Ian Talks Comedy

Shelley Herman joined me to talk about about Bess Meyerson and Our Miss Brooks; going to see Elvis with a friend who's mother knew someone at NBC; getting the page job; working on The Tonight Show; giving away prizes on Stump the Band; getting people tickets; being on the Dating Game three times; going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show; Tim Curry; working on the $!.98 Beauty Show;; doing a sting operation for Chuck Barris; Battle of the Network Stars; the tragic life of Freddie Prinze; Jack & Mabel Albertson; Rickles / Carson cigarette box incident; getting harassed by McLean Stevenson'; knowing Jack Klugman from Philly; working on Van Dyke & Company; her friendship with Andy Kaufman; not watching Taxi b/c Andy says it was crap and then marrying one of the stars; Alan Zweibel hellps her clear Gilda Radner material for her book; meeting Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Jamie Farr; being friends with Susan Stafford; getting a meeting with Dick Ebersol; Andy Kaufman on Fridays; being a cast member on Off the Wall; Cynthia Stevenson & Squire Rushnell; hanging out with Richard Dawson; working on The Liar's Club; Alex Trebek and Ruta Lee; working on Love Connection; her love of game shows, especially Jeopardy; the original Wheel of Fortune; secrets of Supermarket Sweep; how she got her book title; introducing me to her husband, actor Randall Carver

Clark Brandon joined me to talk about his father, As the World Turns actor Peter Brandon; The Monkees; living between Greenwich and LA; getting his 1st TV series right after high school; getting the show as a pay it forward from the producer to his dad; The Fitzpatricks gets buried by Happy Days; guesting on Family; auditions; auditioning and not getting the Mackenzie's of Paradise Cove; being added to Wonder Woman for a possible spin-off; Out of the Blue and its mistakes; becoming friends with Mike Binder through Jimmy Brogan; the cast Dixie Carter, Eileen Heckart, and Peter Scolari; the story behind Bosom Buddies; doing an after-school special where he tries to take Marcia Brady's virginity; meeting Dick Van Dyke; hearing crew stories; playing a blind teen who makes out with Kim Richards on Hello, Larry; playing a pot dealer and smoking it for real in the movie Serial; being friends with Jonathan Prince before Mr. Merlin; getting the role; Barnard Hughes and Bill Bixby memories; too unrealistic for 1982; Andy Cohen's crush rumor; teen magazines; Merlin big internationally; JD Salinger a fan; being a journeyman actor; his role on Facts of Life; working with Nancy McKeon & Charlotte Rae; Pamela Adlon; doing the Hollywood Christmas Parade, a David Copperfield special, an anti-drug PBS doc and car shows with Sorrell Brooke; My Tutor; Crispin Glover's odd choices; Markie Post on Love Boat; Funland (1987) written by Bonnie & Terry Turner and and co-starring David L Lander; co-writing and starring in Fast Food with Jim Varney; his film, Skeeter; becoming a teacher, then an administrator in daughters' school; his current pilots and screenplay and being remembered for his roles as a good looking dick.

Paul Myers joined me to discuss seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show; death of JFK; seeing John Candy for the first time on Coming up Rosie; Second City Television; writing this book at same time doc is coming out; Candy's humanity; his idols Laughton & Gleason; death of dad at 5 changed him profoundly; KITH and their dads; Del Close finding him and shaping him; going to enlist in Vietnam to lose weight, similar to Stripes; mud wrestling scene in Stripes; three orange whips; John Candy was picked as a topic because everyone knows him; couldn't get Bill Murray or Rick Moranis; hosting Jim Belushi's first SNL as a cast member and having him on set of Only the Lonely; his twenty plus year friendship with Dan Aykroyd; Splash; Summer Rental; Tracy J. Morgan; Valri Bromfield; Planes, Trains & Automobiles; Uncle Buck; coaching Macaulay Culkin; Chris Columbus; Maureen O'Hara; no scandals; anxiety and weight two biggest problems; Paul liking Canadian Bacon and me liking Delirious; Paul's mom on SNL Mothers Day; Don Pardo flirting with his mom; his brother Mike Myers' character Lothar

Reuben Leder joined me to discuss his family moving with the Dodger in 1958; learning all the jobs of the movies while working on his fathers low budget films; his pilot Strange Customs; his fathers films I Dismember Mama and Ape; working with Victor Buono, working on last season of Incredible Hulk; working on Magnum PI; being sent to Hawaii; diffusing Darren McGavin; working on all aspects of the show; writing John Hillerman's Higgins monologues; his photographic memory and late night drinking; working with Orson Welles & Kim Richards on episode "Mixed Doubles"; Tom Selleck saying he was the only one who could write Magnum; getting an ear for music / dialogue as Jackie DeShannon's drummer at 14; playing on Magnum softball team against Orlando Cepeda; the Luther Gillis episodes; one was a back door pilot; brilliance of Eugene Roche; selling his first script to Alex Karras; Ivan Dixon; writing a song for a Magnum episode and getting $40,000 in royalties; Ernest Borgnine; leaving after season 6 due to too much rewriting freelancers scripts; Charles Floyd Johnson; writing a Rockford Files movie; being praised about script script from James Garner and cursed at by Rita Moreno; missing Frank Sinatra; working on Downtown with a young Mariska Hargitay; pilots: Danger Down Under with Lee Majors and Badlands 2005 with Sharon Stone; writing a Land of the Lost and Star Trek TNG under a pseudonym; the Star Trek TNG being on the last of 100 Greatest Episodes of all time.

Krista Errickson joined me and we discussed her Wikipedia page; her grandfather, a famous Broadway set designer; her godfather, Elia Kazan; her father's family, the McIntyre's being the family written about in James Michener's Hawaii; watching Mr. Rogers & Captain Kangaroo; Lawrence Welk; the earwig episode of Night Gallery; becoming a model at 13; being a contemporary of Brooke Shields; shooting a movie with her that got scrapped; Little Darlings; improvising in her scenes; her helping to compile the film's soundtrack; Alexa Kenin; Cynthia Nixon; fighting with Kristy McNichol; not wanting to do Hello, Larry; John Femia; Joey Travolta; crossover episode with Diff'rent Strokes; seeing the trauma in Dana Plato; the production company "banking" school hours by making them go to school during vacation; her pilot The First Time; appearing in the Doors LA Woman video; having to audition in a bikini for Mr. Belvedere; appearing on 21 Jump Street and pissing Richard Grieco's girlfriend off; befriending Johnny Depp & Peter DeLuise; meeting Brad Pitt; 90210 made her want to quit acting; getting to be the first western woman in Iran since 1978; producing documentaries; being friends with Joe Dicso, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and the Murray brothers; dating Peter Aykroyd; being with Belushi three days before his death; drinking double Remy Martin's at 15; negotiating with the Taliban for a hostages release; most Muslim fundamentalists are illiterate; Christian fundamentalism; a 21 Jump Street episode that echoes Charlie Kirk that was made 4 years before he was born; Studio 54

Podcaster Shari Fesko (Saturday Night Ladies) and I discuss the TV, movies, and music of 1985

