Ian Talks Comedy Ian Fermaglich

Karyl Miller joined me and talked about growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the late 1950's; being a loner; listening to radio and begging her father to buy a TV; going to Cal Arts for a summer program; not going to college; going to night fashion school; mom wanting her to marry a nice Jewish man; being inspired by Lily Tomlin; wrote spec scripts while designing dresses; met Garry Marshall; got a job writing interstitials for Love, American Style; wrote for a dress designer sitcom called Needles and Pins; her spec script got her hired for Lily Tomlin specials and season 3 of the Mary Tyler Moore Show; writing Lily Tomlin's monologues; turning down Lorne Michaels' offer for SNL; writing for Cher's 1975 variety show; her first MTM "Rhoda's Sisters Wedding" and the famous letter sequence; her other episode "WJM Tries Harder"; writing for Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; writing a freelance episode of Karen; writing a Maude and being afraid of Bea Arthur; being brought into Diff'rent Strokes when Charlotte Rae wants a female writer and being fired after 9 days; teaming up with Richard Pryor to write a Sanford & Son that didn't get filmed; finishing writing a pilot Richard started; working on the Erma Bombeck sitcom Maggie; being picketed while going in to write Love, Sidney; writing an episode of the Bea Arthur sitcom Amandas; being a TV snob and not writing for "bad" shows; the nightmare that was The Cosby Show; Madeline Kahn; Kate & Allie; Foley Square; being on staff on My Sister Sam and fighting with Dianne English over an episode where Pam Dawber has an affair; writing an episode of David Rules; her career being hurt by turning down shows she didn't like and the shows she dd not hiring women; turning down The Love Boat; how doodling on scripts led to cartooning and creating her own font; becoming a political cartoonist and being the President of the Southern California Cartoonist Society

Ferris Butler and his biographer D.B. Frick joined me to discuss his garage band version of SNL "Waste Meet News"; his love for Sid Caesar and Ernie Kovacs; Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's; his pilot for the Vintage Seltzer Hour with Michael O'Donoghue and Garrett Morris; going to NYU film school and being taught by Martin Scorsese and classmates with Billy Crystal; creating Waste Meat News; having Radames Pera on; the budget; New York Magazine says Waste Meat is being copied by SNL; getting hired by Jean Doumanian; how the crew was excited for new season. but the press was already hostile; not getting anything on the premiere; getting Leather Weather on the Malcolm McDowell show; writing the tag to Eddie Murphy's first appearance; writing Tort-U-Matic and her monologue for Jamie Lee Curtis; co-writing Reagan Co for the Robert Hays episode; Howard Stern has beef about his Leather Weather Girl vs. Ferris' sketch; writing the Kung Fu prostitution sketch and slipping a watersports joke by the censors; the difference between head writers Mason Williams and Stevens and Moore; writing one joke for Weekend Update; Brian Doyle-Murray; Bill hosts; he was recommended by Letty Aronson; more Bill Murray stories; is Ferris Butler, Ferris Bueller - Del Close wanted to do a movie about him, Quentin Tarantino believes it; writing "Prison Confession" sketch for Ray Sharkey episode; writing a sketch that got cut at dress; writing the "Big Brother" sketch for Deborah Harry episode; the re-evaluation of season 6; Name That Sin; musical guests; saving his sketches; not being surprised Dick Ebersol didn't as him back; not getting credit for writing for SNL; not being invited to any anniversary; Waste Meat News is in the Paley Center for Media

Jeff Altman and I discuss growing up in Syracuse; his father, Arthur, teaching him slight of hand magic; learning more at Johns Hopkins; moving to LA and going to the Magic Castle; trying out at the Comedy Store; doing a comedy album with Denny Johnston; his Carson impression and two times he met him; doing his voice on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; doing voices on Norman Lear shows and Archie Bunker's Place; Celeste Holm, who his uncle discovered; his year living off income from being on Merv Griffin; Starland Vocal Band Show; guest appearances on Mork and Mindy and WKRP; playing Huey Hogg on Dukes of Hazard; getting the co-hosting job on Pink Lady; being told they spoke perfect English; working with Sid Caesar and Jim Varney; impressions; Rich Little; talking to Johnny right before he announced his retirement; his on-air prank calls to Letterman; Tim Thomerson; the origins of butt steak; being in the Israeli Candid Camera and almost getting arrested; his appearance on Night Court; his tough times being a cast member on Nurses; hosting Sunday Comics; Franklin Ajaye; doing an episode for the troops in the Gulf War; impersonating Bob Hope to Brooke Shields; his "dad" character; his album, I'll Flip You Like a Cheese Sandwich"; having Seinfeld ask him to be in The Bee Movie; retiring from comedy and going full time into sleight of hand; getting married to a girl he knew from high school and moving to Raleigh, NC; Max Alexander; Pink Lady covers and original songs

