Monthly Archives: August 2011

Perhaps we should just be grateful for the distraction. At a time when our country's economy is such that burning the nation down for the insurance money is starting to be a viable option, folks are talking instead of the ouster of Jerry Lewis from a telethon…and not just any telethon. This was a telethon most of them didn't watch…or if they did, it was so they could chortle at how awful it was or to see Jerry start crying or lashing out at his enemies. This would be a much smaller discussion if we restricted it to those who tuned in, respected the effort for what it was and actually sent in money.

I see all these online petitions and rallying cries to reinstate Jer where he rightly belongs: On our sets on Labor Day weekend, tuxedo-clad in Vegas and introducing Tony Orlando. None that I have seen have mentioned or seemed to care about the real reason the telethon exists. Yes, it's a tradition. Yes, it's often enormously entertaining on at least some level. Yes, Jerry is a legend and pretty much the last relic of a certain generation of performer. All that is great…but the purpose of the telethon is to raise the operating capital for a cause that, and Jerry would be the first and last one to tell you this, does a lot of good for a lot of people. It's not about amusing us from afar as we roast weiners and burgers. It's not about giving Norm Crosby a chance to make his annual appearance on TV. It's not even about upholding custom or honoring Jerry for The Nutty Professor. It's about buying wheelchairs and maybe, someday, finding a cure.

Not that it's really my business but I'm curious about what it was that drove the MDA folks to conclude they couldn't do that as well with Jerry Lewis front and center. I suspect it has something to do with him becoming an even looser cannon than he ever was; of him saying things that seem borderline misogynistic or homophobic; of reports of him alienating crew members as well as big corporate donors. A big money-gathering feature of the telethon was always for the heads of companies to get their on-camera moments with Jerry as they presented large checks. Did anyone notice that in the last few years, those moments largely went away? That the large checks were being presented off-camera or with hosts other than Lewis?

I worked on one telethon years ago. One thing I learned is that its organizers were total and complete slaves to a number. They absolutely, positively had to raise X dollars and all other considerations had to be subordinated to that need. If they didn't reach X, portions of the charity's agenda would be dismantled and a lot of sick kids wouldn't get their leg braces or medical treatment.

Was it a viable option for them to stay the course and keep Jerry hosting? I don't know but I can certainly imagine a scenario where it was not…where the MDA execs reluctantly concluded that if they were going to keep corporate donors giving and going to keep meeting their annual operating nut, they were going to have to reinvent the telethon. They've cut it to six hours. They obviously tried to work out some sort of reduced presence and passing-of-the-torch moment with Jerry. Maybe they were premature or insensitive in how they tried to move him aside…

…but supposing they're right. I mean, just supposing. And maybe the problem isn't that they don't appreciate Jerry for past efforts but that he wants it done his way or not at all. Even those of us who love Jerry in some or all manners are aware of his volatility, his unconcealed anger at those he believes have wronged him, his tendency to just say whatever pops into his mind without the kind of regulator that most other public figures have to filter their verbal output. Perhaps the folks in the MDA offices made the wrong call…but if it was the right call insofar as their fund-raising is concerned, how do you ease out a legend without creating the kind of backlash we're now seeing? More specifically, how do you ease out Jerry Lewis if he doesn't want to go?

An interview with one of the cleverest men alive, Buck Henry.

Tomorrow night in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, you have a chance to see top-flight improv by state-of-the-art improvisers. The Spolin Players, who are kind of the New York Yankees of making it up as they go along, are performing at 8 PM at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre Cafe at 2106 Hyperion Ave. Further details and a link to purchase tickets can be found here.

Who the hell are the Spolin Players? Well, at the moment, they're Donna Dubain, Danny Mann, John Mariano, Anna Mathias, Gail Matthius, David McCharen, Edie McClurg, Pat Musick, Jonathan Schmock and Jim Staahl, with Fred Kaz at the piano. If you know anything at all about improv comedy, you're already impressed. If you don't know about improv comedy, you'll have to go to Silverlake to be impressed.

Each year, I have a darn good time at WonderCon, a convention staged in San Francisco by most of the same people who run the big Comic-Con in San Diego. It's kind of like Comic-Con Lite with a bit more emphasis on comics as they're conventionally (no pun intended) defined and less — but some — on movies and TV. It drew a little under 40,000 people for its 2011 incarnation, held earlier this year.

One key attraction of WonderCon is its location. It's been held, lo these many years, at the Moscone Center in the heart of that city by the bay. It's a great facility and it's surrounded by places to go, places to eat, things to do, etc. I'd go to WonderCon if it was held in the middle of nowhere but the fact that it's held in the middle of somewhere is a terrific bonus. So here's the problem.