Paul Linke and I discuss his one man shows; how his eulogy for his first wife turned into a one man play on HBO; how his second wife inspired his second show and his friendship with Charles Nelson Reilly his third; his new show, The Summer I Got Old; watching Kate Smith and Howdy Doody on an early TV; his love of the Doors turns into a performance piece based on "The End" at USC; appearing in The Baby Makers with Barbara Hershey; hosting, acting in and promoting The Golden Theater Festival; hosting the 1974 Christmas Seals Telethon; being a good eulogist working with Jackie Gleason & Lucille Ball; going to the Last Waltz; 60's music; his recurring role on Happy Days; Henry Winkler and Johnny Depp having the same aura; appearing with Alan Alda in a scene on MASH; Alda's technique and Michael Richards; slam dancing on CHiPS; the MAIT Team episode; seeing Timothy Leary's ashes; Keith Richards; being on The Mike Douglas Show; his role in Motel Hell; Elaine Joyce and JD Salinger; appearing on Supertrain and Just Men with Betty White; his 25 year friendship with John Ritter; and how his shows require a lot of adrenaline and make him crash afterwards

Harper the Fox joined me to discuss Mr. Rogers and his unintentional role in the porn industry; people using VR to go to their childhood homes; being an English lit major; teaching herself guitar; parodying Paul Simon with "Pound in Silence"; being a writer; the Onion; being a geek; meeting her husband, an extroverted improv comedian; the c word; her writing process; how her fans write parodies; an example of her poetry from her book, Wandering Lust; trying to get known; how showing your tits helps; her Hallelujah parody; Johnny Cash; her vocal range is limited in female singers; changing keys on songs; her Conspiracy Kids songs; Honey Taylor's Bigfoot Encounter; Stallone's porn; Joey Chestnut vs. adult stars; funny porn tropes; we've always been dirty & filthy; her podcast Dirty Folk; degradation & dick ratings; all bodies eventually was together; and her film Cops vs. Whores.

Tommy Ruben joined me to discuss the closed knit cast of CPO Sharkey; growing up in Larchont, NY and his dad working for Sgt. Bilko; his dad Aaron, writing for Fred Allen, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, The Andy Griffith Show and creating Gomer Pyle USMC; Don Rickles getting booed on Comic Relief; Sharkey's scripts scripts had ad-libs written in; being a class clown; guest starring on MASH; going to the Oakwood School; his dad''s film, The Comic; his father liked to build sitcoms around someone; creating CPO Sharkey; Polish jokes got the most letters; his first scene; episodes focusing on his character; the Johnny Carson incident and how has dad was mad; NBC wasn't all in on Don; Bob Newhart; his brother writing the punk rock episode; appearing in More American Graffiti with Cindy Williams; the difference in Drew Barrymore and James garner's acting methods; appearing and writing and episodes of The Stockard Channing Show; Rhonda Bates; being in his brothers movies; almost getting The Hardy Boys Show; and studying photography at the School of Visual Arts.

Larry Charles joined me to talk about his early heroes, The Little Rascals, 3 Stooges, and Abbott & Costello; trying stand up as a duo; the bimmies; portraying rabbi on stage; selling jokes; Darrow Igus buys jokes & leads to Fridays; the parakeet; Diner of the Living Dead; The Clash; Ronnie Horror Picture Show; 2nd Amendment sketch; Joe Shulkin; not all Fridays writers on drugs; harsher political satire than SNL; Men who Hum; more edgy music, then Kim Carnes; pause after Fridays; writing for Arsenio Hall; Dragnet; Seinfeld: The Library Book, The Limo, The Subway, The Outing; a scary incident with his family, art, and police; his voice; Carroll O'Connor & Carol Burnett; Mel Brooks; working with Shelley Berman on Curb; John Astin; Sandy Baron; Borat and the nude fight scene; more women liked Borat than predicted; loving Mad Magazine & National Lampoon; favorite writer was Michael O'Donoghue; Sacha Baron Cohen should have won the Oscar; Matt Walsh; faux doc on assassination of George W. Bush; Andy Kaufman returns to Fridays as a born again Christian; Nathan Fielder; Marty Feldman

Michael S. Baser joined me to discuss watching Sky King as a kid; using comedy as a deterrent to bullies; starting a stand-up duo as a teenager; meeting Kim Weiskopf; his father not helping them; A Year at the Top; writing the first transgender character on TV in the Jeffersons; writing the Barbara's Friend suicide episode of One Day at a Time; creating Mr. Furley on Three's Company; creating 9 to 5; working for Glen Larson; working with Janet Jackson on Good Times; giving Michael Moye his first job on Good Times; Carter Country; Melanie Griffith; Norman Paul; Three's Company; Lana; Don Knotts; Campus Cops; wanting Jane Curtin on 9 to 5; Rachel Dennison; Al Jean & Mike Reiss; and his pilot, Crazy Dan

Ricky Blitt joined me to discuss sports; Monty Python; pitching The Ringer about fixing the Special Olympics; weed helping him know who his friends are and work harder; his last 32 years being better than first 32; college work gets praise from his father; working up to ones potential; John Cleese; comedy is harder and less prestigious than drama; Seinfeld & Friends will will stay because they were mainly for laughs; Seth MacFarlane asked him to write his current script; both fans of of All in the Family and SCTV; Taxi and Mary Tyler Moore blended it the best; he writes things that others won't and does it hilariously; Family Guy being a game changer; writing When You Wish Upon a Weinstein); difference between Family Guy and Seinfeld writing rooms; writing the pilot becoming Glenn and casting Sally Struthers; his brothers, Barry, a Pulitzer winning cartoonist; writing a movie for Cher and Johnny Knoxville; Dear Santa and not talking down to kids and constraints of a PG movie; not liking When Harry Met Sally; OCD; and writing a pilot for Rob Gronkowski

Eddie Brill joins me to discuss watching Jackie Gleason, Ernie Kovacs, & Bill Dana as a kid; going to Emerson college; Andy Kaufman; creating a comedy major at Emerson; trying stand up, quitting, and going back four years later; running the Paper Moon Comedy Club; Fright Night; Bill Gonzalez' Cable Comedy Show; watching the '86 World Series in Boston; minor league stadiums; his dad catching Sandy Koufax; hockey; 1969 - year of 3 NY championships; friendships with Sam Kinison & Robert Schimmel; doing warm up on Saved by the Bell; Louis CK gets him job as warm up at Letterman; subbing for Alan Kalter; Dr. Katz; first warm up after 9/11; doing bits on the show; doing stand up in UK, France, and Amsterdam; Mitch Hedberg and Stephen Wright; meeting Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, and Redd Foxx; Flip Wilson; Police Squad; booking ventriloquists; meeting childhood crushes Farrah Fawcett & Sophia Loren; Don Rickles compliments him; appearing on Never Mind the Buzzcocks & The Jonathan Ross Show; doing a character, Jackie Shecky and being recognized by the Beastie Boys; The Chevy Chase Roast; Richard Belzer; Robert Klein; David Brenner & Joan Rivers help him hone his first Letterman appearance; Cleon Jones, Roberto Clemente, and Sid Fernandez; and eating mustard on baked potatoes

