AMERICAN MASTERS: NICHOLS & MAY: TAKE TWO (TV)
Summary
One in this documentary series that explores the lives and achievements of America's most celebrated native-born and adopted artists and performers. This documentary examines the comedic pairing of Mike Nichols and Elaine May. Included are still photos, footage of their sketches, and interviews with their friends and colleagues. Comedian Richard Lewis comments on their natural ability to perform stand-up routines, and Tom Brokaw speaks about their intelligent, mocking improvisations--and about their "snob appeal," as demonstrated in a skit in which they talk about meeting Albert Schweitzer and Bertrand Russell. Former manager Jack Rollins describes their humor as both innocent and adventurous as they tackled topics which were avoided at the time; one of their directors, Arthur Penn, agrees and suggests that their irreverent tone classifies them as instigators of social change. Following a clip from a Nichols and May sketch about the Soviet space program, comedian Steve Martin compares their language and timing to the melody of a song, noting their mixture of irony, satire, and sarcasm. Included are recordings of the team's discussions of music and philosophy. Next comes footage of the following sketches: Nichols does a take-off on Truman Capote; May seeks advice to the lovelorn; a nagging mother makes her rocket-scientist son feel guilty for not phoning her; a "mock" honor is given at the Eleventh Annual Emmy Awards for mediocre work; and a wife drives her husband crazy with snoring. Rollins recalls the first time he saw the duo's improvisations and notes how often these were developed into fully rehearsed routines. Other sketches include Nichols and May as a dentist and patient who fall in love, television commercials for Jax beer, and a funeral director selling cheap services to her client. Steve Allen explains that the duo mitigated sponsors' anger with a subtle and delicate approach; Brokaw praises them for stopping short of vulgarity; and cartoonist Jules Feiffer praises them for being the first couple to discuss sex in their routines, as shown in an excerpt from the Broadway show "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May," in which they play two teenagers in a parked car. Rollins ends the program by commenting on their diverging careers and applauding their timeless comedic style.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by Rosalind P. Walter, 1999.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: May 22, 1996 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:57323
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Arts documentaries; Biography; Comedians
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1986-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Susan Lacy … Executive Producer
- Tamar Hacker … Senior Producer
- Julian Schlossberg … Producer
- Karen Bernstein … Associate Producer
- Cynthia Reed … Associate Producer
- Phillip Schopper … Director
- George Small … Composer
- Sarah Larson … Composer
- Thomas Wagner … Theme Music by
- Kati Meister … Researcher
- Steve Allen … Guest
- Tom Brokaw … Guest
- Jules Feiffer … Guest
- Richard Lewis … Guest
- Steve Martin … Guest
- Arthur Penn … Guest
- Jack Rollins … Guest
- Truman Capote
- Elaine May
- Mike Nichols
- Richard M. Nixon
- Bertrand Russell
- Albert Schweitzer