This boldness inspired the show's actors to get in on the fun and conjure up unconventional stories that dug deep into their characters' psyches. Cast members Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Mary Kay Place, and McLean Stevenson all wrote episodes, many of which were excellent.
But not everyone got their scripts into production and on the air. Gary Burghoff, who played the 4077th's boyish company clerk Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly, had a fascinatingly fanciful idea for an episode that impressed series creator Larry Gelbart. He was hopeful his script would go before cameras,...
This boldness inspired the show's actors to get in on the fun and conjure up unconventional stories that dug deep into their characters' psyches. Cast members Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Mary Kay Place, and McLean Stevenson all wrote episodes, many of which were excellent.
But not everyone got their scripts into production and on the air. Gary Burghoff, who played the 4077th's boyish company clerk Corporal "Radar" O'Reilly, had a fascinatingly fanciful idea for an episode that impressed series creator Larry Gelbart. He was hopeful his script would go before cameras,...
- 12/3/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The old saw that holds "drama is easy, comedy is hard" typically refers to the fact that it is extremely difficult to actually be funny. Obviously, engaging an audience on stage or through a theater/television screen is a challenge regardless of the genre, but there's a particular skill to getting a laugh (i.e. timing) that some people simply don't possess.
And some actors are so skilled at this craft that their co-stars occasionally have a hard time keeping it together in the moment.
There are loads of stories out there about actors who were just so effortlessly funny that cast and crew members had a hard time holding it together while shooting a scene. It should come as no surprise that Robin Williams was especially adept at this. Directors aren't always as amused as everyone else, as it's their job to make sure they get at least one...
And some actors are so skilled at this craft that their co-stars occasionally have a hard time keeping it together in the moment.
There are loads of stories out there about actors who were just so effortlessly funny that cast and crew members had a hard time holding it together while shooting a scene. It should come as no surprise that Robin Williams was especially adept at this. Directors aren't always as amused as everyone else, as it's their job to make sure they get at least one...
- 12/2/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
At the conclusion of its fourth season in 1976, "M*A*S*H" finished a disappointing fourteenth in the Nielsen ratings, a sizable step down from ranking fourth and fifth in the two years prior. It wasn't the show's fault. The series was still one of the most critically acclaimed sitcoms on television; it earned eight Primetime Emmy awards for that season and won two. The reason for the ratings slip was some puzzling time slot shuffling by CBS, which moved "M*A*S*H" from its Tuesday perch to Friday, a notoriously off night for TV viewing. When the series' audience precipitously declined, the network moved it back to Tuesday halfway through the season, where it quickly recovered. All, it appeared, was well with the 4077th.
Except it wasn't, at least not with series creator Larry Gelbart. The veteran TV comedy writer was getting sick of the medium and feeling hemmed in by his hit series.
Except it wasn't, at least not with series creator Larry Gelbart. The veteran TV comedy writer was getting sick of the medium and feeling hemmed in by his hit series.
- 11/18/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" was a New Hollywood sensation upon its release in 1970. It announced Altman as one of the most exciting filmmakers in Hollywood, and turned Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland into A-list movie stars. Several of the supporting cast — namely Robert Duvall, Sally Kellerman, and Tom Skerritt — got a career boost as well. So when Larry Gelbart sold CBS on the idea of a sitcom adaptation of the material two years later, these actors were far too prominent to reprise their roles in the series (it's worth noting that television was considered small time in relation to movies back then).
Gary Burghoff was a different story. As Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, the diminutive Burghoff didn't pop on your first viewing of the movie. He darted to and fro in the background, but never strayed too far from his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (Roger Blake). Radar didn't participate in the company's shenanigans,...
Gary Burghoff was a different story. As Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, the diminutive Burghoff didn't pop on your first viewing of the movie. He darted to and fro in the background, but never strayed too far from his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (Roger Blake). Radar didn't participate in the company's shenanigans,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Throughout its eleven season run, "M*A*S*H" was one of the best-written shows on television. The beloved Korean War-set sitcom effortlessly blended genres in a way that was rare for its time, balancing uproarious comedy with gut-wrenching tragedy. The show won an Emmy for its writing and was nominated for eleven more, even taking over two thirds of the nominations in 1974.
Even the best shows have some weak moments, though, and not every episode or story beat in "M*A*S*H" is a winner. Some of the show's plot points have aged poorly, especially in the early seasons, when jokester playboy Hawkeye's (Alan Alda) treatment of head nurse Margaret (Loretta Swit) crossed over into sexual harassment. Other bits are just silly, like a season 1 gag involving a gold spray-painted car that Alda often references as his and Wayne Rogers' barometer for how kooky the show could possibly get. "Wayne Rogers and I said to each other,...