Jameel Saleem and I discussed his watching Cheers and MASH as a kid; Jimmy Stewart; going to Hampton College with DJ Envy; wanting to be an FBI agent, then realizing he wants to be playing an FBI agent; getting small roles on Hack & The Wire; being in TV reenactments; his film, Exit Strategy; persistence; writing a freelance Ricky Smiley Show; getting first first job on Manhattan Love Story; doing a sitcom Telenovela for Eva Longoria and NBC; getting hired by South Park for a video game and still being in the writers room; the show Whiskey Cavalier; working on Disenchantment with Matt Groening; his Netflix deal; Bob's Burgers; finally not being the tallest writer in the room; Matt Selman resurrecting The Simpsons; his Loft Bed episode of Bob's Burgers; video games and Dungeons & Dragons expand imagination; his episode Dead Boats Society premiering 7/31; Louise is his favorite to write for; currently writing a Broadway play; the music on Bob's Burgers; Mike Judge; and The Towering Inferno

Rob Kutner joined me to discuss Lost in Space; Letterman; writing; the Far Side; writing for the Princeton Tiger; applying to write for MAD; writing spec scripts; getting hired as an intern on Dennis Miller Live; the shows format; writing the rants; how 9/11 changed Dennis and comedy; going to The Daily Show; doing "Is America Ready for a Black President?" with Larry Wilmore; Buck Henry; getting burnt out; getting hired as a monologue specialist at The Tonight Show Starring Conan O'Brien; not knowing the backstage machinations; Conan is a 12:30 guy; writing a Mormon / Hanukkah mash up; celebrities he met; the last week on The Tonight Show; Norm MacDonald; Conan's tour; Conan's fascination with Charles in Charge; writing for the Oscars; his books Apocalypse How and The Future According to Me; his comedy album 2776; writing for the animated series Teen Titans Go and Angry Birds; his Snot Goblins series liked by RL Stine; adapting Ant Man's Memoirs; his latest book: Jews, 5000 Years & Counting; his podcast The Novelizers

Allan Katz joined me to discuss Kukla, Fran & Ollie; joining the National Guard; becoming a copywriter; Screaming Yellow Zonkers; George Schlatter calls him; staying in a hotel and writing writing on legal pads; teaming with Larry Siegel on monologues; Laugh In skits almost like an ad; Bill Richmond; meeting Orson Welles; Lily Tomlin; writing freelance All in the Family and Sanford & Son episodes; creating the character of Julio; working on Thicker and Water and pilot Lampoon; ABC Comedy News with Richard Pryor, Bob & Ray, and Albert Brooks; writing for Jackie Gleason & Mary Tyler Moore; M*A*S*H*, Alan Alda a great person person to work with; Alan's wife being in the cast; Cher not caring about comedy on her show, relegating her cast of Teri Garr, Steve Martin & Martin Mull with nothing to do; working on Rhoda; Valerie Harper a perfectionist in the best way; Paul Sorvino could be a jerk; working with Kenneth McMillan, Gene Reynolds, and Henry Morgan; Ginger Rogers on The Love Boat; writing an opera Zapata with Harry Nillson; its star, Sean Elliott; writing two pilots for Karen Valentine, including TV version of The Goodbye Girl; realizing that Molly Gordon of the Bear is his friend Bryan Gordon's daughter; business of TV; Charlie and Company; Flip Wilson is difficult while rest of cast was great; producing a series Roxie, whose star Andrea Martin, wanted to do a variety series; Scorch; writing a very special Blossom; Big Man on Campus; filming a movie Bucky and the Squirrels as a college film course project

Helaine Witt joined me me to discuss watching Bonanza in color; Ed Sullivan Show; her mom not liking Jack Benny; going to Elmont High School; John Mulaney; seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and earlier on Jack Paar; Ringo not playing live at Shea; Elton John; teaching in 1970's NY; bad neighborhoods; being laid off by NYC; going to a stand up club in SF and taking classes; selling jokes to Joan Rivers; coming back to NY in 1991; working with Gladys Simon; working with Vanessa Hollingshead as a coach; going to the Actors Temple with Rabbi Jill; Simpsons "stealing" her jokes; Tom Padovano; my ending joke; Carrie Snow; her writing process; wanting to write for Gutfeld; being able to submit for Leno; more time for stand up after retiring from teaching in 2011; Governors Comedy Cub; Jewish Comedy Contest becomes a documentary called Still Standing; working with Jo Firestone on doc Good Timing; appearing on MSNBC and Wendy Williams; Joan Rivers didn't want a roast; Next Door app; Seinfeld; appearing in short film Singles Retreat and its premiere

Rose Abdoo joined me to discuss us being birthday buddies; The Flintstones; staying up to watch The Tonight Show; going to Michigan State; moving to Chicago to join Second City; ETC with Stephen Colbert & Amy Sedaris; seeing seeing Mike Meyers & Geena Davis; Chris Farley "Whale Boy" sketch; Tim Meadows; Happy Happy Good Show with Conan O'Brien, Bob Odenkirk & Robert Smigel; winning a Joseph Jefferson Award; creating one person shows; performing in Utah; her TV debut Johnny Bago; my dog; heat wave; playing a version of her mother in My Best Friend's Wedding; Detroit Tigers; dressing for baseball games; Gilmore Girls; the greater great writing; always opposite weather than what was supposed to be in Stars Hallows; Gypsy never in a scene with Ms. Kim; working with Liz Torres & Sally Struthers; the show Reboot and and playing a version of Selma Diamond; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Good Night & Good Luck; George Clooney's generosity; Hacks; Jean Smart; Hannah Einbinder; wanting to not play a character with an accent; Selma Diamond; Happy Days; Lotsa Luck; water cooler moments; Hack fans; CBS Saturday 70's and NBC Thursday 80's lineups; Newhart finale; St. Elsewhere; 25th Anniversary of Gilmore Girls; fan theories; Del Close

Barry Nichols joined me to discuss his love of the Smothers Brothers; how his brother Nils got an internship at SNL in 1978; being the drummer from Jeannie Cunningham; getting hired to work on Nothing Lasts Forever; being hired by Dick Ebersol; Nick Nolte backs out; an average an average week for him' being in charge of cast tickets; a four hour dress rehearsal; Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore; having to bring around Duran Duran; singing backup to Randy Newman; having Stevie Wonder play his bongos; hanging with Huey Lewis, John Candy, Santana; being Lily Tomlin's punk drummer in a cut sketch; being a member of The Garage Band; recording music for sketches; getting residual checks for episodes he was in; joining SAG; Spinal Tap; Harry Shearer; Carol Kane; Pamela Stephenson; the Don Rickles episode; Loverboy only getting one number; Tina Turner; being in David Letterman's NBC Talent show episode; being in on the ground floor of Friday Night Videos; picking the videos including Oingo Boingo; having to be live, in studio, for the video of the week, ZZ Top; Saturday Nights Main Event; holding cue cards on a water slide; Captain Lou Albano; Andre the Giant being twice the size of his bodyguard; his friendship with Gene Oakerland; moving to LA and doing grip and audio work; coming to North Carolina and and doing 15 ESPN Jimmy V Golf Classics; getting hired to edit for thirty-five years and recently retiring; opening the Milton 66 Bear Garden; and his name diversity.

