FT Article

[Family Ties Forever!]

I came across this article. While it is interesting it is also somewhat offensive(to me anyway). I think it's sad, how the actor has turned out.

NOTE: I think this article if rated would be given a PG-13 rating. Just thought I would say that so that your warned.

eye - Performance -- Marc Price - 10.15.98

COMEDY
Skippy's post-sitcom life not so smooth
REVIEW
MARC PRICE

BY ANDREW CLARK
The voice is familiar, a reminder of the days of wine and sushi and blow. It resides in a body which sits in a trailer which is parked on an acre of land (once owned by the Byrds) in the Hollywood Hills.

"My dreams of Mallory's breasts have subsided," it says, with a whimsical wheeze. "If they demand it, I'll do a Mallory breast joke. I saw her breasts once. I saw that really quick nipple shot. It was one of the most memorable experiences of the show, that nipple."

The show? Family Ties. The voice? Marc Price, a.k.a. Skippy, Alex P. Keaton's goofy best buddy. Throughout the '80s Skippy was the nerd that high school girls adored. They were charmed by his awkward nervousness -- which confused many a pimply lad, as this affection did not extend to the actual geeks in real high schools.

"What'll we do, baby, without us?" went the lyrics to the Family Ties song. "Tour" appears to be the answer. Tonight through Saturday, Price, now 30, performs at Comedywood Uptown, joined by Emanuel ("Manny") Lewis, the diminutive actor known for his starring role on Webster.

Almost a decade has passed since Price's '80s sitcom was pulled. Skippy was a harmless boy; Price cannot claim such innocence. The son of Catskills comic Al Bernie, he began performing at seven, and dove into stand-up at 14. At 15 he became Skippy, and passed his days hanging out with actors such as Crispin Glover (whom he stills calls a friend). He partied and was a juvenile delinquent. As Price remembers, he "drank all the time, anywhere I wanted."

Even while taping the series, Price kept his stand-up working, becoming a fixture in the L.A. scene in the early '80s, hanging with Sam Kinison and Jim Carrey. After Family Ties went off the air Price became a road warrior, touring constantly and, as he puts it, learning that, "Wow, I can get laid, this is fabulous!"

Price says that the best part of Skippy's legacy is "being invited into peoples' lives." This sometimes translates into intimate liaisons. "I've had the occasional Skip-head," he explains, using his term for the women who attend his shows hoping to bask romantically in the light cast by his Family Ties doppleganger.

Price tours less frequently now. Road work can be grueling. He was assaulted in Grand Rapids, Mich., where a woman reached out and ferociously squeezed his testicles. He now has his own production company, Say Something Productions, and is working with Bud Friedman (Evening at the Improv). They are co-producing Cookin' with the Comics and Banana Skins for cable television, and Price and Manny Lewis are developing a sitcom.

Price's Comedywood shows will be a change from his crowd-pleasing November '95 Comedywood set, which had plenty of blue material and references to the breasts of Mallory (Keaton's sister, played by Justine Bateman). These bits worked because Mallory has resonance as a pop-culture reference. Bateman's girl-next-door looks made her the toss-off fantasy of choice for teenage boys who wanted to anchor their wanking to an attractive, yet seemingly attainable, visage.

But Price has tired of such material and the standard structure of opening act/headliner that accompanied it. "I can't take that old format. When I'm watching it," he quips, "I'm, like, in the back, looking for heroin."

This weekend, audiences will get a look at "The Skippy Tonight Show." Price plays host, occasionally slipping into his Skippy persona, and chats with guests, including Manny Lewis. The show features a desk, monologue, a Top Ten list and topical material. For example, Price will tell you that Bill Clinton was just using Monica Lewinsky "as a humidor" and that the infamous intern has lined up jobs "as spokeswoman for Tide and Scope and Chubby Little Office Whores of America."

Fifteen years after the series began, the character Price played still clings to him. To his credit, he has not come undone à la the cast of Different Strokes (crack, murder, theft, nude photos), nevertheless, he still wears the scars of teen fame. At least Dorian Gray's picture never went into syndication.

Someday Price may be free. Remember, they said Robin Williams would never amount to anything after Mork. Succeed or fail, either way he may not have a choice.

"My Skippy superpowers are waning," Price admits. "It's 1998. I wish I would have moved on and done something to rival Family Ties. It was like my college experience. People get nervous when I come into a convenience store. We [Price and Lewis] should just snap and take out a liquor store, what do you think? I'm at the point now where I get tired of talking about it. Now I know what Jimmy Walker was talking about."

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[Marvo301]

Thank-you for this update on Marc Price. Skippy was always my favorite character. It's nice to hear what Marc is up to these days. I hope we see his and Manny Lewis' new sitcom on TV soon!

[Crimson]

It seems sad really some of what is written. But at least it's good to know he's still working on something. You never know what could arise for him.

[Meg]

Skippy has a new sitcom? when did this happen?!?!?!? has it been shown yet?!?!? what network thingy is it gonna be on? who else is on it? whats it called?!?!?!?! please tell me if u know anything about it!