PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: A LEGENDARY EVENING WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of seminars presented by The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. This seminar hosts an interview with comedian and actor Robin Williams. Host Rene Reyes (director of public programs, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks before introducing Debra Birnbaum (editor-in-chief, TV Guide Magazine). She offers her own comments before introducing the evening’s moderator, comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait. Goldthwait and Williams touch on such topics as: Williams’s comedic inspirations, particularly comedian Jonathan Winters; his early experiences with television and his appearance on “Happy Days”; his experiences filming episodes of “Mork & Mindy” and the “mania” that came to surround him as a result; the level of freedom Williams is afforded with his comedy style, and the “anarchic” style he learned from Winters; and the lasting influence of “Mork & Mindy.” Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: the 1986 Academy Awards, co-hosted by Williams, and his experiences at the Awards in general; how Williams’s family served as a comedic influence, and his early forays into improvisational theater; the development of Williams’s latest television show “The Crazy Ones,” and his interactions with the show’s creator, David E. Kelley; his behavior and acting process when making dramatic films; his experiences working on the film “Hook”; some of Williams’s favorite modern stand-up comics; his send-off to Johnny Carson along with Bette Midler; some memorable people Williams worked with or met, including Peter Weir, George Roy Hill, and Oliver Sacks; the challenges Williams faced working on his first film, “Popeye” (1980); the differences between his comedic and his dramatic acting processes; and inspiration Williams drew from Peter Sellers, particularly his performance in the film “Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” Clips are interspersed throughout, including: a segment from Williams’ 2001 appearance on an installment of ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio”; Williams’s first appearance as the character “Mork” on an episode of “Happy Days” (1978); a clip from “Mork & Mindy” (1981) featuring Williams along with Winters; an excerpt from “The Crazy Ones” (2013); and a segment from Williams’s guest appearance on an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1994).
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: September 19, 2013 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:13:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 112386
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Bobcat Goldthwait … Moderator
- Robin Williams … Guest
- Debra Birnbaum … Guest
- Johnny Carson
- George Roy Hill
- David E. Kelley
- Bette Midler
- Oliver Sacks
- Peter Sellers
- Peter Weir
- Jonathan Winters