Ian Talks Comedy

Ian Fermaglich
  • 4.4 (13)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Join NYC teacher and former stand up comedian Ian Fermaglich as he talks comedy with some of comedy's best.

  1. 19h ago

    Art Dielhenn (director Punky Brewster / Head of the Class / Sister Sister)

    Art Dielhenn joined me to discuss watching Roy Rogers; having celiac disease and dyslexia; a drama coach turns him onto acting; realizing in college he is not an actor; moving Oppenheimer's possessions as a moving man; spending 7 years directing at KRMA Denver; moving to KQED San Francisco and directing Pauline Kael; Peter Bonerz is a guest and invites Art to L.A.; Norman Lear hires him as an AD on Apple Pie and Hello Larry; does Sanford and says Redd and Jamie Foxx are two funniest people he's ever worked with; working with Jack Shea on Silver Spoons; Insight; getting the job on Punky Brewster; "Perils of Punky" episode; censor problems; 15 minute episodes; going to Webster; everyone hates Susan Clark; being friends with Soleil Moon Frye's mom and they both protect Soleil; going to Head of the Class; Howard Hesseman being miserable; working with Brian Robbins, Dan Schneider, and Elaine Stritch; getting hired to direct Free Spirit, wanting Amy Yasbeck as star, but getting Corrine Bohrer; wanting and getting Allison Hannigan as co-star; directing a Cosby Show and having to give Cosby notes; directing Pacific Station and dealing with a depressed Robert Guillaume; having fun with Ron Liebman; Sister, Sister with Tia & Tamera Mowry; directing Lifetime show Maggie; going into life coaching; getting clients; going to AA; writing Get Out of Your Head and Addiction is a Family Disease; how alcoholism is a progressive disease even if you're not actively drinking

    1h 6m

  2. Jul 4

    Dan O'Shannon (Newhart / Cheers / Modern Family)

    Dan O'Shannon joined me to discuss Cleveland kids TV and his documentary; going to Cleveland State for a year; doing stand up; getting to know his character; buying a Cheers script to find a template for a spec script; Marc Sotkin reads spec, hires him on It's A Living; writes for Safe at Home; writes a freelance Charmings; getting hired with writing partner Tom Anderson on Newhart; writing a freelance Cheers on off time; coming up with the Newhart finale at same time as Bob's wife; Cheers episode "Two Girls for Every Boyd"; "Who is Cliff Clavin" and Alex Trebek's acting; Spanky MacFarlane; almost getting Bill Clinton; "Severe Crane Damage" - did not write We Will Rock You opening; Freudian slip joke; coining the phrase "Did I say that out loud"; writing the episode were Lilith divorces Frasier; "Woody Gets an Election"; Kelsey Grammar becomes Frasier; the last name Kraypence; his 1993 sitcom The Boys with Anthony Edwards replaced by Christopher Meloni; Suddenly Susan with Rodney Dangerfield; Oscar nominee for Redux Riding Hood; Maggie; Frasier episodes "Sliding Doors", "Rooms with a View"; Don Juan in Hell"; Modern Family "Fly with Me", "having to service all characters, "Undeck the Halls"; his books "What are you Laughing At" and "The Adventures of Mrs. Jesus", pilot "Furst Born"; moving to Cleveland"; long driving trips

    58 min

  3. Jun 27

    Seth Freeman (Lou Grant / Brooklyn Bridge)

    Seth Freeman joined me to discuss going backstage on Kukla, Fran & Ollie; Hop-along Cassidy; writing for his school paper; teaching math to inner city students so they gain pride; deciding to move to LA; becoming a gofer at MTM; being mentored by Gene Reynolds, Allan Burns, and James L. Brooks; Jeff Melvoin's book on TV writing; WGA Foundation for TV writers; knowing all aspects of TV production in case you become a producer; working on the TV show Brooklyn Bridge; CBS wants to spin off Lou Grant; MTM wants to make it a drama; his episode "Hostage", "The Cop"; pitching an episode then doing the research; writing an episode about message parlor girls, prisoners of conscience and the blacklist; "Rape" came from Allan Burns and his wife's charity work; writing a spec Bob Newhart and getting both sitcoms and dramas which made him what Lou Grant producers wanted; creating Lincoln Heights, getting an MA in public health right before COVID 19; CBS thought Lou Grant would be cancelled after 13 weeks; was eventually cancelled last minute because of Ed Asner's politics

    55 min

  4. Jun 20

    Prof. Frank Chindamo (SNL Season 6 writers assistant / creator LaughMD.com)

    Frank Chindamo joined me to talk about being half Ecuadorean and half Italian and can only speak English; living in Queens; Winky Dink and You; getting the writer's assistants job; Ferris Butler; Michael O'Donoghue; Charles Rocket's f-bomb; his sketch that was never produced; Bill Murray teaches him Cronkite; working on the first documentary about Mother Theresa; getting a MFA at Columbia; his shorts Cat and Mousse and Jelly Donut Saga; directing Food for Thought; creating a company Fun Little Movies that produced first internet comedy series and first comedy video for a phone; teaching at USC; learns comedy can reduce stress, pain and heart attacks; writes a book Laugh RX; medicine is the best medicine but laughter helps; Jon Stewart & Patch Adam; LaughterMD.com; worst place to watch comedy is on Tik Tok

