MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE: HELLO, GOOD-BYE, PACKAGE 2 {EVENING SCREENING 1}
Summary
Hello, Good-bye presents three months of pilots,
premieres, and final programs from the annals of
episodic television. Although it is by no means a
definitive collection, this screening series showcases
many of the most remarkable episodes ever to open or
close a television series. Included are programs and
footage that have rarely or never been aired, such as
screen tests by John Travolta and Farrah Fawcett-Majors
for "Welcome Back, Kotter" (Travolta got a part;
Fawcett-Majors didn't); Rod Serling's pitch to potential
sponsors on behalf of "The Twilight Zone"; and the
bizarre 1999 Ben StillerÐdirected pilot "Heat Vision and
Jack," starring cult favorites Jack Black and Owen
Wilson. Mostly, however, this screening series is about
the familiar. It reminds us of the power of the medium
of television to help viewers fall in love with
characters like Mary Richards, the Beaver, and Alex P.
Keaton -- and then to force them to adjust when they
must confront life without Hawkeye Pierce, Larry
Sanders, Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Kimble, and the staff
at St. Eligius.
"Strangers with Candy" (unaired pilot)
This pilot for Comedy Central's first live-action sitcom
features Amy Sedaris in her first incarnation of Jerri
Blank, a forty-seven-year-old former "user, boozer, and
loser" who returns to high school. Sedaris wound up
making minor changes to Blank's physical appearance,
and the role of her mother was recast when the original
actress, Sarah Thyre, was unavailable (although she
wound up playing a different role in the series).
Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello, who created the show
with Sedaris, play dual roles in this pilot -- an idea
that was later dropped. (1999; 25 minutes)
"Heat Vision and Jack" (unaired pilot)
Director Ben Stiller goes camp in this twisted amalgam
of the fondly remembered science fiction/action series
"The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Knight Rider." Cult
favorites Jack Black ("High Fidelity," "Tenacious D")
and Owen Wilson ("Bottle Rocket," "The Minus Man") star
as sometimes superintelligent astronaut Jack Austin and
Heat Vision, his philosophical talking motorcycle. This
pilot was developed for the Fox network, which
ultimately declined to pick it up. (1999; 30 minutes)
"The T.V. Show" (pilot)
"Spinal Tap" cronies Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, and
Christopher Guest team with Billy Crystal and Martin
Mull in this cult favorite, a sketch-comedy pilot
satirizing television. Among the highlights: George
Jessel (Reiner) hosts the "Stop Death in Our Lifetime"
telethon, and Tom Snyder (Shearer) interviews
Muhammad Ali (Crystal). (1979; 50 minutes)
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 2000
- RUNNING TIME: 1:42:50
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:64553
- GENRE: Comedy; Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Comedy/Variety; Drama, fantasy/science fiction; TV - Parody; TV - Satire
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Strangers with Candy":
- Kent Alterman … Executive Producer
- Jerry Kupfer … Producer
- Belisa Balaban … Associate Producer
- Adam Bernstein … Director
- Stephen Colbert … Created by, Writer
- Paul Dinello … Created by, Writer
- Mitch Rouse … Created by, Writer
- Amy Sedaris … Created by, Writer
- Bob Golden … Music by
- Stephen Colbert … Cast, Mr. Chuck Noblet
- Paul Dinello … Cast, Mr. Geoffrey Jellineck
- Amy Sedaris … Cast, Jerri Blank
- Greg Hollimon … Cast, Principal Blackman
- Laura Bell Bundy … Cast, Mom
- Roberto Gari … Cast, Dad
- Joseph Scott … Cast
- Sarah Thyre … Cast
- Lard Spies … Cast
- James Murtaugh … Cast
- For "Heat Vision and Jack":
- Ben Stiller … Executive Producer, Director
- Rob Shrab … Executive Producer, Writer
- Dan Harmon … Executive Producer, Writer
- Robert Greenblatt … Executive Producer
- David Janollari … Executive Producer
- Steve Beers … Producer
- Andrea Lapins … Associate Producer
- Jack Black … Cast, Jack Austin
- Owen Wilson … Cast, The Voice of Heat Vision
- Ron Silver … Cast, Ron Silver
- Christine Taylor … Cast, the Sheriff
- Vincent Schiavelli … Cast, Frank
- O-Lan Jones … Cast, Patrice
- Sy Richardson … Cast, Doctor
- Felix Castro … Cast, Pool Player #1
- Clint Lilley … Cast, Pool Player #2
- Stephanie Chad … Cast, Stripper
- For "The TV Show":
- Rob Reiner … Executive Producer, Writer
- Phil Mishkin … Executive Producer, Writer
- Paul Waigner … Producer
- Camilla Dunn … Associate Producer
- Harry Shearer … Producer, Writer, Music (Misc. Credits), Special Musical Material by
- Tom Trbovich … Director
- Billy Crystal … Writer
- Christopher Guest … Writer, Music (Misc. Credits), Special Musical Material by
- Tom Leopold … Writer
- Martin Mull … Writer, Music (Misc. Credits), Special Musical Material by
- Steven Cagan … Music (Misc. Credits), Musical Director
- Spinal Tap … Music Group
- Michael McKean … Music (Misc. Credits), Special Musical Material by
- Melissa Manchester … Music (Misc. Credits), "Elizabeth & Andy" Theme Sung by
- Rob Reiner … Cast
- Tom Leopold … Cast
- Shearer Harry … Cast
- Christopher Guest … Cast
- Deborah Harmon … Cast
- Kres Mersky … Cast
- Michael McKean … Cast
- Billy Crystal … Cast
- Martin Mull … Cast
- Brett Somers … Cast
- Marvin Braverman … Cast
- Wainwright, Loudon, III … Cast
- Johnny Brown … Cast, the Kingfish
- Henry Harris … Cast, Andy
- Wolfman Jack
- Adolf Hitler
- Anwar el- Sadat
- Menachem Begin
- Ali, Muhammad (See also: Clay, Cassius)