Gifted with the opportunity to work for some incredible writers and storytellers in my early Hollywood career, two come to mind as having the greatest impact on my appreciation for telling stories with humor:
Rod Parker (Writer/Producer) and Hal Cooper (Director/Producer).
Alongside iconic television creator, Norman Lear, (who innovated the situational comedy format we know as the sitcom) they were both Emmy nominated for their respective works (Hal, an Emmy winner).
At a time when artists were still feeling the residual effects of being blacklisted in Hollywood, it was no surprise that life’s absurdities were sprouting up in every direction.
East coast to west coast, uptown to downtown, from the Burroughs to the “Burbs,” America’s moral standards were running amok to swamps of murkiness.
Worse, our minds’ abilities for making good choices were swimming laps in the muddy waters.
But before the sands of time ran out, life guards of change were storming the beaches, racing to administer our funny bones with tanks full of laughing gas.
The Intersection of Art and Time
Visual and verbal mediums met and merged.
Writers, producers, actors and directors began swapping stories; brainstorming about the infinite possibilities of answers to the question of “what if?”
Holding up hand-held mirrors to society’s behaviors’ (socially and politically) they resuscitated our hearts with humor and life-changing stories.
And good stories can change people, even if they’re watched on TV for thirty minutes a week.
The Infinite Possibilities of “What If”
Week to week, we waited with excitement and anticipation for the arrival of our favorite house guests.
Families gathered and dad’s tipped back in their “reclimbing” chairs.
With the simple turn of a little plastic knob, the “vertizontal” hold of television’s gaze gave everyone a little time to escape.
Living rooms lit up as we danced at the Copacabana with hot-blooded bandleader, Ricky Ricardo and fell down laughing at Lucy’s masterful physical comedy (who can forget her inebriated Vitametavegamin audition).
Falling in love with a Master and his Jeannie, men fantasized about different kinds of wives, and wives dreamed of polishing off liquor bottles and refilling them with lush, plush velvet cushions tiny enough to slide down the throat of a bottle’s neck.
We all wanted to escape.
To an island with seven castaways who had more than enough clothes to go around, sip sweet elixirs from bamboo straws in scooped out coconut shells and swim in a lagoon.
While Meathead married Gloria, we watched black Americans movin’ up, white Americans movin’ out and felt relief laughing at the antics of rude, bald bosses.
And then there was Maude.
And Archie Bunker, a “good natured bigot” who told us that America was going down the “terlet;” passing right out our lower “intestubes,” and for the first time on television we heard a “terlet” flush, just for affect.
I Know You Are, but What am I?
Once a week for thirty minutes, no one was better than.
Nor were they so good, they didn’t know how it felt to tongue-twist truth.
Even if we’re only escaping from bellyaches with some after dinner bellyache laughing, a getaway is getaway.
Perversely palatable, if we’re laughing at exaggerated stereotypes and minimizing minorities at the same time.
Rules Aren’t Made to be Broken?
As Archie, one of television’s greatest written for characters chastised us to wake up from our “fiestas,” cameras focused and pencils poised to rewrite the rules, and history.
But writing and directing sitcoms about sex, drugs, war, political activism, religion, homosexuality, alcoholism, mental illness, domestic abuse, etc. was met by strict legal standards and enforced by studio and network executives – “The Suits,” we called them.
And Washington politicians (We had names for them too).
“Bureaucraps.”
Even showing the marriage bed of a married woman like Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” or Barbara Eden’s exposed navel on “I Dream of Jeannie” was fair game for the teeth of a cutting room’s floor.
Comedy Relief
Rod once told me: “You get ten writers in a room, you’ll get eleven opinions. Twelve, if you count Hal.”
Perhaps, these special comedic minds-of-the-times missed being born with more normal defects.
Maybe they were tied with “umbiblical” cords, their senses of humor “warfed” so deftly; disability’s defects had to be forgiven.
In light of Rod and Hal’s incredible senses of humor, that’s the best I’ve got for how they were able to view life, and embrace all of its absurdities with the lenses of laughter that they did.
Meanwhile, Back at the Office
Rod picked up the working draft of his script and with all the courage I could “mustard,” I asked him naively: “How did you know that line was the funniest and the one to keep?” (He had so much patience.)
With his curled-up-script in one hand, carry-cup of favorite pencils swirling in the other, he stopped short of my desk.
As if letting me in on his greatest secret, he thumped that script to his heart and said:
“Listen to your heart. Whatever makes you laugh in here is the one you keep.”
Then he headed down the hallway towards a room known as the comedy writer’s battle ground, the “War Room,” when an afterthought turned him around to add:
“And I run the show.”
“Ahhh, the eleventh opinion,” I smiled as he crossed battle’s threshold and disappeared.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that was one of my first real-life lessons in a Master Class on comedy writing – with a master.
Laughing Revival
Do you have any favorite sitcom memories, or just wish laughing gas was legal?
I would love to laugh at your recollections, so write the first things that make you laugh and hit send.
To laughing at memories, laughing gas being legal, and finding humor today…
…Cheers.
To Be Continued: Finding the Perfect Button
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
awww, so great to remember Rod Parker…comedic genius! Wish I could recollect actual sitcom memories…I only remember it was great to laugh at everyday stuff—like real life should have us doing. Today I still wear an I-Dream-of-Jeanie ponytail, and occasionally hear that boing-klunk sound in my head when I’m trying to blink & think to change what I’m hearing or looking at.
OMG – i hear the boing-klunk sound too! right after i cross my arms, “Jeannie” style and prentend that the boing-klunking noise will magically clean my house, and then some. HA
thanks for reading and writing.
To the mooooooon, Alice. Why I outta! there are just so many great shows.