Legendary comedian Steve Bleustein joined me and discussed his autobiography Memoir of a Nobody; watching Howdy Doody & Peter Pan; going to Emerson College w/ Henry Winkler; Dave Madden & Albert Hammond taking him to try out stand up at the Comedy Store; Sammy Shore saying he has the sound; his work at The Groundlings with Tracy & Laraine Newman and Jack Soo; Tom Dreeson; being on The Merv Griffin Show with Laraine and getting ribbed about a nose job; Liz Torres; Brady Bunch Variety Hour; working with Rip Taylor and Ronnie Graham; writing for Loman & Barkley; a bit making a stick a star; Fred & Mary Willard and their holiday parties; being the last surviving member of the Ace Trucking Company; Fred hating elevators; Cracking Up; meeting Farrah Fawcett; Florence Henderson; Comedy Central ruins comedy boom; how to become a proficient comedian; comics get on TV too early; new comics are too filthy; he likes John Mulaney & Wanda Sykes; working on A Year at the Top with Mickey Rooney & Gabe Dell; Gabe can't remember lines; The Rabbit Test; opening in Vegas; doing a pilot with Tina Turner; Gabe Kaplan presents him as a new comic to watch; the Playboy Pajama Party nightmare; having dogs; becoming famous for Make Me Laugh; Gallagher; Bob Saget; Norm Crosby's Comedy Shop

Included: 10 minutes of my conversation with Harry Shearer, the sketches: "Where's Johnny", "Tom Snyder", "Who's on First",, "Senator Kennedy's Next Speech", "The Night the Nights Stayed on in Pittsburgh"

Marc Sheffler joined joined me to discuss watching 50's children's TV; his father getting The Three Stooges for his tenth birthday; seeing Jerry Lewis in a movie and his dad telling him "Why not you?"; his dad getting him him a limo to the premiere of "The Last House on the Left"; going to college with David Duke; his dad sending sending him to the Catskills; working for comedian London Lee; having to pretend to be a conductor; selling a script to NBC; watching Dick Van Dyke and partnering with Sam Denoff; becoming stand up and throwing out his Catskills material; getting a spot at the Comedy Store; becoming friends with George Miller, David Letterman, and Andy Kaufman; Tony Clifton; writing How Bugs Bunny won the West; working on Co-Ed Fever and becoming life long friends with Heather Thomas; her intelligence; writing the pilot for Lewis & Clark but not getting hired on the series; having Johnny Carson apologize; writing for Sanford; Robin Williams; the Comedy Store being an orphanage for talent; creating his stand up character El Yid

Ellie Barancik came on and discussed her last name; her father being the last surviving Monuments Men; growing up with Bozo the Clown & getting to go to the studio with Bonnie Hunt; Clutch Cargo; watching Carol Burnett and surprising her with a tribute thirty years later; finding SNL and crushing on Dan Aykroyd; meeting him on the set of Dr. Detroit; discovering Letterman; dating Steve Koren when he was trying to get on SNL staff; meeting Dan Aykroyd again in 1991; going to BU with Greg Fitzsimmons and John Henson; being an NBC page; not getting fall 1990 SNL desk gig because they wanted to give her it in the longer spring gig; being hired by Jim Pitt and Michael Shoemaker; Letterman pages can become celebrities; taking messages for cast members; Adam Sandler; Herb Sargent took Steve Koren under his wing; typing up scripts for read through; Robert Smigel; Al Franken's in show changes; asked to move to Update in 1993; seeing the staff at SNL 50 ; last SNL was 92-93 season finale; Claire Shirey; going to Conan; embarrassingly meeting Conan in 1991; getting hired by Jeff Ross; reading writer submissions; the pressure of the daily show; being at the party after the first show and realizing they have nothing for the the rest of the week; Conan didn't want to do remotes; coming up with the Mr. T apple picking remote; getting to become a writer under apprentice rules; putting the show together with Jeff Ross; creating Conan & Andy's slideshow; writing for The Bonnie Hunt Show; watching the Bachelor; working with Steve O'Donnell

Tom Dreesen joined me to discuss his half white / half black comedy team and the racism they encountered; how he and Tim Reid started as an anti-drug program; first saw TV at 17 (Honeymooners); being a pin boy, caddie, insurance salesman but wanting to be a comedian; The Tonight Show; getting bumped four times; his first appearance; working with Sammy Davis, Jr.; game shows; the exhilaration of working in front of 20,000 people not there to see you; Frank Sinatra always being on time, rising for women, and being a gentleman; how people always ask about the mob and not to have them do you a favor; Jules Podell; would stay at Sinatra's house; became friends; a saloon saloon singer and a saloon comic; Don Rickles; George Burns trying out new material at 95; the new Pope; Sinatra's charity; The Magnificent Obsession; materials own you; David Letterman vs. Jay Leno in love of stand up; Freddie Prinze; bat boy for the Cubs; introducing friends to their idols; Bobby Rydell; Wrigley Field is frozen in time; his one week as a talk show host; the Chicago Blackhawks

1. Fridays - Michael Richards as "Frank Zappa" (1/8/82) 2. New Show - Scabs Meeting (4/23/84) 3. Fridays - 2nd Amendment Debate (4/10/81) 4. Fridays - The Ronnie Horror Picture Show (12/12/80) 5. New Show - Roy's Food Repair (1/13/84)PlusAndy Kaufman and Kathie Sullivan (9/18/81)

Mike Chisholm joins me to discuss how his curiosity leads to conversations; Steve O'Donnell; our first time watching Letterman; meeting Letterman guests on twitch; Rick Sheckman; intern stories; becoming friends with Rupert Jee and speaking at his retirement; Steve Young; Paul Shaffer; swooning over Barbara Gaines;; Steve Weiner; learning how to podcast; Calvert DeForest; Matt Roberts does a three hour episode; editing, PC culture; censoring episodes; the r word; Midget Wrestling Warriors; saying something is gay; Don Rickles; Andrew "Dice" Clay; Howard Stern; blackface; Jjimmy Hat, Andy Kaufman, and Jerry Lawler; Merrill Markoe; befriending Jeff Altman and Dick Cavett; how my OCD affects my show; his ailing father; season 2 and being my Tony Randall

