Laughter On The 23rd Floor
''Laughter on the 23rd Floor'' is a 1993 play by Neil Simon. It focuses on the star and writers of a TV comedy-variety show in the 1950s, inspired by Simon's own early career experience as a junior writer (along with his brother Danny) for ''Your Show of Shows'' and ''Caesar's Hour''. Plot overview The play focuses on Sid Caesar-like Max Prince, the star of a weekly comedy-variety show circa 1953, and his staff, including Simon's alter-ego Lucas Brickman, who maintains a running commentary on the writing, fighting, and wacky antics which take place in the writers' room. Max has an ongoing battle with NBC executives, who fear his humor is too sophisticated for Middle America. The play is notable not only for its insider's look at the personalities and processes of television comedy writing, but also for its reflection of the political and social undercurrents of its time, in particular the rise of Joseph McCarthy, relationships between various (European) American ethnicities, and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sheldon Keller
Sheldon Bernard "Shelly" Keller (August 20, 1923 – September 1, 2008) was an American screenwriter and composer. Life and career Keller was born in Chicago and attended University of Illinois, where he began writing comedy with his fraternity brother Allan Sherman. He served in the Pacific Theater with the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II. After the war, Keller came home and married Bernice "Bitsy" Berkowitz. They had two children, Casey and Jamie. In 1951, he borrowed $500 from his father-in-law and moved the family to New York hoping to become an entertainer and comedian. He soon began writing for television. On ''Caesar's Hour'', starring Sid Caesar, Keller worked with notable writers Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Mel Tolkin, Michael Stewart and Gary Belkin. In 1956, 1957 and 1958 the show was nominated for Emmy Award for Best Comedy Writing – Variety or Situation Comedy. Keller also wrote several episodes of ''The Dick Van Dyk ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lewis J
Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead from ''My Iron Lung'' Places * Lewis (crater), a crater on the far side of the Moon * Isle of Lewis, the northern part of Lewis and Harris, Western Isles, Scotland United States * Lewis, Colorado * Lewis, Indiana * Lewis, Iowa * Lewis, Kansas * Lewis Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts * Lewis, Missouri * Lewis, Essex County, New York * Lewis, Lewis County, New York * Lewis, North Carolina * Lewis, Vermont * Lewis, Wisconsin Ships * USS ''Lewis'' (1861), a sailing ship * USS ''Lewis'' (DE-535), a destroyer escort in commission from 1944 to 1946 Science * Lewis structure, a diagram of a molecule that shows the bonding between the atoms * Lewis acids and bases * Lewis antigen system, a human blood group system * Lewis number, a dimensionle ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Slattery
John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director widely known for his role as Roger Sterling Jr. in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Slattery's other acting credits include a starring role as Ben Bradlee, Jr., in the Best Picture-winning film ''Spotlight'' (2015), and the role of Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Ant-Man'' (2015), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), and '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019). He won two Critics' Choice Television Awards for ''Mad Men'' and was part of the ''Mad Men'' ensemble cast that won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2013, Slattery directed his first feature film, ''God's Pocket'' (2014), which he co-wrote with Alex Metcalf. The film, based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Pete Dexter, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bitty Schram
Elizabeth Natalie Schram (born July 17, 1968) is an American actress best known for playing Sharona Fleming in the television series ''Monk'' and for playing Evelyn Gardner in the film ''A League of Their Own'' (1992). Early life Born in Mountainside, New Jersey, Schram studied at the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in advertising design. Having known for a number of years that she wanted to act, she pursued roles in both film and television as well as Broadway theater. Bitty was a nickname she decided to use when she became an actress. Schram adheres to Judaism. Career The role that initially brought her note was that of Evelyn Gardner, the Rockford Peaches' right fielder, in the Penny Marshall film ''A League of Their Own''. Her character was the recipient of the classic admonition by manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), "There's no crying in baseball!" During 1993-95, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Neil Simon's ''La ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark Linn-Baker
