Tom Galloway does.
While there are actors who have prestige (Hanks, Streep, let's say Clooney, Mirren, etc.) it seems for the last few years it's the franchise or overall type of picture that opens, not any of the actors to any great degree. So, while for example you've got the Chrises as "stars" (Hemsworth, Pratt, Pike, etc.) I don't think any of them have done well with movies outside of particular franchises. And unlike Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murray, etc., I can't think of anyone who can open a comedy these days.
Kevin Hart maybe if you go strictly by boxoffice performance. But comedy really took a bath last year. Deservedly so based on the material itself. Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Melissa McCarthy, Adam Sandler, Rebel Wilson barely made a dent. Who knew? Stars aren’t enough. Audiences want good writing. Amy Schumer in a movie does not automatically make it funny.
Bob Gassel asks:
I notice MASH never did a flashback to events from before the series started (Hawkeye getting drafted, Klinger first putting on a dress, etc), was this ever discussed, or was it forbidden in the show playbook.
It was a creative choice not to leave Korea. So if we wanted to show scenes from home they were home movies shown in the camp.
Flashbacks were never discussed during my tenure. But there was an episode where relatives of the 4077 members got together for a party stateside. There was some discussion over whether we see any of it and ultimately we decided not to. Part of the feeling we wanted to convey was that these soldiers felt isolated and cut off from the real world. So if they couldn’t be there we didn’t want the audience to be there either.
Someone who calls herself Maris Crane wonders:
On the shows you have written for, are there any characters that you just instinctively got?
I’d have to say Klinger, Frasier, Martin Crane and don’t make fun of me but Diane Chambers.
And finally, from Tom:
Given the high turnover rates in the ranks of studio executives, what is the downside to re-submitting a script a couple of years later that a previous regime had said no to? A) Who would know? and B) Even if they did know, it's a new set of decision-making eyes, no?
Every script submitted to a studio is logged in. Then they all receive “coverage.” That’s a two-page report summarizing the plot, critiquing the writing, and making recommendations to either consider or reject the screenplay.
So to answer your first question, they would all know. New decision-makers rarely look back at past regimes. Either the script was originally rejected or if recommended the new regime generally thinks it must be shit because the old regime was shit.
What's your Friday Question? Leave it in the comments section. Thanks.
from By Ken Levine
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