Chris Kelly joined me to discuss his dad and his love of lesson plans; living in Canada and having having one US TV station; Little Rascals; other comedy hubs beside Canada; his influence; improv; his dad writing for SNL; Harry Shearer; every TV show having its own process; Letterman's reaction to being passed by Politically Incorrect in the ratings; having structure even in lunch orders; writing for the Village Voice; getting hired on HA!'s After Drive and Comedy Channels Sports Monster; being told Sports Monster had no viewers in Philadelphia; being the first to write about sports in National Lampoon; getting to NL when they got rid of the nudity, and having it shut down; the letters; the "prefect game" in Late Night; Tom Gammill & Cathy; writing VO's for Penn Jillette; meeting Bill Maher and discussing the Politically Incorrect should have a Johnny Carson like monologue; Bills early TV appearances; Buffalo Bill, Geena Davis and Jay Tarses; Slap Maxwell; Richard Mulligan; Arianna Huffington; Christine O'Donnell; moving to ABC; writing with Bill his New Rule on football streaming; Roseanne vs. OJ jury episode; great talk show guests; Charles Grodin; Dom Irrera makes a host look good; Andrew Smith on Johnny Carson and getting his job by "whipping it out"; Bill Scheft; Reese Witherspoon; having to write 100's of jokes on the same topic; Top 10 list; calling to congratulate Bill on 9/11 episode that got him fired; all desk show bits were created by Bill except New Rules written by Billy Martin; The Kardashians; Regis Philbin; what's Bill like; best and worst guests; Scott Carter's tremendous fingerprints on the show; his cat book, Downton Tabby

Andy Cowan joined me to discuss his Seinfeld episode, "The Opposite"; his book and chapter on rejected Seinfeld plots; Danny Thomas; his idol, Jack Benny; Leave it to Beaver & The Honeymooners; going to Boston University; loving Letterman & VCR's; Nancy Sinatra and Seinfeld finale; jazz; how he tricked Lorne Michaels into a meeting; how he would "fix" SNL; Rick Moranis & SCTV; being a pre-interviewer on the Merv Griffin Show; writing spec Taxi's; ore-interviewing Orson Welles the day before he died; Whitney Houston; Ethel Merman; writing for Cheers and The Pat Sajak Show; Jerry Lewis; 60 Minutes then and now; Andy Rooney; Howie, a comic strip, cartoon, and sitcom stuck in development; Up & Down Guys; his podcast the Neurotic Vaccine; his new episode which which he considers his best

Diana and I discuss The Bellinis; Lenny (Luca Brasi) Montana; Hollywood High; auditioning for Marni Nixon Feast, Ozzie's Girls; guest starring in a memorable Happy Days, Chico and the Man, Medical Story, The First Nudie Musical, Starsky & Hutch; Paul Michael Glaser; The Love Boat pilot; Soap; audition; cast becomes family; Hollywood Squares, Dinah!; Perry Como's Early American Christmas; Barney Miller; Steve Landesburg; I'm A Big Girl Now; Danny Thomas; Martin Short; People's Choice Award; American Bandstand "Who You Foolin'?"; All Star Salute to Mother's Day; Bob Hope; Bobbie Gentry; Don Rickles; finding out her show got cancelled while On Broadway; Peking Encounter; A Foot in the Door, Night Partners; Yvette Mimieux; Patti Davis Reagan; Hotel; No Complaints; Harold Gould, Murder She Wrote and friendship with Angela Lansbury; Trapper John, MD ; St. Elsewhere; Throb playing Paul Walker's Mom; success in Germany; The Bruce Diet; Home Free; Matthew Perry, Marian Mercer; Maggie Roswell, and teaching at Manhattanville College

Samantha Harper Macy joined me to discuss watching Perry Mason as a teen with her family; going to Ole Miss with James Meredith; being seen as a racist in Chicago because she is from the south; auditioning with Woody Allen; being shown around the city by strangers; modeling; taking acting classes from Lee Strasberg; hippies; sees Oh! Calcutta and for it; her sketch; meeting her husband, Bill Macy; Oh! Calcutta banned in her home town; Bill guests on All in the Family; Bill gets Maude and Samantha guest stars; her guest starring on Hot L Baltimore leads to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; working with Victor Killian, Louise Lasser, and Mary Kay Place; playing a hooker on Hill St. Blues; her husband's work in The Jerk, Movers & Shakers, Bad Medicine and The Late Show; working with Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy and Terry Bradshaw and Mel Tillis on a TV pilot; being directed in two films by Hal Ashby; her memoir, Naked in Oh! Calcutta and other Stories; and her play Two Sisters Cafe

Jerry Minor joined me to discuss his first memory of seeing Johnny Cash TV; the Detroit Lions; playing Michael Jackson's glove; being a Jehovah's Witness; proselytizing; leaving the Church and starting comedy; going to a show to try stand up; going to his first comedy show; working in Second City Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto and the similarities and differences; Mr. Show; being hired on SNL in 2000 and moved to cast when Tim Meadows leaves; Grandmaster Rap; working with Eminem on first show; impressions of Billy Dee Williams and Al Sharpton; working with Dana Carvey; the Tom Green episode, Mena Suvari; XFL delays Jennifer Lopez episode; Conan O' Brien; playing Sharpton to Darrell Hammond's Jesse Jackson; being let go; the problem of being the new guy; writing and the song "Somebody's Fucking My Lady" with Craig Robinson; Rodney Dangerfield; Martin Short Show; Anchorman; Abbott Elementary; Beer League; Lucky Louie; working with Louis CK; being in Funny People by Judd Apatow; guys named Jerry; being on the 1st season of Bob's Burgers; Brickleberry: Howard Stern; Yucko the Clown and JD; directing at Second City; SNL's 50th anniversary; David Cross inspires new podcasrt "Playing to the Back of the Room"

Kres Mersky and I discussed her name; starting acting at a local park at 14 and getting the bug; going to Beverly Hills High with Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfus, and Julie Kavner; TV debut on Virginian; doing three episodes of Ironside; working with Carl Reiner in The Comic & Oh God!; working with Rob Reiner on the TV show which birthed Spinal Tap; doing a B motorcycle movie; skating in Holy Rollers and Charlies Angels; being in Won Ton Ton, the Dog that Saved Hollywood as Theda Bara; having most of her Charlies Angels scenes with Farrah Fawcett; having Richard Pryor discover her one woman show and putting an excerpt on his NBC variety show; appearing in Husbands, Wives and Lovers; guest starring on two classics, Taxi & Barney Miller; Stephanie a 1981 pilot starring Stephanie Faracy; being in the last movie directed by George Cukor; appearances on Open All Night and Ryan's Four; her most famous role as Wormser's mom in Revenge of the Nerds; guesting on Facts of Life and St. Elsewhere; focusing on family; writing and starring in a one woman play about Isadora Duncan; going back to do a Murder, She Wrote; writing and starring in a one woman play about Einstein's secretary; Nuts and Chews her many character play a la Lily Tomlin; doing Einstein research at Cal Tech; making a short film Rope, with her husband editor Paul Geretsen; and his making many commercials during COVID