Ivan Decker and I discuss his Netflix special; his current You tube special Popcorn; your wife asking you to get something that's closer to her; his son; grandparents; the frenulum; being behind on comedy in Canada; Paul F. Tompkins; debuting as a 16 year old doing Mitch Hedberg; being booed off stage; me seeing Carlin booed off stage; the internet allowing you to know who a comedian is before you see them; my standup career; calling comedy clubs; hunting for jokes; laughing during situations that aren't funny because you can turn them funny later; do ex-comedians think that way; doing Conan; late night TV; how phones ruin comedy; not doing jokes because they might hurt someone's feelings, are in bad taste or might have been done; being on tour means not getting to see his comedy friends; people afraid of going to the bathroom during shows; Vancouver; sports; income disparity between hockey and soccer; American vs. Canadian measurements; Canadian accent is waning; Vancouver sounds like California; Boston Pizza; his love of Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Simpsons; looking like Colin Jost

Robert Wolterstorff joined me to discuss being mentored by Norman Lear; a quick overview of his career; going to SFSU; being mentored by Norman Lear; selling a Good Times; going to work on the Jeffersons; turning down a chance to write / produce the Incredible Hulk; his pilot Pen 'n' Ink aided by Louis Schwartzberg; doing a college interview for Benjamin Spock for President that got picked up by PBS; Jeffersons episodes; befriending Roxie Roker and her husband Sy Kravitz; Jeffersons writer's were older; moving to Universal to write pilots; working for Nicholls, Ross, West; writing for Sheriff Lobo; his pilot for Pen 'n' Ink leads to a lifelong friendship with Fred & Mary Willard; his pilot, the Outlaw; Street Hawk was originally supposed to precede Monday Night Football; finished second to Dallas but not good enough; cost $1 million an episode; getting Tangerine Dream to do the music; hiring Joe Regalbuto and Rex Smith; "predicting the future"; great writing staff; his sitcom pilot Sisters with Sally Kellerman; Quantum Leap; his episode "Jimmy" is nominated for an Emmy; writes Little Rascals movie for Penelope Spheeris; hired to make snow version of Baywatch called Extreme; creates Slappy & the Stinkers based on original Little Rascals script; Extreme; his pilot for Stinger, a superhero parody; Blade Squad; Twice in a Lifetime; his fun in writing Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction; how he got the audience to believe anything; working for military intelligence creating battle drills, IED simulations, and writing military role playing table tops; and working for the Spy Museum

Debra Frank joined me to discuss Sky King; wanting to be Mary Tyler Moore and he Girl from Uncle; being an extra in WUSA and meeting Paul Newman; dreaming of being in Perry Mason; being a tour guide at Universal; doin a Columbo impression on The Peoples Choice Awards; doing theatre and having a lot of downtime; writing a spec Rhoda script and a female Woody Allen film; being a stand in for Kathleen Quinlan and playing a leper in I Never Promised You a Rose Garden; being Louise Lasser's dialogue coach on Mary Hartman; being a typist for a write on the New Laugh In and befriending Robin Williams and Ivana Chubbuck; joining the Improv group Off the Wall; entering a TV writers contest; winning and being paired with Scott Rubenstein; creating and not getting credit for Family Ties; writing sitcoms; switching genres and partners; Carl Sautter; writing a Trapper John; The Motion Picture Home; pitching with Carl a black and white episode to "Crazy Like a Fox"; writing "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"; Orson Welles; not creating the Dennis Dugan character; not knowing who a credited co-writer is; being nominated for an Emmy, but losing to St. Elsewhere; the controversial "North by North DiPesto"; Imogene Coca; Eva Marie Saint; meeting a new writing partner; getting a two picture deal, writing pilots and a Wonder Years; having two children; taking a three year break; getting a new partner, Steve Hayes and writing 13 made-for-TV movies; Muppets Wizard of Oz; writing songs for the Muppets and getting an Emmy; re-writing My Stepmother is an Alien with Richard Benjamin;