Even the best shows have some weak moments, though, and not every episode or story beat in "M*A*S*H" is a winner. Some of the show's plot points have aged poorly, especially in the early seasons, when jokester playboy Hawkeye's (Alan Alda) treatment of head nurse Margaret (Loretta Swit) crossed over into sexual harassment. Other bits are just silly, like a season 1 gag involving a gold spray-painted car that Alda often references as his and Wayne Rogers' barometer for how kooky the show could possibly get. "Wayne Rogers and I said to each other,...
- 11/12/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
When it comes to watching modern TV shows, the binge-watch process is easy: find them on streaming or cable, click, and watch. For older shows, though, there's often a catch. Either a classic sitcom won't be available on streaming, or it'll have an improper aspect ratio or degraded image, or something might be off with the sound. Classic TV fans know that sometimes, the best way to experience a show is not in syndicated reruns, where whole scenes might be cut out, songs replaced, or edits tampered with.
The '70s anti-war sitcom "M*A*S*H" is no exception. There are plenty of versions of the show floating around, but most folks who have caught up with it in the past few years may have done so via Hulu, where a crisp HD remaster makes the series feel new again. On Hulu, though, the show's aspect ratio is wacky,...
The '70s anti-war sitcom "M*A*S*H" is no exception. There are plenty of versions of the show floating around, but most folks who have caught up with it in the past few years may have done so via Hulu, where a crisp HD remaster makes the series feel new again. On Hulu, though, the show's aspect ratio is wacky,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
"M*A*S*H" might've been one of the most popular series of the 1970s and early '80s, but it never drew the eyeballs of the man who made the hit movie on which it was based.
Robert Altman's aversion to the show wasn't prompted by antipathy toward the medium. The legendary filmmaker directed loads of television before his film career caught fire, and returned to the small screen several times (most notably with the brilliant political satire "Tanner '88"). And while he was one of the most critically lauded directors to come out of the New Hollywood revolution, the man was no snob; aside from the anarchic bawdiness of "M*A*S*H," he knocked out shaggy genre flicks like "The Long Goodbye" and "Thieves Like Us," and deigned to shoot a live-action adaptation of a kids cartoon with "Popeye."
You'd think he would've enjoyed the CBS sitcom as much as the rest of us,...
Robert Altman's aversion to the show wasn't prompted by antipathy toward the medium. The legendary filmmaker directed loads of television before his film career caught fire, and returned to the small screen several times (most notably with the brilliant political satire "Tanner '88"). And while he was one of the most critically lauded directors to come out of the New Hollywood revolution, the man was no snob; aside from the anarchic bawdiness of "M*A*S*H," he knocked out shaggy genre flicks like "The Long Goodbye" and "Thieves Like Us," and deigned to shoot a live-action adaptation of a kids cartoon with "Popeye."
You'd think he would've enjoyed the CBS sitcom as much as the rest of us,...
- 11/5/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
"M*A*S*H" is often remembered these days for its heartfelt progressivism and genre-blending drama, but when it wasn't making us think or bringing us to tears, the long-running sitcom had viewers doubled over in stitches. A bawdy comedy from day one, "M*A*S*H" was often able to interject wild, unexpected jokes into its fast-paced episodes thanks in part to star Alan Alda's knack for nimble verbal comedy. His character, surgeon Hawkeye Pierce, started the series as a motor-mouthed womanizer with a knack for disarming everyone around him with his charming (and exhausting) teasing sensibilities.
Since "M*A*S*H" was largely filmed in the 1970s but set in the '50s, its humor often felt even edgier than it was. It was easy to forget the jokes were coming from the mouths of actors who'd already witnessed the free love movement and a move away from the starch shirts, pleated dresses, and idyllic TV...
Since "M*A*S*H" was largely filmed in the 1970s but set in the '50s, its humor often felt even edgier than it was. It was easy to forget the jokes were coming from the mouths of actors who'd already witnessed the free love movement and a move away from the starch shirts, pleated dresses, and idyllic TV...
- 11/4/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
If you caught up with "M*A*S*H" sometime after the beloved wartime sitcom ended its much-lauded original run, you'd be forgiven for having no clue about the series' spinoffs. After all, 50 years after it first aired, "M*A*S*H" remains a major pillar of TV history -- for its rollicking anti-authority spirit and bleeding heart attitude, its genre-blending and experimental episodes, and its record-breaking finale telecast, which is still by some measures the most-watched in the history of television. "AfterMASH," though? Well, not so much.
It's a testament to the flagship series' strengths that decades after it ended, its bizarre and short-lived spinoffs haven't tainted its reputation at all. In fact, they've mostly been forgotten, in part because they're unavailable on streaming and tough to find on home video. Three "M*A*S*H" spinoffs were made in hopes of capitalizing on some of the original series' magic, but only one -- the...
