Ian Talks Comedy

Patrick W eathers joined me (while watching the December 20, 1980 episode of SNL ) to discuss moving up to NY in 1979; working at Studio 54; writing a book about Studio 54 but his agent thinks a TV job is more secure; cold calling Audrey Peart Dickman; his impressions; doing practice sketches; getting his friend David Sheffield to submit; he and David getting hired; meeting Eddie Murphy; Joe Pisco...

Ken Levine joined me and discussed the influence of Sgt. Bilko and The Dick Van Dyke show to him and his peers; bad 60's TV; when he decided to become a writer ; why they are known as Levine & Isaacs; writing a spec Mary Tyler Moore Show; writing for Jeffersons and Joe & Sons; writing freelance M*A*S*H* ; being a college DJ; watching "Bananas" and not wanting to be an old DJ lead him to re...

Game show legend Thom McKee joined me to discuss his growing up watching Jeopardy; sitting as a child reading encyclopedias in the bathroom; how his navy training made him quick witted; taking the "general" game show test but wanting Tic Tac Dough because there was no limit; originally taping on weekends; the Navy learning about it and he becomes a celebrity; taping five episodes in a day; getting...

Joel Thurm joined me to discuss watching Milton Berle, wrestling, and Disney as a child; wanting to be an actor but finding his calling backstage; working for David Merrick; casting Broadway; moving to L.A.; working on The P earl Bailey Show ; musical guest appearances; Ethel Winant; casting The Bob Newhart Show ; casting Henry Winkler and John Randolph; casting Raul Julia, Katherine Helmond, John...

Herschel Weingrod joined me to discuss being influenced by Billy Wilder and Laurel and Hardy; getting his Bachelors in European history; taking film courses close to graduation; going to the London Film School for graduate school; odd jobs taken; looking to write a film noir; getting the idea for "Cheaper to Keep Her" from an article; having Mac Davis star; Roger Ebert said it was a good script; w...

Patric Verrone and I discuss his influences: Chuck McCann, Sonny Fox, Officer Joe Bolton and Jim Henson; Steve Martin; Carl Gottlieb; growing up in Ft. Myers, Florida; going to Harvard with Al Jean; his Lampoon competition packet; working with Andy & Susan Borowitz, Conan O'Brien, and future wife Maiya Williams on the Lampoon; becoming a lawyer; taking a leave of absence to try comedy writing;...

Rick Podell and I discuss his early influences; Jackie Gleason; Ed Sullivan; 50's and 60's standups; Alan King; doing standup for his dog; tap dancing; leaving college to do Dames at Sea off Broadway; getting hired as a Universal contract player; doing Baretta and getting a mentor in Robert Blake; Busting Loose ; Garry Marshall; Paramount commissary; Chopped Liver Brothers ; how appearing on the M...

Interviews with four people who wrote to "Late Night with David Letterman" and their queries answered.  1. Carlin Trammel Philo IL 1992; 2. Michael Austin, Pico, Texas September 6, 1984; 3. Scott (Wofford) Kirk September 6, 1984; and Keri Maijala December 6, 1984

Doug McIntyre joined me to discuss Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett)'s testicular accident and narcolepsy; Catholic school; other Great Neck residents Andy Kaufman and Alan King; sitcoms; the Dick Van Dyke Show ; the Odd Couple ; Norman Lear and Garry Marshall schools of sitcoms; working with Lowell Ganz on Knight and Day ; going to Stonehill College; working in advertising; meeting and writing f...

I was a big fan of John Putch for many years...unfortunately this taping was ruined by a bad connection.  I was able to save over a half hour of the interview, in which John and I discussed being on the Cold Turkey movie set; directing Dick Van Dyke thirty plus years later; appearing with his mom, Jean Stapleton on talk shows; first acting appearance on All in the Family ; playing Bob Morton...

NewsRadio's Sesame Street ; favorite episodes of Taxi ; his submissions for Harvard Lampoon and SNL ; the change to writing half hour; how Newsradio creator Paul Simms hired comedy writers with no sitcom experience; his first episodes was co-written with Paul Simms; Newsradio's own style of writing; the length of days at Newsradio ; hours were similar to Barney Miller; Christmas Story one of my fa...

The J. Geils Band Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz joined me to talk about his first musical hero, Louis Armstrong; practicing his instruments; playing the cornet; getting his first harmonica at the ae of3 when he had the flu; wearing harmonicas; how long a harmonica can last; "Whammer Jammer" breaks harmonicas; meeting J. Geils and Danny Klein in 1966; bootlegs; first record deal; having the Allman B...