Rick Mitchell joined me to discuss Carol recognizing him from TMZ; writing a performing speeches in his past ; it really not being that hard to write a good speech; giving a good speech requires you know your audience; this book can help save you from listening to bad speeches; differences in different religious weddings; worst speeches are graduation and bar mitzvah; not being Jewish and everyone thinking he is; taking a DNA test to find he's half Jewish; attending UC Davis; working at Second City and Improv Olympic; SNL being a big impetus; Norm MacDonald, Rodney Dangerfield, Mitch Hedberg, and George Carlin; his style; writing for Yakov Smirnoff; trying stand up after killing at his high school graduation; corporate gigs; his career at TMZ; writing monologues for Ellen; having her voice before being hired; her being from New Orleans; backstage gossip; what hurt her was always saying "be nice"; telling stories; guest hosts; Eugene & Dan Levy were hard; Wanda Sykes & Jennifer Anniston were easy; Robert Downey Jr, his favorite and Jason Sudeikis

Trace Baeulieu joined me to discuss his last name; riffing on teachers and film strips; his quick stint at Univ. at Minnesota; stand up; having a day job; being an opener; meeting Frank and Joel; joining for the second episode; all original episodes done in one day; not as many jokes in early days; Frank's an old soul, makes history and baseball references; Ground Zero; jokes for the group; audience feels smarter for getting jokes; Ed Platt; Peabody Award; Dennis Miller; Trace's cell phone; Jetsons; Comedy Central execs only came to Minnesota once; not having Comedy Central himself; Crow tattoos; my name; Freaks & Geeks; working with Joe Flaherty; SCTV; writing for Americas Funniest Home Video; being a fun job; Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children; JD Salinger; Cinematic Titanic; conventions; Atheist convention; Sklar Brothers; not riffing on good movies; Godfather; Godfather III; Unforgiven; North by Northwest; slapstick comedy; Pee Wee's Big Adventure; Dr. Strangelove; Groucho; Jack Benny; doing a radio play in Chicago; his podcast; the Oscars; Inside Out; Harry Shearer; Harry Potter; Crow's voice; David Frye; Mads are Back

Stu Kreisman joined me to talk about stalking the original cast of SNL; writing for National Lampoon and Alan King ; SCTV; his two tours with Night Court (1984 - 1986, 1990 - 1992); Cheers; Newhart; Homeboys in Outer Space; Harry Anderson's and 1985 SNL monologue

Andy Goldberg & Wendy Cutler of the improv group Off the Wall joined me to discuss the founder, Dee Marcus; how they met her; the original members, Chris Thompson, Judy Pioli, and Joie Madigow; having four women and two men; Marc Sotkin and Robin Williams join; improv games; characters; Paul Willson, David Ruprecht, Phil Lamar, and John Ritter join and leave; Maryedith Burrell; Completely Off the Wall pilot loses to Fridays; appearances on The Dating Game, The Goodbye Girl, and Fernwood Tonight; Norman Lear's compliment; voiceover acting and looping; Super Loopers; Diary of a Young Comic with Richard Lewis; hanging out at Cantor's Deli; Garry Shandling, Bernadette Birkett, Archie Hahn, Tom Tully, and Harry Murphy join and leave; Ken Levine takes classes; 1985-1986 sketch comedy Off the Wall not affiliated even though Susan Elliot was a cast member; George Wendt; Laverne & Shirley; Dance Night; celebrity fans Bruce Willis, Sam Shepard, and Gene Hackman; appearing on An Evening at the Improv; having a monthly guest, including Chevy Chase; Wendy & Bob Perlow due gags on People Do the Craziest Things; Candid Camera; Edinburgh Festival; Puppetry of the Penis; Groundlings cross-pollination; his book, Improv Comedy and teaching Bryan Cranston

Dan Vitale joined me and discussed social media presence; attention he got from Marc Maron's podcast; Lorne Michaels seeing him; his audition for The New Show; his fluctuating weight from 1986 - 1991; Cobra Kai; streaming services give more content; Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Bill Burr & Louis CK; being Lorne Michaels protege; being funnier now than when he was "hot" in the '80's because he's off alcohol and drugs and older; being listed above Norm MacDonald as a SNL cast member in Rolling Stone; growing up in Island Park, Long Island; other famous Island Park residents including Al D'Amato and the basis for Tony Soprano; where he did stand up pre Covid; living through Covid and protests; going back to college and feeling like Johnny Lawrence from Cobra Kai; IPhones; Dave Attell, memories of Don Novello and Randy Quaid; wanting to know who from his cast was invited to the 40th anniversary; Joan Cusack; Anthony Michael Hall; Damon Wayans; Jon Lovitz; Nora Dunn; Dennis Miller; Danitra Vance; Terry Sweeney;  A Whitney Brown; Jim Downey; Franken & Davis; remembering the Madonna episode and the horrible week working with Chevy Chase; being with world's largest man Michael Hebrank (1100 lbs.) at the Brookhaven Rehabilitation Center; intermittent fasting; coming back for the Ron Reagan Jr. episode; residuals; current SNL; Baldwin's Trump vs. Carrey's Biden; Taran Killam; Darrell Hammond making SNL a civil service job; Alan Zweibel; and John Murray

Andy Hoglund joined me to discuss finding out about SNL through Wayne's World and Comedy Central reruns; my getting tapes mailed from Canada by Bronwyn Douwsma; going to Boston University; studying film; doing a term paper about how the original cast of SNL embodies the baby boomers; working for Sen. Ted Kennedy; writing an article about SNL movies and it going viral; his copy of the Shales / Miller SNL book being autographed by almost 100 cast members; first, by Dan Aykroyd, second by Colin Quinn; writing for Vulture; being asked to recap SNL's episodes for Entertainment Weekly; Don Pardo; Johnny Gilbert; meeting a lot of ex-cast members through stand up; Christopher Guest only one to not sign; Harry Shearer; Steve Martin & G.E. Smith only non cast members to sign; season 6 cast members Denny Dillon, Patrick Weathers, Matthew Laurence; Don Novello's friendship with Francis Ford Coppola; Peter Aykroyd; Mark McKinney and his work on Studio 60; KITH Brain Candy; Season 11; Fridays; Robin Duke, Jim Belushi, Mary Gross, and Kevin Kelton; Billy Crystal was the only time he sent the book away to be signed; Dana Carvey; Robert Carradine; Michael Davis; MST3K and Joel Hodgson; Anne Beatts; Yvonne Hudson; Brian Doyle-Murray; Adam Sandler; how Lorne Michaels has changed; me getting my picture with him; Colin Jost & Michael Che; Shari Lewis; and our friendships with the late Dan Vitale

Chris Regan joined me to discuss growing up in Central NY; 70's TV; enjoying black & white comedy movies; loving Monty Python; SNL; UK comedy; auditioning for David Frost; comedy aging poorly; Michael Davis; going to Ithaca College; being in a sketch troupe with Andy Daly and the Stangel Brothers; being a NYC comedian and mostly topical; going to a comedy club for the first time at 14; coming advertising; working for Nickelodeon; getting jokes on Weekend Update; Colin Quinn vouching for him to get a job on The Daily Show; political affiliation of late night writers; Gen X not getting a President; teaching; working on Talk Show with Spike Feresten and FOX's bungles; Lopez Tonight almost making him quit show business; Chuck Sklar; poker playing and pai gow; writing for Anthony Jeselnik and Greg Giraldo; first Family he worked on was the Simpsons crossover; his episode "Girl Internetted"; "Send in Stewie"; "Yacht Rockers"; Marjo Gortner; "Teacher's Heavy Petting"; the fun of writing for Chris Griffin; his relationship with Seth MacFarlane; Harry Shearer; the three Family Guy writing rooms; Family Guy references; new season; TV ratings and his new episode "Bring Up Brady" with Tom Brady coming next season