It's a testament to the flagship series' strengths that decades after it ended, its bizarre and short-lived spinoffs haven't tainted its reputation at all. In fact, they've mostly been forgotten, in part because they're unavailable on streaming and tough to find on home video. Three "M*A*S*H" spinoffs were made in hopes of capitalizing on some of the original series' magic, but only one -- the...
- 10/16/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital wouldn't have been the same without Father Mulcahy (William Christopher). The army chaplain gave "M*A*S*H" a sense of soulfulness, and helped the show talk about serious topics that its jokester characters might otherwise be too zany to pull off without his thoughtful input. Father Mulcahy was also just nice. As played by Christopher, the Catholic priest was non-judgemental and supportive, willing to meet each character where they lived in terms of religiosity — and he was kind of just a charming goofball.
Mulcahy started "M*A*S*H" as a recurring character, but by season 5 he was a series regular. Across the show's run, he delivered some of its most memorable moments and sometimes got substantial plotlines of his own: helping to run a local orphanage, having a crisis of faith when he felt his spiritual work was less helpful than the doctors' physical work,...
Mulcahy started "M*A*S*H" as a recurring character, but by season 5 he was a series regular. Across the show's run, he delivered some of its most memorable moments and sometimes got substantial plotlines of his own: helping to run a local orphanage, having a crisis of faith when he felt his spiritual work was less helpful than the doctors' physical work,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Stephen Sondheim has almost never been more popular than in the two years since his passing in November 2021. In that time, celebrated revivals of “Company,” “Into the Woods,” and “Sweeney Todd” have come to Broadway, and successful remounting of “Assassins” and “Merrily We Roll Along” have played Off-Broadway, which is a testament to the enduring appeal of his works.
This fall will once again spotlight Sondheim. The tremendously successful Off-Broadway run of “Merrily” starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe opens on Broadway on October 10, which will mark the first remounting since its original, unsuccessful run in 1981. In addition, his final musical “Here We Are,” which is based on two Luis Buñuel films—“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “The Exterminating Angel”—will have its highly-anticipated world premiere Off-Broadway, opening on October 22.
In honor of another “season of Sondheim,” take a look back at every single Tony...
This fall will once again spotlight Sondheim. The tremendously successful Off-Broadway run of “Merrily” starring Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe opens on Broadway on October 10, which will mark the first remounting since its original, unsuccessful run in 1981. In addition, his final musical “Here We Are,” which is based on two Luis Buñuel films—“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” and “The Exterminating Angel”—will have its highly-anticipated world premiere Off-Broadway, opening on October 22.
In honor of another “season of Sondheim,” take a look back at every single Tony...
- 9/29/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
For one of television history's most beloved sitcoms, "M*A*S*H" was always walking a tight line. Premiering in 1972, it would go on for 11 years, depicting with raunchy humor and deep pathos the plights of a mobile surgical hospital on the frontlines of the Korean War. Early on, the show adopted the anarchic, bawdy comedic sensibility of the books by Richard Hooker (pseudonym for H. Richard Hornberger) and their 1970 Robert Altman film adaptation. But as with most long-running television shows, things change.
"M*A*S*H" was only nominally about the Korean War. It was hardly concerned with period-accurate detail (as plenty of the hairstyles demonstrate) and characters like series lead Hawkeye (Alan Alda) felt entirely out of time to begin with. Hawkeye's sense of humor was like the Marx Brothers, only translated to the then-current war in Vietnam. Korea existed in dialogue and major plotlines, but the feelings the show evoked were directly in conversation with contemporaneous issues.
"M*A*S*H" was only nominally about the Korean War. It was hardly concerned with period-accurate detail (as plenty of the hairstyles demonstrate) and characters like series lead Hawkeye (Alan Alda) felt entirely out of time to begin with. Hawkeye's sense of humor was like the Marx Brothers, only translated to the then-current war in Vietnam. Korea existed in dialogue and major plotlines, but the feelings the show evoked were directly in conversation with contemporaneous issues.
- 9/22/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
It plays pretty tame by today's standards, but when "M*A*S*H" premiered on CBS in 1972, it pushed the network envelope in terms of language and operating room gore. As the series got deeper into its run, it occasionally eschewed the use of a laugh track (primarily on episodes that were not aiming for the funny bone).
It took "M*A*S*H" a season to become one of the biggest hits on television, but even when it did the network censors had a job to do, and they did it by the book. They were especially strict when it came to anything that might be perceived as off-color humor, which meant they went well beyond the verbiage rattled off by comedian George Carlin in his classic "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine.
This often rubbed series developer Larry Gelbart the wrong way, especially since the show's inspiration was Robert Altman's very R-rated 1970 feature film.
It took "M*A*S*H" a season to become one of the biggest hits on television, but even when it did the network censors had a job to do, and they did it by the book. They were especially strict when it came to anything that might be perceived as off-color humor, which meant they went well beyond the verbiage rattled off by comedian George Carlin in his classic "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine.
