PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2019: OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION: THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL {PUBLIC SHORT VERSION}
Summary
The first in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 36th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEYFEST 2019 seminar honors "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," the comedy-drama series about a witty 1950s housewife who embarks upon a career in stand-up comedy after a personal upheaval.
Host Maureen Reidy (president and CEO, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and thanks the festival's various sponsors, also introducing William C. Paley, son of the museum's founder, present in the audience. Reidy then welcomes actor/comedian Patton Oswalt to the stage. Oswalt moderates the following panelists: executive producer/creator/writer/director Amy Sherman-Palladino; executive producer/writer/director Daniel Palladino; and cast members Caroline Aaron (Shirley Maisel), Kevin Pollak (Moishe Maisel), Marin Hinkle (Rose Weissman), Michael Zegen (Joel Maisel), Alex Borstein (Susie Myerson), Tony Shalhoub (Abe Weissman), and Rachel Brosnahan (Miriam 'Midge' Maisel).
The panelists touch on such topics as: inspiration from Sherman-Palladino's comedian father; Brosnahan's thorough research into the world of 1950s comedy while simultaneously working on a stage production of "Othello" alongside Daniel Craig; the challenges of constructing the show's "oners," or long unbroken takes in which mistakes cannot be made, including the complex dance scene in a season two episode; Brosnahan's lack of familiarity with the world of comedy, having played many tragic and doomed characters; inspiration from '50s comedian Jean Carroll and modern-day comedian Ali Wong; how Brosnahan's learning process mirrors the character's gradual development as a comedian; Sherman-Palladino's brief employment at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood and experiences with tormented comedians and aggressive managers; how Shalhoub's real-life role as a father of two daughters informs his role; Hinkle's thoughts on Rose's personal growth during her time in Paris at the beginning of season two; Borstein's longtime relationship with the Palladinos, having originally been cast as Sookie St. James on "Gilmore Girls," a role that eventually went to Melissa McCarthy; Susie's similarities to Borstein's mother, her Holocaust-survivor grandmother, as well as Sherman-Palladino; Borstein's sense of Susie's hidden fears and desperation for a meaningful partnership with the wildly dissimilar Midge; Zegen's initial sense of the philandering Joel as the show's "villain," with comparisons to his "Boardwalk Empire" role as real-life gangster Bugsy Siegel; the challenge of exploring Joel's sympathetic side, including his genuine romance with Midge and the demise of his own comedy dreams; Pollak's thoughts on the emotional scene in which Moishe fires Joel from the family business "to set him free"; Shirley's blissful ignorance of the family's turmoil; appearances by real-life '50s figures, including Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) and activist Jane Jacobs (Alison Smith); their hopes for their characters' futures, including Brosnahan's interest in Midge's journey into first-wave feminism, Abe's radical past and possible involvement in the drug-fueled 1960s, Moishe's potential meeting with President Kennedy and exploration of Jewish/African-American relations in the civil rights era; how the actors handle receiving scripts at the last minute and having minimal input on dialogue; and praise for costume designer Donna Zakowska and the show's many iconic items of clothing, including Abe's memorable early-morning calisthenics romper, as seen in the Catskills episodes.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: where the characters might end up by the show's conclusion; the Palladinos' use of an extremely thorough researcher to investigate period-appropriate language and references; why the writers are purposefully "stingy" in revealing Susie's backstory; the importance of making Midge relatable to modern-day viewers; Hinkle and Aaron's thoughts on the "Jewish mother" stereotype; and Sherman-Palladino's respect for the talented cast.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:07:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 135867
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Maureen Reidy … Host
- Patton Oswalt … Moderator
- Caroline Aaron … Panelist
- Kevin Pollak … Panelist
- Marin Hinkle … Panelist
- Michael Zegen … Panelist
- Alex Borstein … Panelist
- Tony Shalhoub … Panelist
- Rachel Brosnahan … Panelist
- Daniel Palladino … Panelist
- Amy Sherman-Palladino … Panelist
- William C. Paley … Guest
- Lenny Bruce
- Jean Carroll
- Daniel Craig
- Jane Jacobs
- John F. Kennedy
- Luke Kirby
- Melissa McCarthy
- Bugsy Siegel (see also: Benjamin Siegel)
- Alison Smith
- Ali Wong
- Donna Zakowska