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Post by topbilled on Jan 1, 2023 15:32:54 GMT
any thoughts why some succeeded the transition? I have not seen all Tim Allen films, but he does not seem to have strayed much from his tv persona. Alan Alda seemed to succeed in comedic film roles but not so well straight dramatic.
Some of them like Bob Newhart and Roseanne Barr, came from stand-up comedy backgrounds and succeeded on TV but did not exactly hit it big when they tried movies.
There are those who started on soaps...Meg Ryan and Julianne Moore come to mind...both were very popular on As the World Turns (Moore won an Emmy) but they seemed destined for movie stardom. But then you have someone like Anne Heche, who also won an Emmy during her four years on Another World who made movies but ended up going back to television. |
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 1, 2023 18:01:19 GMT
I remember Allen when he was a stand-up in the Detroit area in the early '80's. He does seem to fare better when he goes into his (what I call) "John Wayne mold". Meaning as John Wayne was noted(by many) to be John Wayne in almost all of his movies, Tim Allen fares better when he's "typical" Tim Allen and not trying to widen his range. But being a successful stand-up and starring in a successful TV sitcom probably made his roles in comedies do better than any dramatic efforts, as his fans prefer him in comedies. And that's probably the same thing with Alan Alda. After so many years as the wise cracking Hawkeye Pierce, with the often funniest lines in the iconic M*A*S*H series his fans prefer him to be funny. But I felt his dramatic efforts were excellent. And there were several times in MASH where Alda did dramatic moments in the show. But apparently they made no big favorable impression as I often heard people complain, when talking about the show, "I hate it when Hawkeye gets serious."
And there's another variation of a theme. COMICS WHO SUCCEEDED AT DOING DRAMATIC ROLES.
I never liked ROBIN WILLIAMS' stand-up act, and liked MORK AND MINDY even less. But it was his role as Dr. Malcolm Sayer in AWAKENINGS('90) when I noticed he had dramatic chops. And I consider his over the top role in THE FISHER KING9'91) to be more a dramatic role than played for laughs. Considering when we learn the reason for his character's frantic behavior.
Sepiatone
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Post by kim s. on Jan 1, 2023 20:22:28 GMT
Jerry Lewis was surprisingly to me good as his suave alter ego in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and a arrogant in KING OF COMEDY (I may have wrong title), but Jerry mugged so much in his career, I expected him to be comedic any moment. Burt Reynolds was another actor who went from tv (GUNSMOKE) and then films, then tv again (EVENING SHADE). I'm racking my brain about comics to dramatic parts. Mickey Rooney did a serious part in a tv show where he was pleading before a judge, but can't remember the show. I can't understand why I can't remember others, because for a long time on talk shows actors would say comics are good at drama because comedy has its source from anger and pain. They must have been talking about a comic's performance, but I can't remember any.
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Post by topbilled on Jan 1, 2023 21:48:13 GMT
Jerry Lewis was surprisingly to me good as his suave alter ego in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR and a arrogant in KING OF COMEDY (I may have wrong title), but Jerry mugged so much in his career, I expected him to be comedic any moment. Burt Reynolds was another actor who went from tv (GUNSMOKE) and then films, then tv again (EVENING SHADE). I'm racking my brain about comics to dramatic parts. Mickey Rooney did a serious part in a tv show where he was pleading before a judge, but can't remember the show. I can't understand why I can't remember others, because for a long time on talk shows actors would say comics are good at drama because comedy has its source from anger and pain. They must have been talking about a comic's performance, but I can't remember any.
***
Speaking of Jerry Lewis, he is surprisingly good in a dramatic arc of the CBS crime drama WiseGuy where he plays a Jewish clothing manufacturer. His son was played by Ron Silver, and their scenes were excellent. |
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Post by kim s. on Jan 2, 2023 1:21:30 GMT
Not BILL. This was probably before your time. A program like Studio one or Robert Montgomery Presents. I thought of another interesting transition: Donna Reed and Loretta Young going to tv to have control of their careers. Spring Byington went to tv in a series called DECEMBER BRIDE. Did Cary Grant ever do tv? Ann Sheridan or Rita Hayworth?