This often rubbed series developer Larry Gelbart the wrong way, especially since the show's inspiration was Robert Altman's very R-rated 1970 feature film.
- 9/21/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The classic CBS sitcom "M*A*S*H" earned a reputation early on for not shying away from the harsh realities of war. In most cases, the series' skillful writers, led by Larry Gelbart, gracefully integrated these jarring moments into the show's laugh-heavy fabric. But when Gelbart and company killed off the well-liked Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) at the end of the third season's finale, they received a raft of outraged responses from the network and television viewers.
Sitcoms weren't supposed to go this hard. At their best, they were 30-minute joy machines that allowed working people an escape from the drudgeries of the day. "M*A*S*H" was one of the most reliable shows in this regard when the finale aired on March 18, 1975. Most viewers knew Stevenson was leaving the show, but they were probably expecting a wistfully fond farewell. And while certain journalists, like Gary Deeb of the Chicago Tribune, had...
Sitcoms weren't supposed to go this hard. At their best, they were 30-minute joy machines that allowed working people an escape from the drudgeries of the day. "M*A*S*H" was one of the most reliable shows in this regard when the finale aired on March 18, 1975. Most viewers knew Stevenson was leaving the show, but they were probably expecting a wistfully fond farewell. And while certain journalists, like Gary Deeb of the Chicago Tribune, had...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
It's easy to take the television version of "M*A*S*H" for granted. Based on Robert Altman's raucous New Hollywood comedy, the series gracefully sanded down the film's problematic edges and presented a more bracingly humanistic view of combat medical personnel struggling to maintain their sanity while watching one young man after another die on their operating tables. But once the show became a Nielsen ratings juggernaut and entered syndication, it was unavoidably consumed as couch potato comfort food just like every other hit sitcom. It was a first-rate homework diversion. College kids devised drinking games around it.
And yet while most episodes of "M*A*S*H" were strictly laugh riots, the writers, led at the outset by the great Larry Gelbart (who departed the series after Season 4), never lost sight of the war in which the show was set (nor the ongoing war it was often commenting on). This wasn't "Hogan's Heroes.
And yet while most episodes of "M*A*S*H" were strictly laugh riots, the writers, led at the outset by the great Larry Gelbart (who departed the series after Season 4), never lost sight of the war in which the show was set (nor the ongoing war it was often commenting on). This wasn't "Hogan's Heroes.
- 9/11/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Robert Altman's "M*A*S*H" is an uproariously funny anti-war masterpiece on par with the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup." Set at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War in 1951, but released to theaters in 1970, Altman's movie was unmistakably commenting on the ongoing meat grinder that was the Vietnam War. One second you're howling at the decidedly un-pc antics of Army surgeons Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and "Trapper" John McIntyre (Elliott Gould), and the next you're cringing as blood spurts from the wounded soldiers they're endeavoring to save.
This sui generis classic did not feel like grist for a TV sitcom spinoff (à la "The Odd Couple" or "Please Don't Eat the Daisies"), but somehow series creator Larry Gelbart was able to strike an authentic, network-friendly balance between the rebellious behavior of Hawkeye and company, and the soul-deadening savagery of war. The CBS series aired for 11 years, seven years...
This sui generis classic did not feel like grist for a TV sitcom spinoff (à la "The Odd Couple" or "Please Don't Eat the Daisies"), but somehow series creator Larry Gelbart was able to strike an authentic, network-friendly balance between the rebellious behavior of Hawkeye and company, and the soul-deadening savagery of war. The CBS series aired for 11 years, seven years...
- 8/15/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
When I was a little kid in the 1960s and a teen in the 1970s, there was simply no one cooler than Mel Brooks. He was the guy (along with Buck Henry) who created and wrote the comedy masterpiece “Get Smart,” and even as a child I could recognize the genius behind it. While I was a little too young to appreciate the greatness of his 1967 directorial debut, “The Producers”, once the ’70s rolled around I was in comedy heaven thanks to “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein.” Those two classics of big screen comedy came out the same year: 1974.
As a result, I spent much of that year as a high school sophomore and junior laughing my proverbial butt off in movie theaters (those things we used to frequent prior to the advent of streaming technology). The campfire farting scene in “Bs” was my generation’s comedic colossus.
I lost...
As a result, I spent much of that year as a high school sophomore and junior laughing my proverbial butt off in movie theaters (those things we used to frequent prior to the advent of streaming technology). The campfire farting scene in “Bs” was my generation’s comedic colossus.
I lost...
- 6/28/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
What do the 76th annual Tonys have in common with the 17th annual awards?
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
Stephen Sondheim.
