Conversations in Management
Woody
Allen knows a lot about television. Though best known for his
films, Allen actually got his start writing for television. At
sixteen, Allan Stewart Konigsberg began submitting
jokes to New York gossip columnists under the pen name, Woody
Allen. The legendary Earl Wilson of the New York Post liked
the material and started publishing it as Earl’s Pearls.
At first the jokes were published anonymously, but as they
gained popularity, Wilson credited Allen in his column. That
credit proved to be the springboard for Allen’s television
career. In 1955 he moved to Hollywood when NBC hired him to
write for The Colgate Comedy Hour. He moved on to
co-write The Chevy Hour with Larry Gelbart (of later
M*A*S*H fame) which featured the 1950's comedic icon Sid Caesar.
He later wrote for Caesar on the Caesar Hour and provided
material to The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show
and Candid Camera (where he occasionally appeared in the
sketches). By 1960 Allen was clearing $1,700 a week as writer,
but was growing increasingly tired of the medium. Influenced by
stand-up comedian Mort Sahl, he began trying out a routine of
his own and within a few years was headlining for $5,000 a week.
He was also becoming more active in the theater. By the late
60's he'd scored two major Broadway hits with Don't Drink the
Water and Play it Again Sam. His TV days were behind
him and along the way he'd learned a few things about art
and bad television.
While the
nature of "art" is an elusive concept for even the most refined
of the intelligentsia, almost all of us know a thing or two
about bad television. Armed with that knowledge, it only takes a
quick peek over the top of one's cubicle to discover ample
material for the next television sitcom. If your office is like
most, no one from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art needs
audition for the roles. The show is strictly satire, farce and
slapstick. It's The Three Stooges meets Seinfeld.
More Larry David than Ken Burns. As you watch it
all unfold, you realize that it's zanier than anything in prime
time. Dropping back into your chair you might even consider
trying your hand at script writing.
The
trouble is that all the goofiness at work can be downright
annoying. The job has enough pressures without co-workers acting
like Dilbert characters come to life. In truth, things that look
funny on TV aren't always so funny when you see and hear them in
the office. The rapier-like comeback on a sitcom may leave you
in stitches, but when it's directed at you in real-life it only
hurts. The sassy innuendo that seems so sophisticated when seen
on HBO only sounds vulgar when uttered by the leering cretin
next to you in the elevator. Of course there's more. The
misunderstandings, misplaced items and innocent oversights that
feed the engines of situation comedy are simply irritants when
experienced first-hand. They can make us as cantankerous and
disagreeable as any character we see beamed at us from our
flickering television screens.
Perhaps
it's time to improve the quality of the "bad television" that's
so much a part of our daily living. Start by figuring out what
role you're playing in the great sitcom of life. If it isn't one
you're pleased with, you might try working on character
development. Don't succumb to the scripts someone else works
out for you. Play it your way. Most all, remember it is a
comedy. Laugh off the annoyances. Enjoy the ironies. Have fun.
You might discover there's a Daytime Emmy in it for you.
—Ebert
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