Jeremiah Ukponrefe joined me to discuss being Canadian; not being a reader growing up; memoirs being both hard to read but also fascinating; the Percy Jackson series; The Outsiders; Of Mice and Men; writing a book; his process; "booing" candy on Halloween; his book The Hive, being Star Wars meets Starship Troopers; morals being subtly hidden in science fiction; self-publishing; his book being one...

Game show legend Jim Peck joined me to talk about living in Milwaukee during the Happy Days era; favorite radio shows; the first time he saw a television; going to Marquette University; getting the performing bug; his first job as a booth announcer at WISN; Don Pardo; hosting a series called Confrontation ;  Jim Peck's Hotline ; hard to get guests; Take it from Here from Washington DC; Big Showdow...

Comedian Glenn Hirsch joined me to talk about his "nickname" Gleeb Hush; the other Glenn Hirsch (The Duck Sauce Killer); meeting a third Glenn Hirsch (a doctor); a similar situation I had with my brother; growing up in Jackson Heights, Queens; his mother being an organized hoarder; old report cards; being a fan of impressionists not comedians growing up; always able to make others laugh; sixth gra...

Comedy writer D.B. Frick joined me to discuss watching the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; George Carlin; comedians of the 1980's; baseball; John Mulaney; banging Bond babes; Herschel Walker; trying stand up; Wantagh; GPS; The Amazing Race; reality TV; Herve Villechaize; Antonio Banderas; Peter Dinklage; blackface; working at UCLA with Conchatta Farrell; Abe Vigoda; being an intern on Late Ni...

Director Paul Miller joined me to discuss appearing on TV before ever watching it; Howdy Doody ; becoming a director; getting hired at the Ohio State University TV station; getting a job at KGO TV San Fransisco; Electra Woman and Dyna Girl ; working freelance for NBC Sports; directing the Oscars and the Osmonds; getting the call to direct Fridays ; working with KISS; directing the Hollywood C...

Diana Peckham joined me on the phone to discuss watching the Wide World of Disney and The Ed Sullivan Show ; "The Wizard of Oz"; her father being a wrestler in the 1956 Olympics and her grandfather being a professional wrestler in the 1930's; awareness of Andy Kaufman; seeing his challenge on SNL and writing a letter in; being one of four chosen for a "wrestle off"; taking her father and grandfath...

Melanie Chartoff joined me to discuss watching Soupy Sales and Steve Allen; being interviewed by Johnny Carson and Oprah Winfrey; living by herself in Woodstock, NY her the summer of her junior and senior years of high school; her college sweetheart; writing funny songs and putting it into an act; auditioning for the new Laugh In ; moving to L.A.; being in the Proposition; working at the Improv wi...

Tracy Newman joins me to discuss the first time she picked up a guitar; folk music; her favorite childhood movie "Hans Christan Anderson"; Danny Kaye; George Carlin; Jeff Altman; going to college; going to New York; The Limelighters; Italy; performing at the Bitter End; performing at the Improv; becoming a teacher at the Groundlings; Rodney Dangerfield; dating Rodney Dangerfield; The Groundlings b...

Brian Levant joined me to discuss his first TV souvenir: the scripts to a defunct series Noonday; collecting box tops to get toys; still feeling the way about toys that he did when he first got them; his book "My Life in Toys"; his first word being TV related; collecting salt and pepper shakers; playing with the toys he collected and not keeping them in pristine condition; watching Leave it to Bea...

Teri Bolo joined by to discuss the lack of Groundling representation on my podcast; her first vivid memory of seeing Peter Pan on TV; going to see Pollyanna and being told she looked like Hailey Mills; her and her aunt going to Gary Austins improv class, which became The Groundlings; what it means to teach improv or to take improv classes; the rules of improv; whether characters are created or fin...

written by Ian Fermaglich cast:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Ben Rosenfeld / waiter..........................Dylan Gottesman www.backstage.com/tal/dylan-gottesman   dylangottesman@gmail.com         ...

Paul joined me to discuss being happy; Earth Angel; taking a year off from college to write a hit; his management changing his age and name; coming from a musical family; his father hating rock 'n' roll; Elvis; making demos in Nashville; Conan O'Brien; The Pointer Sisters; Brill Building; his hits "When" and "7 Little Girls"; "7 Little Girls" being banned in Boston; performing on Dick Clark's Satu...

Jon Schroeder joined me to discuss his fake imdb facts; his influences Pee Wee Herman, Chris Elliot, Garry Shandling; Sledge Hammer ; going to San Fransisco State; his first job, copying Fresh Prince and Family Matters episodes for syndication; writing promos for the WB; meeting and writing with Doug Benson; getting hired on The Sarah Silverman Program ; her show being more cartoonish than Bob's B...