The late, great influential composer is represented in this year’s Tonys with the acclaimed, popular revivals of his 1979 classic “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Street” earning eight nominations and 1987’s “Into the Woods” receiving six.
Sixty years ago, it was Sondheim’s musical comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which dominated the Tony Awards with six wins: best musical, best producer for Harold Prince, best director for George Abbott, best author for Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, leading actor for Zero Mostel and featured actor for David Burns. Ironically, Sondheim failed to earn a nomination for best original score (music and/or lyrics) written for the theater. He would not win for his tunes until “Company” in 1971. Vying in that category were “Stop the World I Wanted...
- 5/8/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Danette Herman was one of the key staff members of the Academy Awards ceremonies from the 1970s into the 2010s, beginning as a production assistant and rising through the ranks to become the show’s executive in charge of talent and coordinating producer. One of the few women to serve in key positions at the Oscars, she was with the show during the years of its highest ratings and largest cultural impact.
As the Academy prepares for the 95th Oscars ceremony, Herman asked TheWrap if she could share some memories of past shows, from an encounter with Katharine Hepburn in 1974 to a pair of anniversary shows in which she assembled historic groups of past winners. —Steve Pond
Congratulations to the Academy on 95 years of the Academy Awards. Almost 40 of those years are my history, also.
It began in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 40th Academy Awards were hosted by Bob Hope,...
As the Academy prepares for the 95th Oscars ceremony, Herman asked TheWrap if she could share some memories of past shows, from an encounter with Katharine Hepburn in 1974 to a pair of anniversary shows in which she assembled historic groups of past winners. —Steve Pond
Congratulations to the Academy on 95 years of the Academy Awards. Almost 40 of those years are my history, also.
It began in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 40th Academy Awards were hosted by Bob Hope,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Danette Herman
- The Wrap
Harvey Weinstein wanted all that jazz to himself when adapting the “Chicago” musical into an Oscar-winning film.
Goldie Hawn revealed during a Variety cover story that almost 15 years before Miramax’s “Chicago” won Best Picture in 2003, another adaptation was in the works starring herself and Madonna. Hawn was also set to produce. The original script was penned by Larry Gelbart and produced by Broadway veteran Marty Richards.
Weinstein announced in 1997, “It goes without saying that Roxie and Velma are two of the greatest roles ever written for musical actresses, and with Goldie, Madonna and the great Marty Richards on board, this promises to be one heck of a ride.”
Yet Weinstein later canceled the project and opted to go younger with the two female leads, according to Hawn.
“Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna,” Hawn said, noting that producer Weinstein allegedly commissioned a new script in which Hawn’s character was 23 years old.
Goldie Hawn revealed during a Variety cover story that almost 15 years before Miramax’s “Chicago” won Best Picture in 2003, another adaptation was in the works starring herself and Madonna. Hawn was also set to produce. The original script was penned by Larry Gelbart and produced by Broadway veteran Marty Richards.
Weinstein announced in 1997, “It goes without saying that Roxie and Velma are two of the greatest roles ever written for musical actresses, and with Goldie, Madonna and the great Marty Richards on board, this promises to be one heck of a ride.”
Yet Weinstein later canceled the project and opted to go younger with the two female leads, according to Hawn.
“Harvey basically undermined me and Madonna,” Hawn said, noting that producer Weinstein allegedly commissioned a new script in which Hawn’s character was 23 years old.
- 3/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Alan Alda is looking back on one of the most emotional scenes that occurred on “M*A*S*H”‘s 11-season run.
In honour of the show’s 50th anniversary on Sept. 17- exactly 50 years since the first episode premiered on Sept. 17, 1972- Alda reflected on an unexpected scene that “shocked the audience,” telling The New York Times it was when Colonel Henry Blake suddenly died. The character was portrayed by late actor McLean Stevenson.
“[Co-creator Larry Gelbart] showed me the scene. I think [it was] the morning of the shoot. I knew, but nobody else knew. He wanted to get everybody’s first-time reactions,” Alda, 86, recalled. “And it really affected [co-star] Gary Burghoff on camera. I think everybody was grateful for the shock.”
Read More: Alan Alda Talks Parkinson’s And His Polio Battle As A Child
The episode, titled “Abyssinia, Henry”, concluded with Burghoff’s character Radar telling the team that Col.
In honour of the show’s 50th anniversary on Sept. 17- exactly 50 years since the first episode premiered on Sept. 17, 1972- Alda reflected on an unexpected scene that “shocked the audience,” telling The New York Times it was when Colonel Henry Blake suddenly died. The character was portrayed by late actor McLean Stevenson.
“[Co-creator Larry Gelbart] showed me the scene. I think [it was] the morning of the shoot. I knew, but nobody else knew. He wanted to get everybody’s first-time reactions,” Alda, 86, recalled. “And it really affected [co-star] Gary Burghoff on camera. I think everybody was grateful for the shock.”