On this day (Jan. 19) in 1953, 68% all American televisions were tuned in to CBS-TV, as Lucy Ricardo, of “I Love Lucy,” gave birth to a baby boy. By and large, sitcom television WAS the extent of our “social media” world!
pretty amazing, considering today’s social media world. wow.
great one!!!!!
thanks for reading, laura. now delete “sister,” so my readers don’t think you’re just saying that cuz you have to! Haaaaaa love you, regardless of our sister-ness. as always, thanks for reading and for your superbly accurate insights. LOL xo
The scene I remember best: Mary is applying for a job.
Lou Grant: “You’ve got spunk.”
Mary: Pleased,flattered, tries to look humble.
Lou Grant: “I hate spunk!”
I remember it well. Was there ever a better assembled cast of characters-MTM, Lou, Ted, Murray, Betty White, who is fortunately, still part of today’s comedy culture? I think MTM might be my all time favorite show of old.
Rod used to have a friendly “competition” with the writers of other shows in town. They’d rib each other about story ideas and “threaten” to one-up their counterparts, e.g. “Oh, you’re writing about soup? We’re writing a two-parter on sandwiches.” My delivery is lacking here, but their good-natured bantering was quite funny to listen to!
Thanks for reading and remembering.
Hi Mo,
Vitameatavegamin is my favorite “I Love Lucy” episode. I have the magnet on my refrigerator!
Other faves from those shows, in addition to certain episodes, are quotable quotes… why just today I quoted Gomer Pyle with “surPRISE surPRISE!” And I can’t tell you how many times in a week I burst out with “Oh Rob!” a la Laura Petrie. These shows have affected generations. I LOVE THEM! Who can forget Ferris Bueller dancing around with a towel on his head to the “I Dream of Jeannie” tune? These shows live on – thankfully! Comedies are my favorites.. and sitcoms and I go so far back that my parents used to call me Rerun as a kid.
Anyway, thanks for the insight and letting us “behind the scenes!”
And what about that scene where Lucy and Ethel can’t get the chocolates off the conveyor belt fast enough, so they start shoving chocolates into their mouths! So funny.
The incredible thing about working with these guys, Rod and Hal, and others, was hearing first hand, the behind the scenes goings-on – sometimes more hysterical than the shows themselves – of the shows we grew up with. It gave me such an appreciation for what writers really do, specifically, for the actors… While Lucy gets all the credit, and is most deserving of it, obviously, it was Madelyn Pugh Davis, one of the only successful women in Hollywood at the time, besides Lucy, who co-created “I Love Lucy.” She wrote and rehearsed all those physical sketches that Lucy did on camera, like Vitametavegamin! Amazing!
Thanks so much for reading and for the hilarious recollections. I have a magnet on my refrigerator of the Brady Bunch!!!!!!!!! LOL
“Shazaam!” was a farovite quote from Gomer Pyle. Loved the simple day to day humor in each of these shows. Watched the gals from a different angle as I thought my life’s journey was to become a female actress or comedian — Laura Petrie, Sally Rogers, Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda and especially Carol Burnett. She was my gal.
Kathi
Those are some great, funny women to remember. Remember how funny the Carol Burnett show was when they’d crack themselves up during the skits? They still make me laugh so hard, I cry. Mister a Wiggins… nothing better than laughing that hard.
Thanks, Kathi. Appreciate your reading and writing in…
mo
Just thinking of “I Love Lucy” immediately makes me smile. I remember when Lucy and Ethel were working on the assembly line at the chocolate factory, or when she tried to make wine by squishing grapes with her feet or when she wanted to make rice and not knowing portions alloted 1# per person. I used to watch many of those you mentioned and really enjoyed them. I’m one of those people that say, they just dont make them like they use to!
You’re right. They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to. Thanks so much for reading and writing in.
Very well written – getting better all the time..I love the story.
Also, I still remember Peter Brady’s birthday party where no one showed up… and who could forget I Dream of Jeannie; I wanted to go in that bottle and hang out on her couch – just to talk of course. And the age old question, Ginger or Mary Ann.
Haaaa! of course you wanted to hang out in the bottle!!!!!!! you’re so funny.
Thanks, sweetie.
The correct answer is Mary Ann.
From I dream of Jeannie came the finest expression in the history of TV:
“Oh Master!”
Ha. Seems that Mary Ann is the big winner in my personal “gallup” poll. Is it because Ginger was unattainable, or just to high maintenance? Hmmmmn.
My dear Mo,
Thank you for sharing a time of your life that is truly “a once in a lifetime experience.”
I have such fond memories of lying on the floor in our living room-staring up at the tv screen. My earliest memories of these shows were from about age 5 until 9 or 10. If I remember correctly, the tv had a knob that one would turn and another button for on/off. The front door would be open with the screen door latched and a light breeze blowing in. Fond memories that almost bring a tear to my eye.
I looked forward to Mary Tyler Moore, I Dream of Jeanie, Andy Griffith, Brady Bunch, Archie Bunker, and esp. Carol Burnett. Those really were the good ole’ days. The shows left one with a feeling of happiness, and contentment. Oh, so carefree… I do remember watching Ed Sullivan. I was even younger then. A memory that comes to mind is when I would hear Johnny Carson on the television. I thought—- I couldn’t wait to be like my parents. They could stay up late!! They always seemed to be having so much fun.
I could go on and on. For now I just want to thank you for adding happiness into the lives of your readers.
Roxanne
This is awesome, Rox. Thanks for sharing all the memories. You deserve a Tarzan call from Carol Burnett, but I will give you an ear pull, at least!
And Johnny Carson. I miss him. I too wanted to stay up late, but was banished to bed where I could only listen.
Thanks so much for reading and for the wonderful memories.
