Now for some end of the month Friday Questions:
Unkystan leads off:
During the series finale of The Big Bang Theory last year there was a scene about loading the elevator with luggage (which I found to be ridiculous). Last evening I watched the episode again in syndication and the scene was gone. What I wondering was, do writers insert extraneous scenes like this knowing they’ll be cut for time later on in order to keep the integrity of the episode intact?
If you print this...please edit it ( to keep the integrity)
I obviously can’t speak for why decisions were made on THE BIG BANG THEORY – I wasn’t there. I will say this, most series finales, where the networks want expanded episodes to get additional advertising revenue, usually results in a certain amount of padding.
But when shows get cut for syndication, often filler scenes are left in while necessary scenes are cut. This has always baffled me. Rarely will anyone actually associated with the show be involved in the editing-for-syndication decisions. And most of the time if they have the chance to get them wrong they will.
What shows used to do was have “tags” -- two minute scenes -- between the last commercial break and end titles. Those were usually liftable, should the editors have enough brains to do that.
From Paul Hornstein:
As we approach Spring training, everyone knows how funny Bob Uecker is, but in your baseball travels, who are some of the funny people you met in baseball?
I’ll limit my answers to announcers. There are quite a few who have great senses of humor although most don’t display it on the air.
But here are a few (with apologies to the ones I overlooked):
The best and funniest by far is Jon Miller, now with the Giants. First class wit, can also do impressions, and is the best after-dinner speaker you’ll ever find. What a pleasure it was working with him in Baltimore in ’91.
Joe Buck has a wicked sense of humor but takes so much uncalled-for abuse on social media I think he’s reluctant to display it.
The late Lon Simmons, and the the late Richie Ashburn were hilarious off the air.
Among current announcers -- Ted Leitner of the Padres, Eric Nadel of the Rangers is sneaky funny, Ian Eagle, Jason Benetti of the White Sox is great in every aspect of the job including humor, Dick Stockton, just-retired Marty Brenneman of the Reds, Duane Kuiper and Dave Flemming of the Giants (that team is loaded with great announcers), Rick Monday of the Dodgers (more off than on the air), and Sean McDonough, now back with the Red Sox.
Also the late Jimmy Piersal, and Jack Buck. Some announcers who have passed on but were not intentionally funny were Harry Caray and Jerry Coleman.
More names -- Howie Rose of the Mets, Josh Lewin, Dan Hoard, Joe Angel, and Bob Walk.
I employed humor a lot in my broadcasts and I’d say maybe 75% of the audience loved it and the rest hated me for it. You have to be willing to stick your neck out if you want to add a little fun to your broadcast. I think that’s why most of today’s young broadcasters are all generic and interchangeable and basically boring.
Brother Herbert asks:
Do you consider yourself an extrovert? Being rather reserved myself, I've always envied people who can speak extemporaneously, on cue and for a given amount of time when necessary, like radio personalities and sportscasters. Since you've done both, is being outgoing a prerequisite of the job, or at least having the ability to fake it really, really well?
I am more extroverted than introverted, but I’m hardly “the life of the party” guy.
As former Paramount TV president, John Pike said on my podcast a few weeks ago, you need to develop that skill if you’re a writer because you’ll have to pitch your ideas and the ones that sell are the ones pitched with passion.
And finally Powerhouse Salter has a question based on a former FQ answer when I said we lost out a spec script sale when it was announced that Robin Williams was attached to a similar project.
Regarding the script that was rejected because a similar story was in production with Robin Williams attached, did you and David Isaacs discuss just changing its genre?
The problem was ours was a comedy where rebels take over a Club Med in the Caribbean, and Robin’s was about a guy who starts a Club Med-type resort in the Caribbean. Our whole premise depended on a Club Med resort and its sheltered entitled guests. And it needed to be a comedy.
May I just say in closing that I saw the Robin Williams movie, CLUB PARADISE and it sucked? Our was way better. Not that that means anything now.
What’s your Friday Question?
from By Ken Levine
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