MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2001: GILMORE GIRLS {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 "Gilmore Girls," a dramatic series about Lorelai Gilmore, a thirty-something mother raising her teenage daughter Rory under the constant surveillance of her overbearing and wealthy parents, Emily and Richard. Museum television curator Ron Simon opens the program, welcoming the audience and introducing the panelists. Cast members Keiko Agena, Melissa McCarthy, Scott Patterson, Yanic Truesdale, Liz Torres, Kelly Bishop, Alexis Bledel, and Lauren Graham join Simon on the stage. Executive producer Gavin Polone and creator/executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino join the other panelists, and Sherman-Palladino introduces the episode "Rory's Birthday Parties." After the screening, cast member Ed Herrmann joins the rest of the panelists onstage for the question-and-answer session. Simon questions the panelists, and topics discussed include: the evolution of the program's premise as the pilot was written; the differences between writing for a half-hour situation comedy and an hour-long drama; Graham's and Bledel's induction into the cast; the impetus behind Torres's, Bishop's, and Herrmann's switch from stage to television; Polone's role as a producer in the old sense; the supporting cast's induction into the program; and the original casting of Alex Borstein of "Mad TV" for the role of Sookie. Simon invites the audience to ask questions, and topics discussed include: the choice of Sam Phillips as the program's composer and the producers' luck in getting Carole King to write the theme song; the untrue rumor that Sherman-Palladino was a pen name for Aaron Sorkin; Sherman-Palladino's ease in writing for the character Lorelai; the cast members' opinions on whether they resemble the characters they play; the program's resemblance to Sorkin's "Sports Night"; occasional pranks on the set; the producers' opinion about the program's crowded time slot on Thursday nights; the decision to set the program in Connecticut; and the increasing lateness of scripts as the first season progressed.
(This tape includes the episode "Rory's Birthday Parties," which is part of the Museum's collection and may also be viewed separately. See T:63088 for summary.)
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: March 12, 2001 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:58:12
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:64083
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ron Simon … Moderator
- Keiko Agena … Panelist
- Kelly Bishop … Panelist
- Alexis Bledel … Panelist
- Lauren Graham … Panelist
- Herrmann, Edward (See also: Herrmann, Ed) … Panelist
- Melissa McCarthy … Panelist
- Scott Patterson … Panelist
- Gavin Polone … Panelist
- Amy Sherman-Palladino … Panelist
- Liz Torres … Panelist
- Yanic Truesdale … Panelist
- Alex Borstein
- Carole King
- Sam Phillips
- Aaron Sorkin