Carl Reiner Still Making Them Laugh - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 03-29-2009, 03:11 AM

Link

He was half of the team (with Mel Brooks) who created the 2000-Year Old Man. He invented that TV show about the comedy writer and family man who stumbled over an ottoman every week (The Dick Van Dyke Show), and he’s directed 15 movies including Where’s Poppa, Enter Laughing, All Of Me, and The Man With Two Brains.
“Who deserves the title of ‘Renaissance Man’ more than Carl Reiner?” asked emcee Mike Schlesinger at the American Cinematheque’s salute to Reiner. From the back of the Aero Theatre, Reiner bellowed out “Nobody!”

In between screenings of Enter Laughing, and The Comic, Schlesinger interviewed Reiner and took questions from the audience.
In 1967’s Enter Laughing, Reni Santoni plays a young man who aspires to be an actor, despite the disapproval of his working-class Bronx parents. “I haven’t seen that movie in 20 or 30 years,” Reiner remarked.

He wrote it originally as a novel, in 1957. “I was 35 when I wrote it, but I was writing about when I was a 17-year old boy. There were things in the movie that were exact accounts. We recreated exactly where I worked (a place called ‘Foreman’s Machine Shop’) and it was letter-perfect.”
He had doubts about whether he could be a writer. But had he not been a writer for TV’s Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar?

“I was a writer ‘without portfolio,’” Reiner explained. “I sat in the Writers’ Room with Mel Brooks and Sid and the others. It was my ‘college.’ But I was allowed to make suggestions and if they were good, they took them.”

The novel was adapted for the stage by Reiner’s friend Joe Stein and played successfully on Broadway with Alan Arkin in the lead role. For the film version, as Arkin had become too old for the role, Reni Santoni got the part. Santoni, who was also present at the Aero screening, joked with Reiner about how he himself, at 26, was a bit long of tooth for the role.

Enter Laughing is now back on stage in New York as a musical, and the original novel has been reissued by Phoenix Press. Reiner also recently recorded a book-on-tape of the novel and found it interesting, “as an 87-year old guy, to be reading about myself!”

1969’s The Comic is Reiner’s most serious work, although it has its humorous moments, mostly in the silent clips within the film. These black and white clips were filmed, Reiner said, “exactly like the way they did movies back then. We did two or three of them a day and ad-libbed them. We studied a lot of silent film comedies and cannibalized bits from them.”

The story line has Dick Van Dyke playing a composite of several silent comedians, whose career goes downhill due to adultery, drinking, and the advent of sound films. Reiner and co-writer Aaron Rubin researched the lives of silent comics and found that “they all had such sad lives.” There is no redemption for Van Dyke’s character and yet the film finds a way to make him sympathetic.

As for Dick Van Dyke, who became a TV star and pop icon through the classic Dick Van Dyle Show, Reiner cannot praise him enough. “Dick always said he was born in the wrong century,” he said of Van Dyke’s way with silent-movie style pratfalls.

Carl Reiner has enough of a legacy in American comedy to sit back and relax now, right? But as a last delightful gift to his audience, he announced that he and Mel Brooks are going to team up for a new “2000-Year Old Man” album!
“So many people of all ages have told me how much they love the 2000-Year Old Man,” he said. “So we figured we would bring him back.”

treky · 03-30-2009, 02:42 AM

I wish "THE COMIC" would be released on DVD, a quick search of Netflix finds that it's not.

A shame, because it's a GREAT movie!

Marvo301 · 03-30-2009, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treky

I wish "THE COMIC" would be released on DVD, a quick search of Netflix finds that it's not.

A shame, because it's a GREAT movie!

I agree!

catlover79 · 03-30-2009, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treky

I wish "THE COMIC" would be released on DVD, a quick search of Netflix finds that it's not.

A shame, because it's a GREAT movie!

I've never seen it, but would love to.

Marvo301 · 04-19-2009, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I've never seen it, but would love to.

I found a site called "Joe's Classic Movies" that is selling the movie "The Comic" on DVD-R for $9.50. It sounds to me like it may be a bootleg site though they claim their titles are "out of print and considered to be in the public domain". They also warn buyers about the quality of their products. They say their titles "are reproduced from very old film and are not remastered digitally". The packaging is also minimal. "They come in plain sleeves with no artwork or inserts". They also charge $3.50 for shipping and handling.

