Facts and tidbits from Perfect Strangers you may not have known . . . a new one every week!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot, while not completely happy in his role as gay
lawyer Dennis Kemper in the short-lived 1985 comedy series Sara, was
nonetheless surprised when it was successful. Bronson was quoted in one
print article as saying, "We were all ready to do good comedy. We had
each other in stitches. But it never happened."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker was all but cut from the Woody Allen film Manhattan?
You may have if you've been reading this column for any length of time.
But did you know that he was erroneously credited as Mary Linn-Baker by mistake
in that film? He did end up with one big benefit from working on the movie
. . . he was able to get his Screen Actors Guild card! And very
fortunately it was not made out for Mary Linn-Baker.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker confirmed the sentiment Bronson expressed
below? In the same print interview, Mark continued, "We’re more
interested in that tradition of kind of almost coming out of a vaudeville
tradition instead of this other kind of rock ‘n’ roll tradition -- that I
love. I love Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, but I don’t want to be like
them. I want to be like ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Honeymooners.’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that when doing Perfect Strangers, both Bronson Pinchot and Mark
Linn-Baker were inspired by classic comedians as opposed to modern day
ones. As Bronson explained in one print interview, "Mark and I, our
idols are, like, two generations removed from us. Most people my age that
are doing what I’m doing idolize Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, and I think
those guys are great, but I really idolize Lucy and Bert Lahr and people like
that. And Mark feels the same way."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers was not the first buddy comedy that
Thomas Miller, Bob Boyett and Dale McRaven had worked on. "We’ve
all worked on ‘partner’ shows before," Miller explained in one print
article, "such as The Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley and Bosom
Buddies, but these guys [Bronson and Mark] have a stronger chemistry than
any two actors we`ve worked with." High praise, indeed!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson and Mark attended Yale at just about the same time? It’s
true! Mark’s last year at the school overlapped with Bronson’s first
year, but they never formally met. Although in one print article, Bronson
claimed he had seen Mark perform. As Bronson explained, "I saw him
once in a performance of A Winter’s Tale, in which he wore brown tights
baggier than old blue jeans, with folds in the seat that looked like a baby
elephant’s behind."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers moved to Wednesday nights at the beginning
of its second season on ABC? But of course! But in May 1986 after
the show finished its first season there was some speculation that the series
might be given a slot on Friday night instead. Which is, of course, where
the show eventually moved to during its third season!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers was originally pitched to all three
networks, all of which initially gave the show a pass? It’s true!
Even ABC turned the show down at first! Luckily for us they finally came
around, but only after Bronson had scored such a success with Beverly Hills
Cop!
Did you know . . .
. . . that during its initial six week run on ABC, Perfect Strangers often
made it into the top ten of the Nielsen ratings? This was never repeated
in the show’s later run, when it was moved to Wednesday nights, but the series
usually ranked respectably, often cracking the top twenty and rarely under the
top thirty.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot was surprised by his unexpected fame he garnered
from the film Beverly Hills Cop? "It was almost
laughable," Bronson explained in one print article. "People were
calling me every single day and camera crews were coming to my apartment from
Australia and France. I was living in this little hovel that used to be a
housing unit for Paramount starlets in the '30s. Now it’s a flophouse on
El Cerrito Place. I remember a reporter from Rolling Stone calling me on
the phone, and I had to tell him, "‘Wait a minute, I'm talking to USA
Today. Can I call you back’?"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson appeared in the pilot for the television series Clueless,
based on the popular movie written by Amy Heckerling? Sure! And you
probably also knew that Bronson and Amy Heckerling were dating at the
time. But what you may not know is that when ABC wasn’t sure about the
casting choice! In the October 1996 issue of Movieline magazine, Bronson
explained, "ABC called five days before we were to shoot, asking why I was
in it, what I looked like now, and could they see some tape on me. It didn’t
matter that I’d just finished seven years of ‘Perfect Strangers’ and
brought in millions of dollars for them: ‘Can we see some tape?’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that English is not Balki’s mother tongue? That’s pretty
obvious! But how did Balki learn English so well when he didn’t go to
college? Bronson explained the answer in one print article, saying,
"The way I figure, Balki grew up in Europe, and he learned his English by
sitting through three old movies a day. That explains why he talks the way
he talks."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker both attended Yale? But
they weren’t there at the same time, so their paths really didn’t cross at
school. But that doesn’t mean Bronson wasn’t aware of Mark. In
one print article, Bronson was quoted as saying, "People used to tell me
how good Mark was, and that I should see some of his shows. But then he
was at the drama school, and his picture was in the paper, so he was a
star. I was an underclassman."
Did you know . . .
