Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration
I was the assistant art director on "It's Garry Shandling's Show" for nearly three seasons. It was my first time working in television, and I had the time of my life. The show was a constant challenge to the art department as it ordered up environments such as: Shandlingland, a Garry Shandling Themed Amusement Park, A Time Machine, a ping-pong version of the movie,"The Natural," and yes, even Heaven.
Not only did the show teach me how to design "outside the box" and in a hurry, but it was a goldmine for learning about writing. Every week I watched the script go through four, five, or more incarnations as each episode was polished to a gut-busting level of hilarity. Working on the show was a master class in the way comedy has to mesh with story development.
I love to make people laugh with my writing. Garry Shandling, I salute you, for all the lessons about humor I learned from working on your show.
Click on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge logo in the sidebar to access the links to all the superheroes participating in this blog hop.
Last year I finally got to watch The Larry Sanders Show for the first time. Deserved all the love it got.
ReplyDeleteI watched this as a kid. Great show. I'd love to come across the episodes again.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, did you know that you had my dream job! I would love to be involved in television, especially a comedy series (as a writer). It must have been a blast working on this show.
ReplyDeleteYou never cease to amaze me. My life is so boring!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I keep forgetting to tell my bro about your stint with Shandling. He'll go nuts. Huge fan.
ReplyDeleteI used to love the Gary Shandling show! I will never forget Gilda Radner's visit. It was so touching to see her after she had been battling cancer, and then to lose her a short time later. That moment is seared into my memory.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen that show ( is it available in eastern Canada), but from the way you describe it, I am surely missing a lot!! Love your writing and think it's a great post. Happy A-Z!
ReplyDeletePatricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice
That is maybe THE coolest job in the world! What a wonderful place to learn and create! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel so honored because my buddy is a big shot from Hollywood! And your love of humor shines through in your work. It's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI could only imagine the pressure and the fun you got to experience on a regular basis. Actually, now that I think about it, the pressure probably disappeared amid all the fun of coming up with ideas, working through designs and doing your best not to laugh at everything going on around you.
ReplyDeleteI think this show is so underrated. I rank it in my top 5 sitcoms of the 80's, and it certainly belongs there! Shandling was hilarious in it, and the show was fantastic. I haven't seen it in years so I had forgotten a lot of the sets you just reminded us of--great work!
ReplyDeleteHere's the top 5 if anyone wants to check it out: http://kooztop5.blogspot.com/2012/04/top-5-best-sitcoms-of-80s.html