Mark Linn-Baker (born June 17, 1954) is an American actor and director who played Benjy Stone in the film ''My Favorite Year'' and Larry Appleton in the television sitcom '' Perfect Strangers''. Early life and education Mark Linn-Baker was born with the given names Mark Linn and the surname Baker in St. Louis, Missouri. He later changed his surname to a compound surname by hyphenating his middle name Linn with his surname Baker, producing Linn-Baker. His mother, Joan (née Sparks), was a dancer, and his father, William Nelson Baker, co-founded the Open Stage Theater in Hartford. His parents were both active in theatre and participated in civil rights activism. He graduated from Wethersfield High School in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1972, and from Yale University in 1976. He then attended the Yale School of Drama, receiving a MFA in Drama in 1979, and following that, found most of his early roles on stage. Career He developed and performed in a two-man comedy show, ''The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Randy Graff
Randy Lynn Graff (born May 23, 1955) is an American actress and singer. Career Graff was born in Brooklyn, New York City and is a graduate of Wagner College. She is a cousin of actors Todd Graff and Ilene Graff. Graff has been in feature films such as ''Keys to Tulsa'' and ''Rent'' as well as being in television shows such as NBC's ''Law & Order'' a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows. She originated the role of Fantine in the musical ''Les Misérables'' when the production opened on Broadway in 1987, which included "I Dreamed a Dream", also on the soundtrack released in 1990. According to Graff, she was the first person to sing "I Dreamed a Dream" in the United States of America. She has also appeared in Broadway revivals of the musicals ''Damn Yankees'' and ''Fiddler on the Roof''. Graff teaches at the Manhattan School of Music. Filmography * ''Working It Out:'' "Pilot" (1990) TV Episode – Andy #1 * ''Law & Order'' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ron Orbach
Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe Alasky *Ron Weasley, a character in ''Harry Potter.'' Language * Ron language, spoken in Plat State, Nigeria * Romanian language (ISO 639-3 code ron) People Mononym *Ron (singer), Rosalino Cellamare (born 1953), Italian singer Given name *Ron (given name) Surname *Dana Ron (born 1964), Israeli computer scientist and professor *Elaine Ron (1943-2010), American epidemiologist *Emri Ron (born 1936), Israeli politician *Ivo Ron (born 1967), Ecuadorian football player *Jason De Ron (born 1973), Australian musician *José Ron (born 1981), Mexican actor *Liat Ron, actress, dancer and dance instructor * *Lior Ron (born 1982), Israeli-American film and trailer composer and musician *Michael Ron (born 1932), Israeli fencer *Michael Røn (born 1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Obie Awards, a Lucille Lortel Award, an Olivier Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Daytime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2006, Lane received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, ''The New York Times'' hailed Lane as "the greatest stage entertainer of the decade". Lane made his professional theatre debut in 1978 off-Broadway production of ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. During this time he briefly appeared as one half of the comedy team of Stack and Lane, until he was cast in the 1982 Broadway revival of Noël Coward's ''Present Laughter'' directed by and starring George C. Scott. This led ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing ''The House of Blue Leaves'', ''Lend Me a Tenor'', and ''Six Degrees of Separation'' and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama Desk Award for ''Guys and Dolls''. Early life Zaks was born in Stuttgart, Germany, the son of Holocaust survivors, Lily (Gliksman) and Sy Zaks, a butcher. His family immigrated to the United States in 1948, finally settling in Paterson, New Jersey, where he graduated from Eastside High School in 1963. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a Master of Fine Arts from Smith College. Career ;Stage He made his Broadway acting debut in the original production of '' Grease'' as "Kenickie" and appeared in ''Tintypes'' in 1980. He made his directing debut in 1981 with the off-Broadway production of Christopher Durang's ''Beyond Therapy'', which co-starred S ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Richard Rodgers Theatre
The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed for Irwin Chanin. It has approximately 1,400 seats across two levels and is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks. The facade is divided into two sections. The eastern section, containing the auditorium, is designed in the neo-Renaissance style with white brick and terracotta. The auditorium's ground floor has an entrance under a marquee, above which is a loggia of three double-height arches, as well as a entablature and balustrade at the top. The facade's western section, comprising the stage house, is seven stories high and is faced in buff-colored brick. The auditorium contains neo-Renaissance detailing, steep stadium seating ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names (12 others used neither), with many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also using the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, are the theatrical performances presented in the 41 professional theatres, each with 500 or more seats, located in the Theater District and the Lincoln Center along Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the thoroughfare is eponymous with the district and its collection of 41 theaters, and it is also closely identified with Times Square, only three of the theaters are located on Broadway itself (namely the Broadwa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |