Best Supporting Actor 1937: Thomas Mitchell in The Hurricane

Thomas Mitchell received his first Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Kersaint in The Hurricane.The Hurricane is a disaster film about a destructive hurricane strikes climatically while a native fugitive Terangi (Jon Hall) tries to escape the authorities to reach his wife (Dorothy Lamour).I must say it is interesting that Thomas Mitchell was nominated...

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Best Supporting Actor 1937: Joseph Schildkraut in The Life of Emile Zola

Joseph Schildkraut won his Oscar from his only Oscar nomination for portraying Captain Alfred Dreyfus in The Life of Emile Zola.Joseph Schildkraut probably is fights Jack Palance, and Ben Johnson for the shortest performance to win an Oscar. As Captain Alfred Dreyfus first appears well into the film, and even then there is very little of him seen. He barely is even the main...

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The Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin

Last Saturday was the 35th Occasional Doo Dah Parade in Pasadena.  Sort of the anti-Rose Parade.  This is a goofy affair with irreverent floats and bands and attractions.  Typical participants in the past have been the BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, the Shopping Cart Drill Team, the Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin, the Men of Leisure Synchronized Nap Team, The Marching Lumberjacks, Claude Rains&nb...

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Best Supporting Actor 1937: Roland Young in Topper

Roland Young received his only Oscar nomination for portraying the titular Cosmo Topper in Topper.Topper tells about a stuffy rich man Topper, who his haunted by the ghosts of his care free acquaintances the Kerbys (Cary Grant, Constance Bennett). Roland Young is the very first case of category fraud in Best Supporting Actor as Roland Young is not...

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Thanks, Mom

My mother, Marilyn, would have been 84 today. She passed away several years ago. A day doesn't go by when I don't miss her and think about her. In addition to everything else she did for me, she is responsible for my career in television. My partner, David and I were writing spec scripts, going nowhere, not even getting read at most shows. Then one day my mother found herself playing g...

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Best Supporting Actor 1937

And the Nominees Were:Ralph Bellamy in The Awful TruthThomas Mitchell in The HurricaneJoseph Schildkraut in The Life of Emile ZolaRoland Young in TopperH.B. Warner in Lost Horizon...

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Comedy writers can be bad ass!

In the summer of 1990 I was broadcasting for the Tidewater Tides, the AAA affiliate of the New York Mets. It was a Sunday afternoon game and I had to read a commercial for the Day’s Inn at Military Circle – “Home to the visiting teams of the International League”. I noted that our dreaded rivals, the Columbus Clippers (Yankees ) were coming to town next and said, “Why don’t you call...

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Best Supporting Actor 1966: Results

5. Mako in The Sand Pebbles- Mako gives a good realistic performance. His role is limited, and his character is frankly cut off just when he is becoming interesting. 4. James Mason in Georgy Girl- Mason although has a thankless role in many ways gives a charming, and dryly comic performance, that manages to turn his character into an actual man and not just a creep as he easily...

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Best Supporting Actor 1966: Robert Shaw in A Man For All Seasons

Robert Shaw received his only Oscar nomination for portraying King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons.I should get it out of the way that Robert Shaw is one of my favorite actors. I have loved him in every performance of his that I have seen so far. It is one of the biggest mistakes by the academy that Shaw was only nominated once, frankly he should have been nominated at...

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My Nerdist Writers Panel podcast is now up

Hello, from Santa Barbara where I'm speaking at a writers conference at UCSB.  Last month I participated in a very worthwhile program -- the Nerdist Writers Panel.   On the panel with me was Bill Lawrence (SCRUBS, COUGAR TOWN), and Richard Hatem (GRIMM).   It was a GREAT session.  Everyone was funny and informative -- even me at times.  The podcast of that session is now available along with...

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Does Frasier make too much money?

Friday Questions sometimes spark much  heated debate. Such is the case with our first Q. This was originally posted last Friday in the comments section (where you should file yours). Many responses followed. Join the fun. Craig asked the lightening rod question. How is Frasier so wealthy??He seems to spend at will and is never wanting for anything. He is a semi successful radio guy,...

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Best Supporting Actor 1966: Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie

Walter Matthau won his Oscar from his first nomination for portraying William 'Whiplash Willie' Gingrinch in The Fortune Cookie.The Fortune Cookie tells about a football cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) who is tackled on the field, and reluctantly agrees to fake severe injury to make money from a liability suit started by his shyster lawyer brother in law. I...

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The speech that launched our career

My writing partner and I were bouncing around trying to get freelance assignments early in our career. We were pitching and writing any show we could get. We got hired to write a back-up script for a pilot that didn’t go. We did two episodes of a series that was canceled in five weeks. But then we lucked out and got a MASH assignment. It was the episode where a gas heater blows up and...

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Best Supporting Actor 1966: George Segal in Who Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

George Segal received his only Oscar nomination so far for portraying Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.George Segal has really the thankless role of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. There are the two bickering alcoholic, and pratically certifiably insane Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), and George (Richard Burton), than there is Nick's wife Honey (Sandy Dennis)...

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Google and Facebook piss me off!

Playwright and theater director, George S. Kaufman went back to see a musical he had directed some months before. Afterwards, he sent a note to the cast that read: Rehearsal tomorrow at 10 AM to remove all the improvements. Can I send the same note to Blogger? And Facebook?Warning:  I'm cranky.  Recently, Blogger (operated by Google) flipped to a new interface. Why? I didn’t ask...

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Best Supporting Actor 1966: Mako in The Sand Pebbles

Mako received his only Oscar nomination for portraying Po-han in The Sand Pebbles.It is strange that Mako was the one who received the nomination for this film and not Richard Attenborough who gives a very memorable performance as a U.S. Navy mate who begins a tragic relationship with a native woman in China, and even won the golden globe for his performance. I suppose...

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My response to your respone on VEEP

Some great non-partisan debate on today’s post. Thanks so much for all the comments. Let me respond to your responses. I still believe it’s necessary to reveal which side of the aisle the Veep is on, not so much because I want the show to be about issues but because it really helps us define her character. Republicans and Democrats have very different worldviews. And you could say, yes,...

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My vote on VEEP