    37 min

  5. Jun 13

    Marsha Posner Williams (producer, Soap / Night Court / Golden Girls)

    Marsha Posner Williams joined me to talk about wanting to know how TV was made; being able to type 122 WPM; getting a job as a secretary for Steve Gordon on "The Practice"; getting hired by Tony Thomas; working for Soap; most controversial show ever; mix of comedy and drama; Billy Crystal's coming out scene; best of season cuts would be 4 hours long; Bea Arthur; Benson; Inga Swenson; Ann Jillian; Condo; Marc Price's set teacher was president of Marlo Thomas fan club; Estelle Getty second youngest on Golden Girls; hoping producing Night Court would get her off jury duty; tallest cast ever; Reinhold Weege would think sitting in dark black rooms; getting married in 1985 and doing 52 episodes of three sitcoms; Hail to the Chief; Dick Shawn; "the woman is a candle"; nuns in the front row; pilot Arena with Ted Bessell; came to Golden Girls after Coco; Golden Girls drag show; WWE wrestler is a huge fan; SNL skit; Lanai; Susan Harris plays a hooker on Soap and uses the phrase "around the world"; John Ritter's testicles and Cheers name mix-ups; Bea & Betty's mothers die the same week; The Golden Girls being easy to work with; Paul Bogart quit as director, replaced by Jay Sandrich and Terry Hughes; Babes; working with Stu Silver on "Good Grief"; wanting an older lead and FOX forcing Howie Mandel; Jerry Lewis directs an episode; Tom Poston; typing 20,000 jokes in two years makes her tough; getting her hand smacked by Ed. Weinberger at Amen

    1h 1m

  6. Jun 6

    Susan Silver (Mary Tyler Moore / Bob Newhart shows, author Hot Pants in Hollywood)

    Susan Silver joined me to discuss being a Sagittarius; watching Your Show of Shows; being born in Milwaukee and moving to Whitefish Bay; being rocked by her mother; Northwestern; UCLA with professor Francis Ford Coppola; working on Laugh In; writing for Love, American Style and Room 222; writing the Mary Tyler Moore episodes "A Friend in Need" & "Room 223"; writing the pilot to Maude; wearing hot pants and being in a TV guide article; The Couple Takes a Wife and similar Seinfeld episode; Bob Newhart show; her favorite TV movie that didn't go; her political affair; helping Bill Clinton; offered a job writing for NASA; working for the ADL; my grandmothers WWII story; being a UN observer for the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Bob Woodruff a funny person; Square Pegs; saying she's in the age bracket 50 to dead; dating past 50; no longer dyeing her hair; choking stories; Dr. Heimlich & Anson Williams; her "adopted" grandchildren; working with the FIDF; future of Israel; antisemitism; Hitlers Ascent and Trump; being afraid to walk in NYC with the Star of David; NY vs. LA; Donald Trump; Buddy Hackett vs. Don Rickles; her parents

    41 min

  7. May 30

    Kevin Kelton (2021 Interview with Better Audio)

    Kevin and I discuss Face the Music; Fridays; Twilight Theater; Laugh Trax; No Soap, Radio; The Jeffersons; getting SNL; Eddie Murphy's showcase; getting stuff on his second show; Subliminal Advertising Sketch, Lie Detector Sketch; Chess Club Coach sketch; Trivial Pursuit sketch; being locked in Dick Ebersol's office to write Eddie Murphy's Christmas 1984 show; Christopher Guest Auctioneer Sketch, I Am Also the World, Prison Rape Sketch; Women in Prison tv show; Night Court and favorite episodes; Boy Meets World and the genius of Will Freidle; Townsend TV; Boogies Diner; Girlfriend Guy; BIFL; and what he's doing now.

    1h 4m

  8. May 23

    Ross Shafer (Almost Live!/Late Show/Match Game)

    Ross Shafer joined me to talk about watching Rusty Nails as a kid; flipping bikes, cars, houses, and businesses; college football; owning a stereo / pet store named Woofers and Tweeters; hamster drag racing; going to a comedy club when he had an ulcer; seeing there was a science there; trying it and getting good enough to win Showtimes Comedy Laugh Off; having a day job and not being able to move to LA; bombing on Alan Thicke's Canadian talk show; pitching Almost Live!; getting the show on the air on the fly; creating fame for little towns near Seattle; Louie, Louie campaign makes it a hit, but no one wants to syndicate; gets job to host Late Show but has to cancel remaining gigs; writers to Johnny Carson; Writer's Strike causes theme shows like TV reunions; Ozzy Osbourne; Hollywood Squares & Howard Stern; finding out Late Show is cancelled that morning; getting Match Game; memorable trip; Sally Struthers and Charles Nelson Reilly; Iraq War preempts show and ratings dive; began doing corporate gigs; his WOW versus POW theory; the book Love, Johnny by Mark Malkoff

    1 hr
See All (331)

Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Join NYC teacher and former stand up comedian Ian Fermaglich as he talks comedy with some of comedy's best.

Information

  • Creator
    Ian Fermaglich
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    331
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ian Fermaglich
  • Show Website
    Ian Talks Comedy

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