Elaine Aronson joined me to discuss 60's TV; growing up in Newton, Mass; going to college for dance; graduating from UCSB with a degree in dramatic arts w/o talking a drama class; teaching dance; being a secretary at Empire Pictures; writing scenes for child actors; getting Ron Zimmerman as a mentor; writing a spec Molly Dodd; getting hired on It's the Garry Shandling Show; first episode is Gilda Radner episode; strike happens and goes back to being a waitress; "Save Mr. Peck's" an all guest star episode; "Worry Wort"; how an episode doesn't start with tricks; moving to Night Court; Phil / Will; meeting Bill Clinton; writing the final episode and 30 Rock redoing it; doing Doogie Howser, MD; the Bochco method; having an ear infection and not being able to hear when having to interview deaf actresses; meeting her husband, Curtis Armstrong; Gilbert Gottfried; Clinic Defense Alliance; working on Good Advice & Cybill; Christine Baranski; the failure of The Gregory Hines Show; Maggie; The Weber Show; That 80's Show; The Game; Mystery Girls; Project MC2; You, Me, Her; how mini rooms are not leading to young writers being able to later run shows; her pilot Kitty's Dish; long hours currently on The Gilded Age; Long Island sets; Curtis' taping American Dad; Moonlighting

Michael Curtis joined me to talk Saturday Morning cartoons; going to SDSU Film Corps; having a local Emmy nominated public access sketch show; working on Return of the Killer Tomatoes; being a PA for many films, then an AD; meeting his partner Greg Mahlins; pitching and an episode of Dream On; a story for The Wonder Years; joining the writing staff of Great Scott with Tobey Maguire; writing The Making of ... and God Spoke, a cult classic; writing for Don Rickles on Daddy Dearest; Diane English being out of touch on Double Rush; play a cop in Who's Harry Crumb; working with Peter & David Paul and Martin Mull; getting a PhD from the Universal Life Church; getting hired on Friends; The Super Bowl episode with Jean Claude Van Damme and Brooke Shields; writing "The One Where Ross & Rachel. ...You Know"; writing the Ms. Chanandler Bong joke; Tom Selleck; how hard it was to write the "Rachel Smokes" episode; Princess Leia episode has a fan in George Lucas; a censored joke; Young Tony Danza; leaving due to exhaustion; going to Work with Me with Kevin Pollack; sneaking on to The Grinch set; The Weber Show; Nikki; writing the Joe Schmo Show; writing a pilot for Dane Cook; Love, Inc.; making three pilots for the Jonas Brothers Show; working with the boys; Fred Savage; moving to Italy; Italian health care system; People learning English from Friends; seeing the talent in Olivo Rodrigo; working with Jake Paul

Rosie Shuster and Marilyn Suzanne Miller join me to talk about MSM's love of the musical Peter Pan; Rosie loving her dad's joke books, West Side Story, and being in the audience of the Ed Sullivan Show; Rosie meets Lorne Michaels and Howard Shore; MSM goes to work for James L. Brooks & Garry Marshall; Rosie writes for Canadian children and crime game shows; sends a monologue for Laugh In that Lorne submits and gets on; Lorne uses Rosie's fathers (Frank Shuster of Wayne & Shuster) CBC specials as a blueprint for SNL; MSM turns down SNL, changes mind; work together on a Lily Tomlin special; cast goes on Tom Snyder; Rosie writes New Dad and creates the Bees; Rosie writes first Emily Litella Update piece; MSM writes Slumber Party for Madeline Kahn; Hard Hars w/ Lily Tomlin and Mommy Beer; Laraine (as Shirley Temple) sings and dances with Garrett and Elliot Gould; The Nerds; The Festrunk Brothers; Uncle Roy; Let's Kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas; Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute; how SNL wanted to make itself laughs and everyone in the production was on top of their game; Lunch Counter Reunion; Lorne encourage differet comic sensibilities; Child Psychologist; coming back in 1981; Eddie Murphy; Adam Sandler; Rosie helping to craft the Church Lady sketches with Dana Carvey; The Taboosters; writing sketches more graphic to bargain for what you really want; MSM goes to the Tracey Ullman Show; Sarah Silverman; MSM on lack of artistry on television; Rosie works on Larry Sanders; MSM writes for Carol Burnett; Rosie is a fan of Arte Madrid; watching SNL today; ageism in Hollywood; Paul Shaffer's genius; being "middle-aged"

Gary Seith & Brad Robinson join me to discuss the A-Team; Mr. T's cartoon; 80's sitcoms; Alf; Pulp Fiction; high school journalism turns to making short films; college; Gary working for Fox Philadelphia and Clerks the Animated Series; Brad AD's his professor's films at Penn State; working on Hack, Always Sunny; Gary meets his wife on the set of The Push; Brad works on Ted & Blues Jasmine; Alec Baldwin and Woody Allen stories; Brad's film, Public Interest; getting Robert Curtis Brown & Stuart Pankin; first time they each watched SNL; doing an SNL cast draft on a road trip; Brad hangs out with Mitch Glazer & Bill Murray; during COVID maps out a Blues Brothers doc; Brad gets idea for the pod; hanging out with Jim Belushi; other sketch shows; best episodes from each season; Deep Thoughts; Tournament Talk; My SNL Stories; Dave Thomas and From Cleveland

Stuart Pankin joined me to discuss his first TV role; watching Winky Dink & Howdy Doody; Pats v. Geno's; Dickinson College English major; early off-Broadway and Broadway roles; San Pedro Beach Bus; Next Stop, Greenwich Village; Scavenger Hunt; Barney Miller; Alex Henteloff; Magic on Love Island; No Soap, Radio; Not Necessarily the News; no trailer had to use bathroom; playing different character; winning a Cable Ace Award; The Pyramid; Markie Post; Night Court appearances; Cinemax Comedy Experiment; Family Ties; Nearly Departed; Stephen Furst; playing Orthodox Jews; Dinosaurs, last episode and issues of the day; Nick Freno; pilot that didn't make it; San Pedro Beach Bums considered lost media; Curb Your Enthusiasm; Public Interest; Girl Meets World; Sabrina Carpenter; Suite Life of Zach & Cody; being married for 50 Years.