Marvo301 · 04-19-2009, 01:54 AM

I'm not sure if I trust these guys enough to buy from them.

03-29-2009, 03:11 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,408	Carl Reiner Still Making Them Laugh Link He was half of the team (with Mel Brooks) who created the 2000-Year Old Man. He invented that TV show about the comedy writer and family man who stumbled over an ottoman every week (The Dick Van Dyke Show), and he’s directed 15 movies including Where’s Poppa, Enter Laughing, All Of Me, and The Man With Two Brains. “Who deserves the title of ‘Renaissance Man’ more than Carl Reiner?” asked emcee Mike Schlesinger at the American Cinematheque’s salute to Reiner. From the back of the Aero Theatre, Reiner bellowed out “Nobody!” In between screenings of Enter Laughing, and The Comic, Schlesinger interviewed Reiner and took questions from the audience. In 1967’s Enter Laughing, Reni Santoni plays a young man who aspires to be an actor, despite the disapproval of his working-class Bronx parents. “I haven’t seen that movie in 20 or 30 years,” Reiner remarked. He wrote it originally as a novel, in 1957. “I was 35 when I wrote it, but I was writing about when I was a 17-year old boy. There were things in the movie that were exact accounts. We recreated exactly where I worked (a place called ‘Foreman’s Machine Shop’) and it was letter-perfect.” He had doubts about whether he could be a writer. But had he not been a writer for TV’s Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar? “I was a writer ‘without portfolio,’” Reiner explained. “I sat in the Writers’ Room with Mel Brooks and Sid and the others. It was my ‘college.’ But I was allowed to make suggestions and if they were good, they took them.” The novel was adapted for the stage by Reiner’s friend Joe Stein and played successfully on Broadway with Alan Arkin in the lead role. For the film version, as Arkin had become too old for the role, Reni Santoni got the part. Santoni, who was also present at the Aero screening, joked with Reiner about how he himself, at 26, was a bit long of tooth for the role. Enter Laughing is now back on stage in New York as a musical, and the original novel has been reissued by Phoenix Press. Reiner also recently recorded a book-on-tape of the novel and found it interesting, “as an 87-year old guy, to be reading about myself!” 1969’s The Comic is Reiner’s most serious work, although it has its humorous moments, mostly in the silent clips within the film. These black and white clips were filmed, Reiner said, “exactly like the way they did movies back then. We did two or three of them a day and ad-libbed them. We studied a lot of silent film comedies and cannibalized bits from them.” The story line has Dick Van Dyke playing a composite of several silent comedians, whose career goes downhill due to adultery, drinking, and the advent of sound films. Reiner and co-writer Aaron Rubin researched the lives of silent comics and found that “they all had such sad lives.” There is no redemption for Van Dyke’s character and yet the film finds a way to make him sympathetic. As for Dick Van Dyke, who became a TV star and pop icon through the classic Dick Van Dyle Show, Reiner cannot praise him enough. “Dick always said he was born in the wrong century,” he said of Van Dyke’s way with silent-movie style pratfalls. Carl Reiner has enough of a legacy in American comedy to sit back and relax now, right? But as a last delightful gift to his audience, he announced that he and Mel Brooks are going to team up for a new “2000-Year Old Man” album! “So many people of all ages have told me how much they love the 2000-Year Old Man,” he said. “So we figured we would bring him back.”
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

03-30-2009, 02:42 AM	#2
treky star trek fan Eternal Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 25, 2002 Location: Conshohocken, pennsylvania Posts: 14,490	I wish "THE COMIC" would be released on DVD, a quick search of Netflix finds that it's not. A shame, because it's a GREAT movie!
	__________________ the Clampetts are in a fancy Beverly Hills jewelry store. Granny points to a tray of rubies. Granny: "How much fer one o' them red diamonds?" clerk: "Madam, those are rubies." Granny: "OK ask her kin we buy one offa her." clerk: " The ruby I am talking about is not a lady." Granny: "Lissen, how she got them diamonds is her business. I'm just sayin' ask her kin we buy one from her."

04-19-2009, 01:54 AM	#6
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	I'm not sure if I trust these guys enough to buy from them.