David Lloyd was one of the greatest TV comedy writers of all-time. Among others, he wrote the famous “Chuckles Bites the Dust” episode of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. He also wrote some of the best episodes of TAXI and FRASIER among others.
On CHEERS when we gave a writer a script assignment he or she came in and we all worked out the story beats. Along the way various joke suggestions were made. A lot of information was flying around that room. Early in our career, David Isaacs and I used to bring a cassette recorder and tape the story conferences. (God, I wish I had some of those tapes today.)
Every other writer would bring a pad and take copious notes. Eventually, on CHEERS we had a writers’ assistant join us and take notes. A session could be ten pages of jokes, fragments of ideas, plot points, things discarded, etc. And even then things were left out. But these were supplied to the writer as a back-up.
When David Lloyd came in he took no notes. None. He just sat, usually feet up on the coffee table, hands behind his head, listening and chiming in suggestions. As he was leaving we said we’d send him the notes. “Don’t bother,” he’d always say.
I remember the first time thinking, God knows what we’re going to get back.
Astonishingly, he would turn in his outline and have EVERYTHING that was discussed. Even joke pitches in the exact wording of the pitch. We had the writers’ assistant’s notes to compare. How he did that I do not know. When I take notes in longhand I have 24 hours to transcribe it because even I can’t decipher what I wrote after that.
Just one of the many reasons I was in awe of David Lloyd. Then the script that followed the outline was generally brilliant. Yet another reason.
from By Ken Levine
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