. . . that when Perfect Strangers debuted in 1986, Lucille Ball was a
fan of the show! She was quoted as saying, "Those two fellows on Perfect
Strangers are wonderful. I love them, and I love their
show." Bronson responded by saying with a big smile, "It’s
like being a watercolorist and having Renoir say ‘Interesting . . . Good
work.’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot was born in New York? Sure, that’s common
knowledge. But in the biography written for NBC at the time he was doing
the show Sara it was explained that he was born in Manhattan.
Did you know . . .
. . . that when Bronson did the ABC made-for-TV movie Jury Duty: The Comedy,
he played four different roles? But of course you did! Don’t be
ridiculous! In one print article, Bronson was quoted as saying the
experience was "a real emotional whirlwind. I really stressed myself
out. I wanted to flesh out each character, but with the short shooting
schedule and the mentality on a TV movie that goes, ‘Oh, let’s just get it
done,’ it was tough. For one character - a nerd who’s on trial for
embezzlement - I used no makeup. But the other three characters I play - a
Geraldo Rivera-type, a concierge and an ugly old woman - each necessitated two
to three hours of makeup work."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark
Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot were amazingly good at their jobs on Perfect
Strangers? But of course! In one print article, producer Thomas
L. Miller put it this way: "They approach their work like trained stage
actors, because that’s what they are. And that approach is what makes
the difference in this TV business. They’re inventive onstage.
They read between the lines."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Reginald Veljohnson made a name for himself as Carl Winslow on Family
Matters? But of course Perfect Strangers’ fans know that he
originated that role on PS first! He had played a number of policemen
before that, including his roles in Die Hard and Turner and Hooch.
But in one print article for the Perfect Strangers’ spinoff, he
explained his experience playing a policeman in the movies did him little good
when his car was stolen. "I didn’t know what to do," he
explained. "I didn’t want to call the cops. This first thing
I wanted to do was call my mother."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot has never been married? But has he been
unlucky in love? Back when Perfect Strangers was just starting the
answer was probably yes. As he explained in one early print article,
"In the female-companionship department, I feel a little
undernourished. Once, my average relationship lasted a year. Now
that I’m enjoying some success, it’s only about three weeks. A
relationship can’t compete with a career. Word will come that I have to
go to New York or San Francisco, and the girl will ask, ‘What about me?
Aren’t I important?’ ‘Yes, you are,’ I say, ‘but my show, my
show!’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson was a little frustrated with one aspect of fame when Perfect
Strangers took off? He was quote in one article as saying, "You
can’t enjoy a meal in a restaurant without someone you don’t know coming up
and treating you the way a dog treats a fire hydrant."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson played a very geeky character in his first stage role in
the play Poor Little Lambs? It’s true! In fact he was
quoted in one 1988 article as having said, "I played such a geek that
(co-star) Kevin Bacon said, ‘You make Pee-wee Herman look like Tom Selleck.’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson did a lot of research for his role as psychic Bobby McGee
in Second Sight? This entailed visiting a number of psychics.
As he reportedly said in one print article, "If you go to a good one, they
talk to you like a very wise person instead of a goon with a turban
on." But he said that he still wasn’t a full believer.
Did you know . . .
. . . that one scene of Second Sight was filmed with Bronson before
the other actors had even been cast? Bronson worked on one scene in
advance which took advantage of a building demolition in Boston. One print
article stated Bronson said it was sort of like "Gone With the Wind"
-- where the burning of Atlanta was shot before the role of Scarlett O’Hara
was cast.
Did you know . . .
. . . that ice skater Brian Boitano and Bronson Pinchot were considered
look-alikes back in the late 80's? It’s true! At one point there
was even talk about Brian doing a guest spot on Perfect Strangers.
"Bronson told me there’s been talk about having me appear in Perfect
Strangers as his relative," Boitano told one reporter. "But
Bronson said only he gets the accent."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers was one of the hardest working shows in
television during its first season? As Mark explained in one 1987 print
interview, he and Bronson were looking forward to their hiatus. "We’ve
done 50 shows in a year and eight months, a hard 22 in a row; I think we’ve
come close to setting a record."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson has always been a collector of various things over the
years? Not only did he collect Wizard of Oz memorabilia and antique
furniture, as well as Greek art, he also collected old books and
manuscripts. According to one print article, Bronson once paid a
substantial amount for a 500-year-old manuscript of French miracle plays from Sotheby’s, which
was six times the top estimate, according to the esteemed auction house.
Now that's a passionate collector!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson and Mark were fantastic at doing physical comedy?
Well, of course you did, and so did the show’s co-producer William Bickley,
who was quoted in one print article as saying, "Mark and Bronson can do
some amazingly difficult physical comedy. They have such versatility we
can offer a variety of comedy."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Rebeca Arthur once hosted A&E’s A Night at the Improv?
