MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: 2005 WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL: DEADWOOD {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "Deadwood," a gritty western about life in the outlaw camp of Deadwood in the 1870s.
Host Barbara Dixon (vice-president and director, The Museum of Television & Radio), offers opening remarks and introduces Brian Lowry (columnist, Variety). Creator and executive producer David Milch then presents a forthcoming episode, "New Money," the third in the series' second season, which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see T:85659.)
After the screening, Lowry moderates the following panelists: Milch; co-executive producer Gregg Fienberg; HBO Entertainment president Carolyn Strauss, and cast members Powers Boothe (Cy Tolliver), John Hawkes (Sol Star), Paula Malcomson (Trixie), Ian McShane (Al Swearengen), Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock), Molly Parker (Alma Garret), and Robin Weigert (Calamity Jane). Cast members Garret Dillahunt, who plays Francis Wolcott, and Brad Dourif, who plays Doc Cochran, were scheduled to appear, but were unable to attend. After the screening, the panelists take the stage. Strauss discusses how Milch originally pitched the show to her as a program about Nero's Rome. Milch details the beauty of "Deadwood"'s large ensemble cast, introducing several additional cast members who are in the audience and noting those from the episode screened who are absent. Fienberg talks about how all the characters and storylines are juggled. Milch also talks about how he writes and rewrites scripts all the way up until a few minutes before production and how that affects the cast. Weigert, Olyphant, and Hawkes discuss portraying historical characters such as Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and Sol Star. Olyphant talks about how he deals with multiple script updates. McShane chips in by discussing the challenges of maintaining a consistent voice for his Al Swearengen, a character prone to giving lengthy monologues while being serviced by one of the saloon's prostitutes. Milch also talks about new characters that will appear in the upcoming season.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: Wild Bill Hickok's "dead man's hand"; the language of the day and whether Milch made up words such as "hooplehead"; locations used; actors input on their characters; and Milch's responsibility to history versus dramatic license.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: March 16, 2005 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:01:36
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:86018
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barbara Dixon … Host
- Brian Lowry … Moderator
- Powers Boothe … Panelist
- Gregg Fienberg … Panelist
- John Hawkes … Panelist
- Paula Malcomson … Panelist
- Ian McShane … Panelist
- David Milch … Panelist
- Timothy Olyphant … Panelist
- Molly Parker … Panelist
- Carolyn Strauss … Panelist
- Robin Weigert … Panelist
- Seth Bullock
- Burke, Martha Jane Cannary ("Calamity Jane")
- Garret Dillahunt
- Brad Dourif
- Hickok, James Butler ("Wild Bill")
- Nero