Read More: Alan Alda Talks Parkinson’s And His Polio Battle As A Child
The episode, titled “Abyssinia, Henry”, concluded with Burghoff’s character Radar telling the team that Col.
- 9/18/2022
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Marilyn Bergman, winner of multiple Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and more for her song lyrics, has died at 93. She passed at home in Los Angeles at 1:15 Am Pt Saturday morning with husband Alan Bergman and daughter Julie Bergman at her side. The cause of death was respiratory failure (non-covid related).
Bergman was a multi-award-winning lyricist with three Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and one Cable Ace Award, among others.
In collaboration with her husband, Alan, Marilyn won Oscars for the songs “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “The Way We Were” and for the score for Yentl. Since their first Oscar nomination in 1968, the Bergmans have been nominated 16 times- for such songs as “It Might Be You” from Tootsie, “How Do You Keep The Music Playing?” from Best Friends, “Papa Can You Hear Me?” and “The Way He Makes Me Feel” from Yentl, and...
Bergman was a multi-award-winning lyricist with three Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and one Cable Ace Award, among others.
In collaboration with her husband, Alan, Marilyn won Oscars for the songs “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “The Way We Were” and for the score for Yentl. Since their first Oscar nomination in 1968, the Bergmans have been nominated 16 times- for such songs as “It Might Be You” from Tootsie, “How Do You Keep The Music Playing?” from Best Friends, “Papa Can You Hear Me?” and “The Way He Makes Me Feel” from Yentl, and...
- 1/8/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Richard ‘Rusty’ Citron Dies: Theatrical Marketer For More Than 200 Films And Personal Manager Was 68
Richard Citron, aka “Rusty,” who was a marketing key to the revival of film interest in Marvel Comics properties and a personal manager for many big names, died Dec. 16 at age 68 from complications of Lewy Body Dementia.
He had been living at his home in Encino until September 2021, and was then in a memory care facility in Calabasas, Calif., according to longtime friend Don Barrett.
Citron started his career as a page for The David Frost Show in New York when he was 16 years old (he lied about his age to get the gig). For that humble start, he became recognized as a leader and innovator in the global marketing of motion pictures, television, online digital media, consumer products and philanthropy.
He led the team that revitalized Marvel Comics and the franchise of classic characters developed by Stan Lee. Over the course of his career, he guided and was responsible...
He had been living at his home in Encino until September 2021, and was then in a memory care facility in Calabasas, Calif., according to longtime friend Don Barrett.
Citron started his career as a page for The David Frost Show in New York when he was 16 years old (he lied about his age to get the gig). For that humble start, he became recognized as a leader and innovator in the global marketing of motion pictures, television, online digital media, consumer products and philanthropy.
He led the team that revitalized Marvel Comics and the franchise of classic characters developed by Stan Lee. Over the course of his career, he guided and was responsible...
- 1/2/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Richard “Rusty” Citron, a leading movie and television marketing executive and personal manager, died on Dec. 16 at the age of 68. The cause was Lewy body dementia.
Citron’s career in show business spanned more than four decades and saw him rub shoulders with prominent artists and creators from across the spectrum of the entertainment industry while overseeing the theatrical marketing of more than 200 motion pictures. As a marketing executive, Citron worked at 20th Century Fox, LucasFilm, Marvel, Walt Disney, MGM, Sony Pictures and Universal Studios. His tasks included everything from designing national mall promotions for George Lucas’ “Return of the Jedi” to creating buzz for the Rocky franchise.
His professional life began after the then 16-year old Citron lied about his age to get a job as a page for “The David Frost Show.” Early in his career, Citron was a personal manager and represented Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Dom DeLuise,...
Citron’s career in show business spanned more than four decades and saw him rub shoulders with prominent artists and creators from across the spectrum of the entertainment industry while overseeing the theatrical marketing of more than 200 motion pictures. As a marketing executive, Citron worked at 20th Century Fox, LucasFilm, Marvel, Walt Disney, MGM, Sony Pictures and Universal Studios. His tasks included everything from designing national mall promotions for George Lucas’ “Return of the Jedi” to creating buzz for the Rocky franchise.
His professional life began after the then 16-year old Citron lied about his age to get a job as a page for “The David Frost Show.” Early in his career, Citron was a personal manager and represented Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Dom DeLuise,...
- 1/1/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
When a classic television series goes off the air they rarely ever ride into the sunset thanks to the nostalgia channels that rerun the show, streaming services and DVD and Blu-Ray box sets. They are also often rebooted or turn up as a TV movie such as “Return to Mayberry,” “Return from the Man from U.N.C.L.E” and “Still the Beaver.” And networks also have mined ratings gold bringing back the casts of TV series often on a notable anniversary of the show for reminisces, tears and a plethora of clips.
