Archive FM

Ian Talks Comedy

Ron Osborn

Ron Osborn joined me to discuss his childhood as a horror fan; Art Center College of Design; giving blood for a living; meeting Jeff Reno; getting the job on Mork & Mindy and throwing up every morning; pitching stories; writing 12 Angry Appliances; 17 writers in the writers room but Robin gets credit for ad-libbing series; Robin never forgetting a joke; a typical week at Mork; Tom Poston; Too Close for Comfort; youngest writers on a staff of 6; Ted Knight; my favorite episode of Too Close; ABC tries to hip it up; Jm J. Bullock; Audrey Meadows; freelancing a Silver Spoons; Goodnight Beantown; decent ratings but still cancelled; pitching to Night Court; freelance episode leads to them getting hired; great writers room; creating the characters of Phil and The Wheelers;Selma Diamond; Ellen Foley; I Had Three Wives; having to write one more Night Court right before wedding; how I Had Three Wives led to Moonlighting; coming up with scenes on the fly; commenting on being a TV show; Bruce Willis gets the job because Rick Dees turned it down; making a scene longer to give Bruce & Cybill a day off; Allyce Beasley & Curtis Armstrong; "Atomic Shakespeare" pitch; claymation scene; writing & shooting "Atomic Shakespeare"; Paul Sorvino; Charles Rocket; 3 episode arc "Sam & Dave"; adding Curtis Armstrong; "Casablanca" homage episode; Cybill Shepherd's pregnancy changes the series; working with Eva Marie Saint; Dennis Dugan; leaving the show; Goldie and the Bears - the lost Hulk Hogan pilot; selling a Charlies Angels story; working with George Lucas on Radioland Murders;

Broadcast on:
24 Sep 2021

Ron Osborn joined me to discuss his childhood as a horror fan; Art Center College of Design; giving blood for a living; meeting Jeff Reno; getting the job on Mork & Mindy and throwing up every morning; pitching stories; writing 12 Angry Appliances; 17 writers in the writers room but Robin gets credit for ad-libbing series; Robin never forgetting a joke; a typical week at Mork; Tom Poston; Too Close for Comfort; youngest writers on a staff of 6; Ted Knight; my favorite episode of Too Close; ABC tries to hip it up; Jm J. Bullock; Audrey Meadows; freelancing a Silver Spoons; Goodnight Beantown; decent ratings but still cancelled; pitching to Night Court; freelance episode leads to them getting hired; great writers room; creating the characters of Phil and The Wheelers;Selma Diamond; Ellen Foley; I Had Three Wives; having to write one more Night Court right before wedding; how I Had Three Wives led to Moonlighting; coming up with scenes on the fly; commenting on being a TV show; Bruce Willis gets the job because Rick Dees turned it down; making a scene longer to give Bruce & Cybill a day off; Allyce Beasley & Curtis Armstrong; "Atomic Shakespeare" pitch; claymation scene; writing & shooting "Atomic Shakespeare"; Paul Sorvino; Charles Rocket; 3 episode arc "Sam & Dave"; adding Curtis Armstrong; "Casablanca" homage episode; Cybill Shepherd's pregnancy changes the series; working with Eva Marie Saint; Dennis Dugan; leaving the show; Goldie and the Bears - the lost Hulk Hogan pilot; selling a Charlies Angels story; working with George Lucas on Radioland Murders;