tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post2413745662753704912..comments2024-03-14T04:07:39.792-07:00Comments on Earl Pomerantz: Just Thinking...: "Story of a Writer - Part Thirteen-D"Earl Pomerantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963705121297866334noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-86405476380178374422019-08-31T17:48:19.732-07:002019-08-31T17:48:19.732-07:00Looks like the late great Brad Gray might have lis...Looks like the late great Brad Gray might have listened (or his successor at least). The complete show is indeed out on DVD:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-West-Complete-3-Discs/dp/B01LTHNHNE/" rel="nofollow">Best of the West: The Complete Series at Amazon.com</a><br /><br />It only took 9 years! :)Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13086939028445362188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-26178936999308249042008-07-12T00:39:00.000-07:002008-07-12T00:39:00.000-07:00I tend to remember shows from my childhood as bein...I tend to remember shows from my childhood as being hilarious, only to feel a twinge of disappointment when I see them as an adult (Welcome Back Kotter comes to mind). Having said that, after reading some of the quotes from "Best of the West", I'm relieved to realize that the show was in fact funny. My brothers and I thought Frog in particular was hysterical. This blog is required reading. Thanks so much for sharing these great stories.JonnyT1971https://www.blogger.com/profile/09807124676542854025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-40253374931946916762008-06-01T14:22:00.000-07:002008-06-01T14:22:00.000-07:00Am I remembering the following line from the Mail ...Am I remembering the following line from the Mail Order Bride episode of Best of the West:<BR/><BR/>"I don't mind that you used to work in a warehouse."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-66895047103180405572008-05-25T06:31:00.000-07:002008-05-25T06:31:00.000-07:00I watched Best of the West on the BBC and instantl...I watched Best of the West on the BBC and instantly loved it. I wrote begging them to repeat it so I could tape it but they never did. Decades later I'm still annoyed. I bear grudges.<BR/><BR/>I would genuinely love a DVD of Best of the West and so I will be writing.<BR/><BR/>This email might bounce: Brad.Grey@paramountstudios.com<BR/>But this one may forward messages on:<BR/>info@paramountstudios.comRobin Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18114551140455705344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-12409646474778769252008-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:002008-05-23T11:10:00.000-07:00I'd love to have a dvd op Bedst of the West, a sho...I'd love to have a dvd op Bedst of the West, a show which always had a good reputation. But I would also like to have a run of The Associates as a trade off.<BR/><BR/>I've just started work on a new series (here in Holland), so I sympathise with the whole dread thing. I had similar experience today... when the series was announced by the network as being a 'typical our network show'. Suddenly the whole thing doesn't seem like it's mine anymore... it's in the hands of those who desperately want it to be a succes.Ger Apeldoornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03633862833036214748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-46626891396496015662008-05-22T15:21:00.000-07:002008-05-22T15:21:00.000-07:00Well, no doubt that speculative scenario I laid ou...Well, no doubt that speculative scenario I laid out was due mostly to my own personal foibles and insecurities coming to the fore. Obviously, there's good reason why I am NOT (nor have I <I>ever</I> been) a comedy writer.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the clarification and taking the time to respond. Point well taken about the time constraints and outward pressures.<BR/><BR/>It's truly a pleasure stopping by here daily. (And I'm not just saying that.)Dimension Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05392348422733549988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-50222368998203817652008-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:002008-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00To Dimension Skipper:Being funny was never a conce...To Dimension Skipper:<BR/><BR/>Being funny was never a concern. That was there. The concerns involved time - never having enough of it to get things right - energy - never enough - and people who viewed themselves as helping me, but weren't.<BR/><BR/>But mostly, it was just me. I didn't know everybody who ran shows was scared on some level, but they dealt with their fear better. I never got the hang of that.<BR/><BR/>Funny is a surprise. As long as there are situations to observe and comment on, there's always something new to say. And when your natural dialect is "funny", that's the way it comes out.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your thoughts. Always welcome.Earl Pomerantzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16963705121297866334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-77634633872796744932008-05-22T08:05:00.000-07:002008-05-22T08:05:00.000-07:00Oh, you're bad...bet Brad's wishing our guns will ...Oh, you're bad...bet Brad's wishing <EM>our</EM> guns will misfire. Ready, aim...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7823625636675642409.post-22775588411164619642008-05-22T07:51:00.000-07:002008-05-22T07:51:00.000-07:00I particularly enjoyed this latest blog series re ...I particularly enjoyed this latest blog series re <I>BotW</I>. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>The description of your dread of show running touches on something I've wondered about for a while...<BR/><BR/>It always seemed to me that as a comedy writer on even a semi long-running show, there must be some fear or at least a sense of inevitability of eventually running out of jokes or humorous situations. I always imagine a writer coming up with a classic line for a classic character in a classic situation and then NOT being able to enjoy it because he realizes that, "Well, now I can't use THAT ONE again..."<BR/><BR/>Sure, sometimes you can make use of running gags and variations on themes to squeeze some more laughs out of similar stuff, but doesn't there eventually come a time when you just feel like the "funny well" is dry? I guess this is why it helps to have multiple writers for shows and the interactions and different perspectives they bring to the ensemble.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I feel certain that if I were in the position of comedy writer or show runner, I would feel that sort of dread. Only more so.Dimension Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05392348422733549988noreply@blogger.com