PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEY AFTER DARK: AN EVENING WITH TED DANSON {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Paley After Dark series. Held at the Paley Center in New York, this seminar honors actor Ted Danson. Pat Mitchell (president and CEO, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before introducing Danson.
Mitchell and Danson discuss topics which include: his s childhood aspiration to become a basketball star; his early theatrical career in New York; his reluctance to watch his own work; what made “Cheers” resonate with television audiences; his relationship with “Cheers” co-star Shelley Long; the process of finding Sam Mallone’s “arrogance;” the consistently "superlative" writing on "Cheers"; the unexpected death of fellow “Cheers” actor Nicholas Colasanto; his dramatic performance in the made-for-television film about incest, “Something About Amelia;” his relationship with comedian Larry David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; the freedom that comes with working on cable TV; Danson’s “genuinely endearing sociopath” character on “Damages;” trying to match the acting talents of Glenn Close; the importance of “not pretending” when preparing for a role; the challenge of working with his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen; and his participation in ocean advocacy organizations.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: Danson’s transition into improvised acting on “Curb Your Enthusiasm;” how he brought personal memories of his own father to working on the big-screen film “Dad” with Jack Lemmon; and his daughters' reaction to his career.
Clips featuring Danson are interspersed throughout the program, including: an Aramis perfume commercial; early TV work on the soap opera "Somerset,"; a guest-starring role on "Taxi"; recent TV work on “Cheers,” "Becker," "Damages," "Bored to Death," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; and the made-for-television film “Something About Amelia.”
Cataloging of this program has been made possible by Verizon Communications.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: June 3, 2010 6:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:19:39
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 101243
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Host
- Ted Danson … Guest
- Glenn Close
- Nicholas Colasanto
- Larry David
- Jack Lemmon
- Shelley Long
- Mary Steenburgen