Writing for I LOVE LUCY and Other Funny Stuff: An Interview with Bob Schiller (Past Times Comedy Writing Series) (6 page)
Authors: Jordan Young
Writing for Groucho Marx and Fred Allen
:
Interviews with Irving Brecher and Bob Weiskopf
Directing Laurel and Hardy: An Interview with George Marshall
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A46DRIM
Spike Jones on
Lp, Cd, Mp3 & Dvd
: A Guide To The Essentials
(Past Times Vintage Entertainment Series, 2012)
http://amazon.com/dp/B007Z9FBH6
Stand-Up Comedy and Solo Performance
(Past Times Solo Performance Series, 2012)
Academy Award Losers, 1912-1939: Great
Performances
in the Oscar Hall of Shame, Vol. 1
(Past Times Film Close-Up Series, 2012)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ARTJGOA
Connect with the Author
email:
[email protected]
website:
www.actingsolo.com
twitter: twitter.com/#!/jyoung50
Amazon Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Jordan-R.-Young/e/B001K8E7NW/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Fred Allen, whom John Steinbeck called “unquestionably the best humorist of ou
r time,” held his own when dining or trading letters with Groucho Marx. Allen achieved the huge success in radio that eluded Marx, a circumstance ironically reversed in television.
Two- time Marx Brothers screenwriter Irving Brecher, whom Groucho considered a great wit, recalls in this ebook the difficulty of scripting films for the team, and his unsuccessful efforts to create a solo radio show for the comedian—who “couldn’t stomach… that blow to his ego” after an earlier show was canceled.
Bob Weiskopf discusses his “prestigious” gig working for Allen, Fred’s phony feud with Jack Benny, writing for such guest stars as Humphrey Bogart and Orson Welles, the popular Allen’s Alley characters, the writing sessions, the battles with network execs, and more. Plus: Charlie Isaacs talks about writing for Marx, and his failed attempt to sell a script to Allen; writer Hal Kanter recalls his friendship with Allen.
Veteran Hollywood film director George Marshall was working on his autobiography in 1974 when writer-historian Jordan Young requested an interview. The filmmaker declined, but agreed when Young promised to focus on Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, whom he directed in three pictures. Marshall is apparently the only director to discuss working with the beloved comedy team in an in-depth interview; the autobiography never materialized.
Marshall (1891-1975), who directed an estimated 425 films, also talks briefly about his beginnings in Hollywood as an extra circa 1912, his experiences making Ruth Roland serials, working at Hal Roach Studios, and directing two other teams: Thelma Todd & ZaSu Pitts, and Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis.
This ebook also includes an overview of Marshall’s lengthy career, which featured films of every genre—notably the comedy-western
Destry Rides Again
. Brief assessments of the director’s work are given by Leonard Maltin and others.