This year, HBO Max scored with its much ballyhooed and at times surprisingly emotional “Friends: The Reunion,” It just received an Emmy nomination for Best Variety Special (pre-taped), as did “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote,” which found the cast of the multi-Emmy Award-winning NBC series reuniting to encourage people to vote...
This year, HBO Max scored with its much ballyhooed and at times surprisingly emotional “Friends: The Reunion,” It just received an Emmy nomination for Best Variety Special (pre-taped), as did “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote,” which found the cast of the multi-Emmy Award-winning NBC series reuniting to encourage people to vote...
- 7/15/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Welcome to Rolling Stone‘s weekly coverage of Disney+’s WandaVision. I reviewed the series yesterday, and have specific, spoiler-filled thoughts on the first two episodes, coming up just as we decide if gum is food…
After that review published, several readers asked how much knowledge they needed of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to follow this show. Knowledge of, and affection for, Nick at Nite, I told them, would probably be way more valuable than remembering which side Wanda and Vision were on in Captain America: Civil War.
Yes, Elizabeth Olsen...
After that review published, several readers asked how much knowledge they needed of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to follow this show. Knowledge of, and affection for, Nick at Nite, I told them, would probably be way more valuable than remembering which side Wanda and Vision were on in Captain America: Civil War.
Yes, Elizabeth Olsen...
- 1/15/2021
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Director Steven Soderbergh and producers Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins will produce the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25, 2021, the Academy announced on Tuesday.
The announcement did not specify whether the show would be in-person or virtual, a decision that will not be made until the course of the Covid-19 pandemic is clearer.
While Collins is a television producer with a long history of producing live awards shows like the Grammys, BET Awards and Soul Train Awards and Sher is a veteran producer with Oscar nominations for “Django Unchained” and “Erin Brockovich,” the presence of Soderbergh on the producing team is a surprise and something of a coup for Academy president David Rubin.
Soderbergh, who won the Best Director Oscar for “Traffic” in 2000, is an adventurous and iconoclastic film and television director whose work includes “sex, lies and videotape,” “Contagion,” “Out of Sight,” the “Oceans” movies, “Magic Mike” and the recent...
The announcement did not specify whether the show would be in-person or virtual, a decision that will not be made until the course of the Covid-19 pandemic is clearer.
While Collins is a television producer with a long history of producing live awards shows like the Grammys, BET Awards and Soul Train Awards and Sher is a veteran producer with Oscar nominations for “Django Unchained” and “Erin Brockovich,” the presence of Soderbergh on the producing team is a surprise and something of a coup for Academy president David Rubin.
Soderbergh, who won the Best Director Oscar for “Traffic” in 2000, is an adventurous and iconoclastic film and television director whose work includes “sex, lies and videotape,” “Contagion,” “Out of Sight,” the “Oceans” movies, “Magic Mike” and the recent...
- 12/8/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Charlie Hauck, a writer-producer who penned scripts for some of TV’s most iconic sitcoms – Maude, Frasier, Home Improvement, One Day At A Time and, under a pseudonym as a favor to Larry Gelbert, one episode of M*A*S*H – died at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, Nov. 14, of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 79.
His death was confirmed by his daughter Flannery Cogan Hauck.
“Nobody made me laugh harder, or more often, than Charlie Hauck,” said Maude creator Norman Lear. “He defined ‘funny’ and was a glorious man and friend.”
Hauck, whose career spanned more than 35 years, created the 1986 Valerie Harper comedy Valerie and co-created The Associates, the 1979 ABC sitcom that introduced a young Canadian actor named Martin Short to U.S. audiences.
Hauck’s knack for recognizing young comic talent also contributed heavily to another longstanding Hollywood career: Remembering a friend from his pre-Los Angeles days at Pittsburgh’s Wqed-tv,...
His death was confirmed by his daughter Flannery Cogan Hauck.
“Nobody made me laugh harder, or more often, than Charlie Hauck,” said Maude creator Norman Lear. “He defined ‘funny’ and was a glorious man and friend.”
Hauck, whose career spanned more than 35 years, created the 1986 Valerie Harper comedy Valerie and co-created The Associates, the 1979 ABC sitcom that introduced a young Canadian actor named Martin Short to U.S. audiences.
Hauck’s knack for recognizing young comic talent also contributed heavily to another longstanding Hollywood career: Remembering a friend from his pre-Los Angeles days at Pittsburgh’s Wqed-tv,...
- 11/20/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Murray Schisgal, whose writing brought a 1964 Tony Award nomination for the Broadway play Luv and a 1982 Oscar nomination for the hit Dustin Hoffman comedy Tootsie, died Oct. 1 at a nursing home in Port Chester, New York. He was 93.