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Post by topbilled on Jan 2, 2023 1:28:34 GMT
Not BILL. This was probably before your time. A program like Studio one or Robert Montgomery Presents. I thought of another interesting transition: Donna Reed and Loretta Young going to tv to have control of their careers. Spring Byington went to tv in a series called DECEMBER BRIDE. Did Cary Grant ever do tv? Ann Sheridan or Rita Hayworth? |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Jan 2, 2023 14:23:14 GMT
At the time of her death, Marilyn Monroe had a flight booked for New York to enter negotiations for a television production of Somerset Maugham's Rain, to be directed by Lee Strasberg. If that had materialized it might have been something in the nature of a first.
The variety format proved to be very successful in the hands of stars like Fred Astaire, Mitzi Gaynor and Ann-Margret and was probably a very natural transition for movie people with musical backgrounds.
Two of my favorite TV holiday productions, A Christmas Memory and The Thanksgiving Visitor, both starring Geraldine Page, were done for ABC Stage, one of those dramatic anthology series. In her case, she was equally familiar to audiences for her theater work, so it wasn't only her film reputation she brought to the project. Hallmark Hall of Fame was another dramatic anthology series which drew on actors from the movies, though any "star" names elude me at the moment. I remember some productions of Shakespeare on that series with Maurice Evans, but he was known much more for stage work. Julie Harris did a production of The Lark about Joan of Arc on HHOF but she wasn't exclusively a movie name either.
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....OOOPS. My apologies. Somewhere in the discussion it seemed to transition to folks who did do TV work, but I'm now realizing you intended the thread for people who didn't.
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Post by dianedebuda on Jan 2, 2023 15:54:48 GMT
OT, but feel the same about Robin Williams and his comedy. Awakenings is a favorite of mine.
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Post by Lucky Dan on Jan 2, 2023 16:36:50 GMT
At the time of her death, Marilyn Monroe had a flight booked for New York to enter negotiations for a television production of Somerset Maugham's Rain, to be directed by Lee Strasberg. If that had materialized it might have been something in the nature of a first. I did not know that. Wild stuff. And I wonder what Lee Strasberg might have known about television direction. (I have a strong suspicion that as an acting coach he has been highly overestimated.) |
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Post by Roy Cronin on Jan 2, 2023 17:20:47 GMT
I've read that NBC absolutely did not want to entrust Strasberg with directing responsibility, and Marilyn refused to work with anyone else.
So it was not to be.
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Post by gerald424 on Jan 20, 2023 2:22:04 GMT
Not BILL. This was probably before your time. A program like Studio one or Robert Montgomery Presents. I thought of another interesting transition: Donna Reed and Loretta Young going to tv to have control of their careers.
That's what I was going to say. Its not just that their star had faded but, in many cases, TV gave the star more opportunity. Namely women.
 Desilu allowed Lucille Ball to become a much bigger star on TV than she would ever have gotten the chance to be simply in the movies.
The next year  allowed Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino and Joel McCrea to at least attempt to control their own destinies. And create TV content when they weren't making movies.
Also, remember there were lots of live performances on TV for those who couldn't get out to the theater.
I think the movies studios promoted that idea that TV was a step down because they were nervous about the competition. Same thing when sound came to the movies.
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Post by sepiatone on Jan 20, 2023 18:13:23 GMT
I of course could be mistaken, but it seems to me that in the earlier days of TV WARNER BROTHERS was the first major movie studio to use television's potential. There were a lot of "classic" television shows produced by the studio that were hits and obviously made WB a ton of cash.
I just don't recall another major movie studio presenting a bevy of hit television shows. But like I said, I could be mistaken.
Sepiatone
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Post by Swithin on Jan 21, 2023 4:15:22 GMT
An actress who did make the transition to television was Spring Byington, first in December Bride (1954-1959) , later in Laramie. It was nice that a woman of a certain age could have her own television show for five years. She was 68 when the show premiered. It couldn't happen today.  Verna Felton, Spring Byington |
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