MUSEUM OF BROADCASTING'S 6TH ANNUAL TELEVISION FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES, THE: FAMILY TIES {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's 6th Annual Festival in Los Angeles. (The Museum was known at that time as The Museum of Broadcasting.) Presented with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. Robert M. Batscha (president, The Museum of Broadcasting) offers opening remarks and welcomes executive producer/creator Gary David Goldberg. Goldberg introduces two episodes, "Mr. Wrong" and "'A' My Name is Alex," which are then screened in their entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see T:14616 and T:55862.)
After the screenings, Batscha moderates the following panelists: Goldberg; co-executive producer Alan Uger; producer Mark Lawrence, and cast members Brain Bonsall (Andrew 'Andy' Keaton), Tina Yothers (Jennifer Keaton), Justine Bateman (Mallory Keaton), Michael Gross (Steven Keaton), and Meredith Baxter-Birney (Elyse Keaton); and executive producer/creator Gary David Goldberg. Michael J. Fox, who plays Alex Keaton, was scheduled to appear but was unable to attend.
Topics discussed include: the cast and crew's favorite episodes, including "Mr. Wrong," "Stagefright," "Birthday Boy," "Four Rooms, Ocean View," and "'A' My Name is Alex"; antics that occur backstage such as water fights and an endless game of tag between Gross and Yothers; Goldberg's decision to end the program while the cast and audience still feel affection for it; the network's nurturing stance toward the series since its inception; and the future plans of the cast and crew. At this point, the audience cheers as cast member Marc Price, who is the audience, stands up and asks what it is like working with Michael J. Fox. Gross answers the question seriously, explaining that despite tabloid rumors, the cast "gets along famously." Audience questions resume, and the panelists discuss: the similarities and differences between the cast members' real personalities and those of their characters; Goldberg's unwillingness to do reunion specials for the program; the use of flashback episodes to save money and time; the show's gradual shift in focus; the cast's contribution in developing script ideas; the origin of the name of Goldberg's production company, UBU; writer Michael Whitehorn's development of the "Declaration of Independence" episode; casting for the program, including actor Matthew Broderick as Goldberg's original choice for the character Alex; the reasons behind Tracy Pollan's departure from the series; the program's presentation of multiple points of view; situations in which the cast members feel burdened by their fans; and the incorporation of Baxter-Birney's real-life pregnancy into the script. Batscha closes the seminar, thanking the panelists for seven years of "Family Ties."
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: March 22, 1989 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:54:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:14382
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Robert M. Batscha … Host
- Justine Bateman … Panelist
- Baxter-Birney, Meredith (See also: Baxter, Meredith) … Panelist
- Brian Bonsall … Panelist
- Gary David Goldberg … Panelist
- Michael Gross … Panelist
- Mark Lawrence … Panelist
- Alan Uger … Panelist
- Tina Yothers … Panelist
- Matthew Broderick
- Michael J. Fox
- Tracy Pollan
- Marc Price
- Michael Whitehorn