New York fans--quickly

Mark Simone is doing the last half hour of his show on WABC (AM 770) dedicated to Seinfeld. This in just a few minutes (Sat. 2/23/02 3:30pm EST). Jerry's supposed to be on.

I'd like to hear about it.

Andy MacAskill wrote:

jp wrote:

Well, turns out it was just a five-minute or so thing. And Jerry wasn't on live. There had been a piece in last week's Sunday NY Times about how the show is missed but thank God for syndication. I had read the piece, but didn't save it. (You might be able to find it still on the Times's website.)

The host, Mr. Simone, began by mentioning the Times article (he was more impressed with it than I) and then replaying prior interviews of his with Jerry (dating back to the late '80's and the airing of the pilot), getting into the success of the show outside the New York area, early titles for the show (Mr. Simone evidently predicted its eventual success), then brought on a more recent interview with Jerry talking about getting ready to tour, going on the road with a revamped stand-up routine, Jerry enjoying plane rides, saying that people who don't like to fly don't know how to pack. (Jerry's motto: "Travel light. Eat right. Work Tight." Never check a bag. Don't let them touch anything of yours.)

He also cracked a couple of jokes about staying in hotels. (Hotels are the ultimate living environment. Nobody needs in life more than a bed, a bathroom, and a TV. The rest is all ego and a complete waste of time. Also, "I don't know how they get Kleenex to come out of the wall." Go the zen way. The zen Buddhists did a lot of road gigs, twenty-temple tour. And like that.)

Actually, one of the more interesting things happened just before the bit with Jerry, between Mr. Simone and a caller, in the form of a TV trivia sort of thing. (Maybe I won't give the answer here--yet.) Here it is: The three most successful shows in syndication of all time are The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, and Seinfeld. What do all three have in common? (Besides being the three most successful shows in syndication, of course.)

In article , Andy MacAskill wrote:

Four fully developed main characters (that people really care about)?

• Mark

On Sun, 24 Feb 2002 20:10:26 GMT, [email] (Mark Mellin) wrote:

....

I have written here many times in this group why the four character construct is so basic to good stories. Its a "Jungian" thing. These are human archetypes we (around the world) identify with.

The list in literature is endless and Rolling Stone made the point with their Wizard of Oz analogy to the Seinfeld characters. It is basic to the human psyche. And there's always a fifth, a Lex Luther too (a Newman, or a Wicked Witch, an Alan Brady, a Jefferson,... )

Some programs, especially if they used two locations or a larger ensemble (work and home, swamp and operating room, bridge and engineering, ... ) had two interlocking groups of four - Like The Dick Van Dyke Show, MTM, M*A*S*H, Star Trek NG, ...etc.

"The News Guy(Mike)" wrote:

Hmm. A good, more involved answer.

In fact, much more involved than the actual answer given . . . .

Mark Mellin wrote:

Close.

I mean obviously that's one thing . . . .

In article Andy MacAskill writes:

I was reminded of the debate between Russell and George on the need for character development in a sitcom from, I believe, "The Ticket".

Apartment dwelling New Yorkers? (ignoring later seasons of Lucy)

• Mark

Mark Mellin wrote:

That's it. That's what the guy was saying, four people talking, arguing in a New York City apartment.

So, for the rest of the country, there must be something about New York . . . .