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Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

James Burrows: He Gave Us Thousands of Reasons to Laugh

Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Bobi NYC

Science, Society & Culture, Comedy

4.83.5K Ratings

🗓️ 14 June 2022

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

He brought us classics like Cheers, Taxi, Will and Grace, Frasier, Friends and The Big Bang Theory. He's directed over 1,000 episodes of TV comedy. Jim Burrows and Alan compare notes on what it takes to make a show a success.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm Alan Olga and this is Clear and Vivit, conversations about connecting and communicating.

0:15.5

You know you're an actor I'm sure you had a few ideas on the set and writers are somewhat

0:22.2

reluctant to hear what an actor has to say and I'm the go-between.

0:27.4

I would always say to the cast they worked hard on this script, those writers.

0:32.7

You gotta show it to them as written and then you can show them what we've done down here

0:38.6

and let them pick.

0:40.6

There are no egos if they don't like it what we've done okay we'll do it their way or

0:45.5

maybe what we've done on stage will enable them to take the script back upstairs and rewrite

0:52.8

it in a different way.

0:55.3

James Burrows.

0:57.3

He's written a book called Directed by James Burrows which is a credit you've probably seen

1:02.0

many times because he's directed some of the most loved comedies on television.

1:08.0

A thousand or more episodes of cheers, taxi, friends, forager, will and grace, the big

1:15.2

bang theory and many others and many of them for hit shows he helped create.

1:20.7

I was curious about how he did it and we both had fun comparing notes on our adventures

1:26.0

in television comedy.

1:28.4

We both come from families that go so far back in comedy we weren't even sure when we met.

1:34.5

This is gonna be great because I don't know really when I first met you but I think

1:38.4

it was a long time ago and we're finally getting together again.

1:42.2

Were you with the opening night of guys and dolls on Broadway?

1:45.4

I don't think I was at the opening night no.

1:49.2

Because that's where we would have met for the first time.

...

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