But if during that appearance people may have thought she was playing her usual
Mary Anne ditzy self, they would have been mistaken. As she explained in
one print article, "I had a really bad flu and a 102-degree
temperature. I ended up talking about extremely strange things, and people
laughed because they were baffled. Sometimes I act a little too blonde for
my own good."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson was one of the shining moments in the film Beverly
Hills Cop? And what about Bronson’s salary for his small role as
Serge? As Bronson put it in one print interview, "I hardly made any
money for Beverly Hills Cop. The movie made millions - I made
$2,500."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson was once in Sterling Heights, Michigan, to host a fashion
show at the Lakeside Mall? While there, he stopped at the Lakeside Comedy
Shop Museum to look over their collection of costumes, photos and artifacts from
the history of comedy. Bronson was quoted as saying, "I like the
pictures of Charlie Chaplin. I like to see what he looked like out of the
tramp outfit. I’m leery of people who are the same on and off
camera."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson once described his character of Bobby McGee in the movie Second
Sight in a very animated way. As Bronson is quoted in one print
interview, "My image for him is, you know when you turn on your garden
hose, and by the time you get to it, it’s whipping around like a hyperactive
snake? This character has too much psychic energy coming through. It
turns him into a spaz. He gets what he’s after, but he destroys
buildings in the process."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers did loving tributes to both
The
Honeymooners and Laurel and Hardy? But of course! As producer and
writer Paula A. Roth explained about the latter in one print article, "What
become apparent to us is that over the years, their relationship has become very
Laurel and Hardy-esque, and this was a wonderful opportunity to address
that." Asked what might be next, Paula Roth joked, "Maybe we'll
do Lucy and Ethel."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson has a unique philosophy on life? This should be
obvious to anyone who’s watched him giving interviews. But according to
the press release for Bronson at the time Sara was on television, Bronson
had a specific philosophy which was stated as this: "Life is like a dollar
bill at a post office machine. No matter how many times it spits your
offering out, you have to smooth out the damage and try it again."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Melanie Wilson and Rebeca Arthur both collected miniatures while
working on the show? In one print interview, when asked if she had any
hobbies, Rebeca replied, "I spend hours and hours in miniature
stores. Melanie and I drive all over California looking at
miniatures."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot attended Yale? But of course you did, don’t
be ridiculous! But one print article listed these as the reasons
Bronson went to Yale: to study painting -- and read books and meet girls in
tweed.
Did you know . . .
. . . that when the episode See How They Run was aired on February 22,
1991, it was part of a special night of TGIF programming which focused on the
value of getting an education? Originally the plan was to have 50 teachers
from around the country flown to Los Angeles to enter into a dialogue with the
shows’ producers and writers. But the outbreak of the Gulf War caused
that plan to be shelved. But the special night of TGIF education-related
programming was still put together and aired.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson and Mark got along famously on the set of Perfect
Strangers? Bronson described Mark in one print interview this way:
"He’s a big brother who can push my button. He’s a
devil." He went on to explain that he and Mark would sometimes get so
silly and playful, "There are times when I think the producers are going to
send us to bed without supper."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Perfect Strangers was a classic comedy that appealed to a wide
variety of ages? One example was a print article which stated that movie
star Greer Garson was a fan of the show! The piece explained that although
Greer Garson, who was 80 at the time, was recuperating from heart bypass
surgery, she had lunch with Bronson and Mark and swapped Hollywood stories with
them!
Did you know . . .
. . . that the theme song for Perfect Strangers was written by Jesse
Frederick & Bennett Salvay? In one print article, Frederick explained
how he worked closely with the producers to create the iconic song.
"They said they wanted the theme song to sound contemporary but not too
rock & roll. They wanted something real positive. They said, ‘It’s
about winning.’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that people often thought Rebeca Arthur was actually like Mary Anne in
real life? In one print interview, when asked if the character of Mary
Anne was like her at all, Rebeca explained, "We look a lot alike. A
lot of the characteristics about Mary Anne don’t make it onto the show, it
gets cut. A lot of people don’t realize that she is very bright, she
just has a different view on things. She seems silly, but she is
smart. I like to think I’m not an idiot."
Did you know . . .
