INTERVIEW: AUTHOR PAULA FINN TALKS ABOUT HER NEW BOOK ON CLASSIC TV COMEDY: "SITCOM WRITERS TALK SHOP: BEHIND THE SCENES WITH CARL REINER, NORMAN LEAR, AND OTHER GENIUSES OF TV COMEDY"
July 27, 2019
As the daughter of Honeymooners writer Herbert Finn, Author Paula Finn grew up in the culture, surrounded by the brilliance and wit of her father and his colleagues. A former college English teacher and TV documentary researcher, she's the author of ten gift books including When Love Isn't Easy and Make This Your Day.
"Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" features Q&A's with such writers as Carl Reiner (Creator, The Dick Van Dyke Show), Norman Lear (All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times), James L. Brooks, (Co-creator, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, The Simpsons), Matt Williams (Creator, Roseanne), Al Jean (Longtime showrunner, The Simpsons), and Phil Rosenthal (Creator, Everybody Loves Raymond). Topics include the influence of drugs, tricks for getting inspired, defining comedy, backstories of iconic series and episodes, demystifying the creative process, the realities of writers' rooms, and coping with fear (Norman Lear calls it "shit in the head").
Some of the Q&A's include relevant "Behind the Scenes" sidebar information from additional writers and answers to such questions as, "Was there real beer on the Cheers stage? How did Bill Cosby infuriate Danny Kaye? Which writer passed out mid-joke?"
The book's forewords are by Ed Asner and Carol Kane. It's endorsed by several celebrities including Jay Leno, Paula Poundstone, and Valerie Harper.
Paula chatted with us about growing up in Hollywood, the perks of having a comedy-writing father, and her process in writing the book.
What were some advantages of having a dad who's a comedy writer?
My dad's sense of humor made everything more fun. And one of the best perks was being invited to the closed sets of my favorite TV shows to watch them being filmed. My dad had connections everywhere. One time I wrote for tickets to the 1960's music show, Shindig. They sent back a postcard saying the waiting list was two years. My dad called the producer and got me four tickets for the next week's show.
What are some of your most memorable brushes with celebrity?
Aside from chatting with my favorite sitcom stars at their shows, I knew Jerry Mathers in college. He gave me rides home in his Porsche when my car wasn't running. I was in classes with Lucy Arnaz when I briefly attended a private Catholic school. Jay North went to my orthodontist. Steve Allen and Walt Disney went to my church. And a highlight of my teen years was visiting Sonny and Cher's home in Encino: they invited me in and treated me like an old friend.
Is "Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" your first writing effort?
I was always a writer. In high school I was writing a celebrity interview column for my local paper. After college I wrote magazine articles for several years, and then got into writing inspirational gift books and uplifting prose for a variety of gift products. I'm currently building a social media presence with my inspirational quotes (Gifts of Prose). Writing "Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" wasn't a stretch, as I'd done nonfiction articles based on interviews for years.
View more on M.A. Cassata's website—www.macassata.com
As the daughter of Honeymooners writer Herbert Finn, Author Paula Finn grew up in the culture, surrounded by the brilliance and wit of her father and his colleagues. A former college English teacher and TV documentary researcher, she's the author of ten gift books including When Love Isn't Easy and Make This Your Day.
"Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" features Q&A's with such writers as Carl Reiner (Creator, The Dick Van Dyke Show), Norman Lear (All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times), James L. Brooks, (Co-creator, Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, The Simpsons), Matt Williams (Creator, Roseanne), Al Jean (Longtime showrunner, The Simpsons), and Phil Rosenthal (Creator, Everybody Loves Raymond). Topics include the influence of drugs, tricks for getting inspired, defining comedy, backstories of iconic series and episodes, demystifying the creative process, the realities of writers' rooms, and coping with fear (Norman Lear calls it "shit in the head").
Some of the Q&A's include relevant "Behind the Scenes" sidebar information from additional writers and answers to such questions as, "Was there real beer on the Cheers stage? How did Bill Cosby infuriate Danny Kaye? Which writer passed out mid-joke?"
The book's forewords are by Ed Asner and Carol Kane. It's endorsed by several celebrities including Jay Leno, Paula Poundstone, and Valerie Harper.
Paula chatted with us about growing up in Hollywood, the perks of having a comedy-writing father, and her process in writing the book.
What were some advantages of having a dad who's a comedy writer?
My dad's sense of humor made everything more fun. And one of the best perks was being invited to the closed sets of my favorite TV shows to watch them being filmed. My dad had connections everywhere. One time I wrote for tickets to the 1960's music show, Shindig. They sent back a postcard saying the waiting list was two years. My dad called the producer and got me four tickets for the next week's show.
What are some of your most memorable brushes with celebrity?
Aside from chatting with my favorite sitcom stars at their shows, I knew Jerry Mathers in college. He gave me rides home in his Porsche when my car wasn't running. I was in classes with Lucy Arnaz when I briefly attended a private Catholic school. Jay North went to my orthodontist. Steve Allen and Walt Disney went to my church. And a highlight of my teen years was visiting Sonny and Cher's home in Encino: they invited me in and treated me like an old friend.
Is "Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" your first writing effort?
I was always a writer. In high school I was writing a celebrity interview column for my local paper. After college I wrote magazine articles for several years, and then got into writing inspirational gift books and uplifting prose for a variety of gift products. I'm currently building a social media presence with my inspirational quotes (Gifts of Prose). Writing "Sitcom Writers Talk Shop" wasn't a stretch, as I'd done nonfiction articles based on interviews for years.
View more on M.A. Cassata's website—www.macassata.com
No comments have been added yet.