As explained here, the Moscone Center is undergoing a two-year $55-million renovation. As I understand it, the place is not going to close down. There will be conventions there…just fewer of them during that period. At one point, WonderCon was told there would be no room for them in 2012. (Most convention centers book conventions years down the line. For some reason, the Moscone Center doesn't do that. WonderCon has usually been unable to secure playdates more than a year in advance.)

I've heard nothing official about the problem lately. The WonderCon folks began investigating other venues that might be large enough and the rumor spread that they were heading for Anaheim or San Jose. Then last I heard, the Moscone Center was willing to find space for them…but not enough. The dickering continues and I sure hope the affair gets to stay where it's been.

What intrigues me about this is the contrast to the awesome might of the Comic-Con. One of the reasons I believe Comic-Con will not leave San Diego for a long, long time (if ever) is that it is so gosh-darn important to the economy of that city. Back when Comic-Con began, San Diego was a nice place to visit but conventions did not flock there, Hyatt and Marriott did not build there, there were few restaurants of any note, etc. Vast portions of the town were bars and sex shops catering to sailors on shore leave. The biggest — just about the only — tourist attraction was the zoo…and while it's always been a great zoo, it didn't draw that many outta-towners since there are, after all, other zoos. The rise of the Comic-Con turned the entire city around.

The San Diego agency that deals in such matters might play hardball with the Comic-Con over money, leading to those occasional rumblings that the con's moving to L.A., the con's moving to Vegas, etc. Those negotiations are just negotiations…like Democrats and Republicans dancing over who's going to get what before they go ahead and raise the debt ceiling. Neither party wants to risk blowing up what they've got by not making a deal. In the Comic-Con bickering, both sides want to make a deal. The city needs the convention more than the convention needs the city…but they do need each other. On the other hand, WonderCon is not as vital to San Francisco. The Moscone Center was willing to let it get away…and slow to realize that if it went to Anaheim for one year, it might get to like it there and never come back.

Based on no recent inside info, I have a hunch WonderCon will get what it needs to stay in S.F. for 2012. If the Moscone Center sends it packing, I have a feeling they'll regret it. I know I will.

A few quickies. This one is from Ted Herrmann…

I also am a long-time Jerry Lewis follower — how can you not be? — and I was a little sad at the abrupt wording of the statement. We love him for what he's always been — a brilliant performer who often morphs into a train wreck much to our delight — and I really don't care what his part in this fiasco is — he should've been given a proper send-off for all he's done. Whatever comes out in the wash, I'm on Team Jerry!

I kinda feel that way…but I also have the feeling that the blow-up was because Jerry wouldn't let them give him a proper send-off. I also have the feeling we haven't heard the last of this.

Ray Arthur wrote to ask…

What are your memories of working for Dick Clark Productions? And, if you worked directly with Dick Clark…good/bad memories?

I worked a lot with Dick over a brief period, including producing a show that he hosted but which was not done through his company. If you can set aside a fierce determination to pay everyone as little as possible, my memories of him are all good. I liked the man and I really admired his professionalism and work ethic. He worked like a madman yet still managed to be utterly accessible. If you just walked up to him and said, say, "Little Richard," he'd drop everything that was droppable and tell you ten minutes of Little Richard anecdotes. Or Elvis. Or Ray Charles or anyone. He had, of course, worked with everybody and he had real sharp insights into every aspect of show business.

Great sense of humor. Very little ego. Always on time for everything. Very respectful of the talents and expertise of others. Worked like a dog. Easy to get along with. I can tell you hours of stories of producers, execs and stars who were maniacs and a-holes. I have only good stories about Dick Clark. That is, if you could get past the underlying fear that he wouldn't make every possible dime on every project.

Finally, this from Joel Williamson…

I see we're coming up on what would have been the 100th birthday of Lucille Ball. I assume you met her and have some great stories, right?

You assume wrong. I have a couple of friends who worked with her or knew her well but I never had what I hope would have been the pleasure. My pal Jim Brochu was a close pal of hers late in her life and a couple of times when he was going over to her place to play Backgammon with her, he invited me to tag along. But I was busy all those times, I didn't know how to play Backgammon…and to tell the truth, I didn't love Lucy as much as a lot of other folks do. With me, it was more a matter of respecting the body of work than of being a huge fan of the lady.

When I watch old I Love Lucy episodes as I occasionally do, I find myself watching for Desi Arnaz and William Frawley…and also for the writing, which I think has always been underestimated. When I watch her later shows, it's usually for Gale Gordon and/or the guest stars. I just never really liked her screen character, I guess. Maybe I'd have more affection for the lady if I'd taken Jim up on one of those invites and met the real person. [CORRECTION, YEARS LATER: I dunno why I gave that answer. I did meet Lucy once…briefly. I told the story over at this post.]