Mark Evanier's Blog, page 65

FACT CHECK: Immigrants Voting

Elon Musk says — and a lot of Conservatives also say — President Joe Biden's immigration policy was "a giant voter importation scam." The folks at Politifact do a pretty good job of showing why that could not be the case.

ASK me: Game Show Writers

Dan Olson — who says he's from "definitely not the 51st state" — which I guessed right off meant Canada — wrote to ask…

As a reader of your blog & someone who loves going worm holing thru your archives, I know you are/were a fan of game shows. Having watched your friend Lorenzo Music and his wife Henrietta on an old Tattletales episode shown here in Canada this week, I was wondering about game show writers.

A show like Match Game (1973-79) publicized their staff writers (including MAD's Dick DeBartolo), with questions that could be suggestively sly or muddily mundane. Hollywood Squares had "quips" supplied to celebrities & the questions on T.T. occasionally seemed ripe for divorce court. I'm thinking even a show like Celebrity Sweepstakes (a personal favourite because it often appeared chaotic & near off-the-rails with some surly "Who booked me for this?!" stars) seemed like either there were jokes prepared (I seem to recall Pat McCormick on it). Was the role of a writer on these types of 60-70s shows a gateway to something bigger? Did you ever get an offer to do that?

Here's an easy answer: The role of a writer on a game show could be almost anything, especially on shows which did not come under the mantle of the Writers Guild of America, as many did and do not. Generally speaking though, they would write the questions and if the game involved celebrities coming up with funny answers or even real answers, the writers would supply them, though the celeb was free to make up his or her own funny or bluff response. The writers would also write out what the host was to say, though again what they gave the host might be treated more like a suggestion.

I have occasionally picked up a few bucks writing for game shows, mostly for run-throughs. A run-through is like a pilot that is not recorded. I was briefly involved in unsuccessful attempts to bring back, in quite a different form, the game show Rhyme and Reason and also Johnny Carson's old show, Who Do You Trust? Neither got past the runthrough stage. I turned down a few offers to write for shows which did get on the air but none of them interested me a lot…or maybe at all. It's probably just as well.

Webcam of the Week

Here's a live feed which, 24/7, shows you part of Times Square in New York. During most daylight hours, you can play a rousing game of "How Many Guys in Elmo Costumes Can I Spot?" The other day, I saw five, all cautiously keeping away from each other…

Today's Bonus Video Links

60 Minutes broadcast a profile this evening of John Oliver…

And here's the little extra segment they did just for the Internet…

Today's Video Link

Here's a John Mulaney special from some time ago. I linked to one excerpt from this before but it's worth watching again…

Political Stuff

Kevin Drum, apparently blogging from a hospital bed, presents a not-meant-to-be-complete list of ways in which Elon Musk is benefiting from the work he's doing, allegedly on behalf of the people of the United States. Looks like it's good for him and he doesn't care if it's good for us. Everyone who voted for Trump would be screaming if these things were being done by an unelected ally of President Kamala Harris.

Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to post a lot of this kind of thing but you knew I wouldn't be able to resist.

ASK me: Fleischer Supermans

Rob Morley wrote to ask…

I love the Superman cartoons that were produced by the Max Fleischer Studios (and later by Famous Studios) in the 1940s. I see a number of different DVDs and Blu-rays of them for sale and don't know which one to buy. Which one do you recommend?

Rob Morley is only one of many who have sent me this question and my answer is that I don't recommend any of them. I was going to get around to writing an explanation of why but I noticed that my pal Jerry Beck just wrote about this on Facebook. Jerry knows more about this kind of thing than I do, probably more than anyone. Here's what he had to say…

These films have never been properly restored — period. Some of the boneheaded decisions made by who ever has been in charge of remastering these for home video sale — not to defend them, but to help explain them — have been to "scotch tape" previous edits and screw ups instead of doing a proper search for master film elements.

It seems that when whoever syndicated them to television back in the 50s and 60s (apparently Motion Pictures For Television, Inc — the company that had the syndication rights for the George Reeves Superman TV show) cut the beginnings and ends (mainly to remove the Paramount logo) and replaced them with the origin (from the first cartoon) at the beginning, and the Famous ("mightier than a roaring hurricane," etc.) descriptor at the end. In doing so — they lopped off the sound track elements as well… so "whoever" at Warners simply replaced the silence with a "one size fits all" Paramount tag. George Feltenstein is dying to do the Superman cartoons — hopefully he'll get the chance soon…

George Feltenstein is a historian and producer for the Warner Archives and a gent with a stellar reputation among those who demand that classic films be properly restored and preserved. So I guess my recommendation is to wait until The Powers That Are permit George to produce a definitive set of those fine cartoons. I'm not sure if purchasing the flawed sets now makes that more likely or less likely. Whoever can commit the funds for someone like Mr. Feltenstein to work his magic might say, "Let's do it! There's obviously a lot of interest in these cartoons" or they might say, "There's no point in us doing that now. Everyone who cares about them has already bought them!"

They really are great cartoons, made back in the day when Superman was unique; when he was really the only hero in contemporary popular fiction who could fly, lift Chryslers, burst through brick walls, repel alien invaders, etc. Just in the world of DC Comics today — never mind Marvel and other outfits — there are now thousands of characters who can do all that. Once upon a time, he was special.

FACT CHECK: Trump's Approval Ratings

So now the man is claiming that his approval rating is at 71% or at least 69% and no one can find such a poll except maybe around Sean Hannity's dinner table. No one can even find a poll where Trump's approval rating is as high as his disapproval rating. The Huffington Post has more on this but what I'd love to know is if he's saying this because he actually believes it. Are aides telling him what he wants to hear?

Go See It!

The New York Times gives us a look at some of the Saturday Night Live memorabilia that Lorne Michaels sent to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Interesting bits of history.

Today's Video Link

I've decided to feature some of what I think are great stand-up comedy specials here for the next few I-don't-know-how-many days. This one, which was brought to my attention by my pal Paul Harris, is a recent one by Dana Gould. All or most of the specials I'll feature have some moments that might offend the easily-offended…though I question the value system of anyone who's offended by a comedy routine and not by what's happening in Washington, D.C. these days.

I like the way Dana Gould thinks and I like that in this special, he seems to be wearing the same shoes I wear. My footwear of choice is the New Balance 587, a long-discontinued model. When they stopped making them, I hurriedly bought up every pair I could find and I think I now have about eight never-worn pairs in my closet along with the one on my feet. If Mr. Gould is wearing New Balance 587s as he appears to be, he only managed to get them because he doesn't wear the same size I do. I was real thorough…