His death was announced by his son Zach Schisgal. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Schisgal, a Brooklyn native, first came to public notice in 1963 with the popular Off Broadway plays The Typists and The Tiger. Two years later his Broadway debut, the absurdist hit comedy Luv, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and for Best Author of a Play. Directed by Mike Nichols, Luv starred Eli Wallach, Ann Jackson and Alan Arkin.
A 1967 film version of Luv, starring Jack Lemmon, Elaine May and Peter Falk, directed by Clive Donner, was largely ignored, as was 1967’s The Tiger Makes Out, the film version of Schisgal’s play The Tiger starring Wallach and Jackson,...
His death was announced by his son Zach Schisgal. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Schisgal, a Brooklyn native, first came to public notice in 1963 with the popular Off Broadway plays The Typists and The Tiger. Two years later his Broadway debut, the absurdist hit comedy Luv, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play and for Best Author of a Play. Directed by Mike Nichols, Luv starred Eli Wallach, Ann Jackson and Alan Arkin.
A 1967 film version of Luv, starring Jack Lemmon, Elaine May and Peter Falk, directed by Clive Donner, was largely ignored, as was 1967’s The Tiger Makes Out, the film version of Schisgal’s play The Tiger starring Wallach and Jackson,...
- 10/5/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The word rang out this morning in the world of laughter. A member of comedy royalty had taken his last well-deserved bow.
Here’s how the AP news service spread the word:
New York (AP) — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98.
Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy said he died Monday night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
While he made significant contributions to the worlds of live theatre, television, recordings, and literature, we at Wamg would like to applaud his body of work in motion pictures: acting, writing and directing. But in order to begin, lets’ double back to TV. Carl first achieved worldwide...
Here’s how the AP news service spread the word:
New York (AP) — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98.
Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy said he died Monday night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
While he made significant contributions to the worlds of live theatre, television, recordings, and literature, we at Wamg would like to applaud his body of work in motion pictures: acting, writing and directing. But in order to begin, lets’ double back to TV. Carl first achieved worldwide...
- 7/1/2020
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Comedy legend and TV pioneer Carl Reiner died at 98, according to Variety. His assistant, Judy Nagy, said he was with his family when he died of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills on Monday night.
Reiner was one of the true greats. He helped shape comedy on television from the early golden era. Filmed comedy would not be the same without him. Even standup comedy owes him a great debt. There are sandwiches named after him in kosher delis around the world. Reiner was always beloved, and forever acting. He was instantly popular from the moment he appeared on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows in 1950. He and Mel Brooks brought a party gag to national prominence they created the “2,000 Year Old Man” routine. He was veteran conman Saul Bloom in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven movie franchise, played Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer’s stepfather on Two and a Half Men.
Reiner was one of the true greats. He helped shape comedy on television from the early golden era. Filmed comedy would not be the same without him. Even standup comedy owes him a great debt. There are sandwiches named after him in kosher delis around the world. Reiner was always beloved, and forever acting. He was instantly popular from the moment he appeared on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows in 1950. He and Mel Brooks brought a party gag to national prominence they created the “2,000 Year Old Man” routine. He was veteran conman Saul Bloom in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven movie franchise, played Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer’s stepfather on Two and a Half Men.
- 6/30/2020
- by Kayti Burt
- Den of Geek
Carl Reiner didn’t mean to create The Dick Van Dyke Show — or, rather, he didn’t mean to create a show for Dick Van Dyke. When he sat down to write what was then called Head of the Family, Reiner was basing its hero, Rob Petrie, on his own experiences as a suburban dad and writer for Sid Caesar’s sketch-comedy shows. So who better to play Rob than himself? Reiner starred in the pilot episode, with Barbara Britton as Rob’s wife, Laura, and Morty Gunty and Sally Rogers...
- 6/30/2020
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Los Angeles – If there ever was a living embodiment of show business history from the mid 20th Century to now, it was Carl Reiner. The producer, director, writer and sometimes actor worked in the business from 1938 to the present, and is probably best known for creating “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-66). He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on June 29th, 2020.
Reiner touched all forms of media, up to and including the modern social media, where he was active on Twitter (read one of his last tweets below). His incredible resume includes film director, TV series creator and movie/TV performer.
Carl Reiner in a Recent Publicity Picture
Photo credit: Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner was born in the Bronx, New York, and first tried theater as a 16-year-old during the Depression (1938). He was drafted into the Army Air Forces during World War II and eventually landed into Special Forces,...
Reiner touched all forms of media, up to and including the modern social media, where he was active on Twitter (read one of his last tweets below). His incredible resume includes film director, TV series creator and movie/TV performer.
Carl Reiner in a Recent Publicity Picture
Photo credit: Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner was born in the Bronx, New York, and first tried theater as a 16-year-old during the Depression (1938). He was drafted into the Army Air Forces during World War II and eventually landed into Special Forces,...
- 6/30/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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