Peter Gaulke joined me to discuss seeing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's A Wonderful Life recently in theatres; no new comedy films premiering; became bored in gymnastics, did comedy bits; tried to get on Gong Show but goes to Comedy Store to practice and tries out; comedy influences; Showtime Special; starting in LA stunts his progress; meeting Fred Wolf and making videos to sell to Dick Clark; having his ideas stolen; writing a Married with Children; sending a sketch to Fred at SNL; they buy sketch but doesn't ai due to cost; hire him as a writer; leaves to do Strange Wilderness, a film based on short movies he made; remade in 2008 as a stoner comedy; his documentary (first half) / fake documentary (2nd) film We Gotta Get Buscemi; writing another sketch too expensive to get made; talking with hosts Quentin Tarantino and Elle McPherson; Say It Isn't So; rewriting Black Knight for Martin Lawrence; studio cuts first 15 minutes out and wonders what's wrong; they put it back; writing Max Fernsby and the Infinite Toys for Harper Collins; self publishing fake travelogues; new YA sci-fi series; writing a Trump animal book with Fred Wolf; having many projects in the works

Chuck Sklar joined me to discuss his birth town; the Cubs and Blackhawks; his first memory of watching the 1968 Democratic National Convention; Captain Nice; Iowa comedians / comedy writers Harper Steele, Higgins Boys & Gruber; writing sketches for Toby Huss's comedy troupe; starting standup; being introduced as a great writer; moving to Boston from Chicago; callbacks; appearing on Evening at the Improv; writing for Friday Night Videos and Bill Maher; getting hired on Conan and becoming head monologue writer; writing for the Oscars and not knowing the movies; Chris Rock's bit about black people not caring about Oscar films; Chris's "accountants"; the Sean Penn - Jude Law dustup; playing David Copperfield; playing Osama bin Laden on "Louie"; writing for Saturday Night Special; getting hired on The Chris Rock Show; bringing his dry humor; famous sketches; his sketches with Mario Joyner; doing stand up on Conan; doing it now; his film script and the difficulties getting it made; going to SNL with Chris in 2014; working on the monologue and pitching a script that died at readthrough; working on tonight's monologue; Everybody Still Hates Chris

Lowell Ganz joined me to discuss how watching classic sitcoms was his "college"; his parents reaction to his constant TV watching; meeting Mark Rothman; Mark Rothman's dad giving a script they wrote to Jack Klugman and Tony Randall who gave it to Garry Marshall; getting hired, fired and rehired by The Odd Couple; "The Ides of April" and "Fear of Flying"; moving to Happy Days; writing the experimental three camera episode "Fonzie Gets Married"; going to # 1; introducing Laverne & Shirley; not realizing these characters could be spun off; test pilot scene; favorite episodes; meeting Michael McKean and David L. Lander and sneaking Lenny & Squggy past ABC; Busting Loose; giving new writers their first jobs; Cindy Begel; his skill at joke memory; The Ted Knight Show; The Lovebirds; The Rita Moreno Show; directing; going back to Happy Days; Ron Howard talks about directing; burning down Arnolds; how he personalized the news article that turned into "Night Shift";  Babaloo Mandel; "Splash"; changing Bruce Jay Friedman's original script; Oscars; Writer's Guild Lifetime Achievement Award; Red Buttons; Garry Marshall puts older writers in the room; Danny Thomas; A Happy Days episode gets Tom Hanks "Splash"; Working Stiffs gets Michael Keaton "Night Shift"; "Spies Like Us"; George C. Scott; Lowell's roles in "Splash" & "Parenthood"; Bpb Hope; Phil Silvers; "realness" of "Parenthood"; closes movie to him; unsurity of box office appeal; "City Slickers"; Rick Moranis has to drop out; Bruno Kirby will play either role; David L. Lander; "A League of their Own"; a bad review; ballplayers love it; Penny Marshall's directing"; 5 TV shows from his movies; how his characters are done to him after the movie finishes; "City Slickers II"; "Fever Pitch"; making like less misogynistic than book; ending changing to mirror real life; Mr. Saturday Night the Musical; Garry Marshall's Memorial Service"

SNN's Jon Schneider joins me to unbox an awesome assemblage of Saturday Night Live memorabilia sent to me by Eileen O'Brien including over 40 episode rundowns, 3 full scripts, tickets to after parties, and a graphic novel depicting the 2/2/85 Alex Karras / Tina Turner episode

Chris DeLuca joins me to discuss the Staten Island / Long Island dichotomy; the Magic Garden; WPIX; Milford Plaza; first laugh in 3rd grade; writing in college; being a Letterman fan; Letterman's making comedy out of nothing vs. Conan's style; Conan product placement sketches; SNL internship; 1st week Chevy Chase / Robbie Robertson; Tom Hanks pacing back and forth trying to imitate Joe Pesci; eating a chili burger and grossing out Mike Myers; Jerry Seinfeld episode; coming back as a page in 1995; cast was friendlier; watching the Foo Fighters rehearse; playing basketball with the cast; Norm MacDonald; being allowed to "fax" jokes to Update; working on Conan; DB Frick; writing sample was used Update jokes; working on Conan and submitting jokes for Craig Kilborn; getting hired by Craig six months before he leaves; writing for guest hosts and then staying for Craig Ferguson; Lori Nasso's Scottish stalker character; bits he wrote; Video Game Awards bits on video game violence and Gamer Hall of Fame; doing a Master Class in putting up with your wife during quarantine; Trump Talk: the American Emperor, his podcast

Peter Montagna joined me to discuss the pronunciation of his last name; TV tubes; being a fan of monster movies; his goal of being a painter; graduating with a degree in nutrition; working at NYU; seeing SNL shoot a sketch near his job gives him the itch; reads Corsair's makeup book; quits his job; takes a class and then teaches with Burt Roth; corresponding with Dick Smith; not getting the ABC makeup apprenticeship; getting the NBC apprenticeship; working with Kevin Haney and being a floater from 1981 to 1984; being Makeup Department head from 1984 to 1989; turning Eddie Murphy white for the "White Like Me" sketch; turning Billy Crystal & Christopher Guest black for "Negro League Memories" sketch; turning Billy into Sammy Davis, Jr., and Yul Brynner's niece; the blooper with Billy's wig and Martin Short; a typical week; his Saturday 10:30 meeting with Department heads; working with Phil Hartman on Frankenstein; working with Billy Crystal on Princess Bride; working with Don Rickles; on Mr. Saturday Night; the work on Robot Repair causing Phil Hartman to give him a writing credit; working on Quick Change with Bill Murray; working on Cold Case; My Fellow Americans with Dan Aykroyd and James Garner; working with Robin Williams; retiring except to help out Billy Crystal.

Don McEnery joined me to discuss knowing how to ask where the library is in Spanish; It's a Wonderful Life; attempting to be a singer-songwriter; a panic attack makes him decide to pursue standup; starting Long Island; observational humor; touring with Howie Mandel; worst gigs; comedy condos; working clean; working with Glenn "Mr. Bullhorn" Super and Sinbad; Dry Bar Comedy; getting on Evening on the Improv; how Seinfeld stories come from real life; meeting his partner Bob Shaw; going to the Emmys; working for George Carlin; co-writing Hercules and A Bug's Life; writing the pilot The Eligible Dentist for Gene Wilder; Punchline; moving to North Carolina; retiring; Denny Johnston; performing for 10,000 people and never getting nervous