. . . that the cast of Perfect Strangers really loved working with one
another, even with their various idiosyncracies? In one print interview,
when asked how Bronson acted off camera, Rebeca answered, "He is sort of
like a big kid, and he gets in trouble when he is so naughty. We just can’t
shut him up."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark often had to convince reporters that he and Bronson really
did get along well. "It’s bad for the press, I know, but we hit it
off from the start," Mark explained in one print article. In that
same piece, he explained the key to the show’s success. "The secret
of the series is simplicity - to create a problem and let the two characters
solve it."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson is gaining some attention with his narration of audio
books? But Mark is no stranger to this market himself. Over the
years, Mark has recorded a number of audio books, including The Player
and Bright Lights, Big City, as well as the series of Arthur books
for children.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker really enjoyed working on the made-for-TV movie Going
to the Chapel? According to one print article, Mark explained, "
. . . I was working with a host of NBC stars, plus such pros as Cloris Leachman,
Max Wright, Eileen Brennan and Dick Van Patten. I think I was the only ABC
actor there."
Did you know . . .
. . . that at one point there were reports that Bronson was working on a new
series with his then-girlfriend, Amy Heckerling, entitled Forever Young?
The pilot was to be filmed for NBC and produced by Bronson’s agency,
Brillstein / Grey. According to one print article, "The plot sounds a
bit like ‘Big’ meets ‘Rip Van Winkle’ with Pinchot playing a man who
wakes up after 20 years in a vegetative state. What’s confusing is the
movie by the same title starring Mel Gibson came out in 1991, but this show was
apparently not based on that film, even though the plots are vaguely similar.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker didn’t decide to focus on drama as a career until
his last year of college? As he explained on one of the college-promotion
posters he did which appeared in high school hallways in the late 80's,
"The most important thing I gained from college was the breadth of
experience -- just learning about a lot of different things. I think it’s
important in a college education not to specialize right off the bat, but to
spread yourself around and expose yourself to a lot of different subjects.
It wasn’t until my last year in college that I decided drama was what I wanted
to do with my life."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot has played a wide variety of characters over the
years? Oh po po, but of course! But when asked in a print interview
which character has been his favorite, he replied, "Oh, I don’t
know. Characters are like children. If you say one’s your
favorite, you hurt the other one’s feelings."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker was sad when Perfect Strangers ended, but at the
same time he was happy to have more time to devote to the stage? As he
explained in one print interview, "I didn’t expect to do it
forever. I’m sorry to see the show go. But I’m happy to get on
with the rest of my life. I’ll be producing original plays for my
theater company in Vassar."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson was not the first choice for the lead role in The
Trouble with Larry? According to one print article, Bronson explained,
"The role was originally conceived for Larry Hagman. Seriously, they
pitched it to him and he said, ‘No, thanks.’ But in honor of Larry, I
guess, they kept the name."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker did a series of public service announcement posters
for high schools in the late 80's which outlined what upper class men should be
thinking about when applying to college? In one of these posters, Mark
talking about financial aid and is quoted as saying, "I got financial aid
the seven years I was in school, undergraduate and graduate. It was
awarded by the university. My school had a program that worked out a
financial package for you, which included a combination of loans, scholarships,
and work-study jobs. There was no way I could’ve gotten through without
that help."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Sam Anderson was born in North Dakota? One print interview
states that he ventured to New York when he turned 18 but decided the city was
"just too terrifying."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson is not particularly a "foodie?" We’ve
mentioned that in previous posts. In that same 2001 print article, he also
pointed how some of his friends "are such big food worshippers . . . I also
have friends who collect wines. Collect it? How about uncork
it, drink it and have a great conversation?"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker was one of the founders of the New York Stage and
Film Company? Of course you did if you read this section regularly.
But did you know the company puts on a workshop at Vassar College every summer
to work on new plays? As Mark explained in a print article from 1990,
"We come up here to work without commercial pressure. Because of the
economics of production in New York, you can’t afford to produce something
there that isn’t a hit. If you’re dealing with a commercial
production, the object isn’t art. It’s coming up with something that
will sell tickets."
Did you know . . .
. . . that while Bronson is no stranger to culture, he is not what people
now refer to as a "foodie." As he explained in a 2001 print
interview while doing the play Fully Committed, "I hate to give up
my time, even a minute or two, to go sit and listen to someone impress me with
their menu choices and then take 15 minutes to go get my soup. I’d
rather just go pick up take-out and bring it home. I’d rather spend the
time reading or thinking or chipping the paint off an antique door, or something
like that."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker’s family roots were set firmly in the
entertainment industry? It’s true! Mark grew up in Connecticut
where his father was a radio copywriter. As Mark explained in one print
interview, "My folks were involved in the theater. My mother was
dancing in a college show and my father was directing. They were always
working in the theater when I was growing up."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson never thought about acting until he was a teenager?
But his talents on the stage were actually noticed some time before that.
As Bronson explained in one 2001 print article, "I was just a little guy
and I did a pantomime in church about the changing of the seasons. A
woman, who had once been an actress, saw me and went to my mother and told her
that ‘your son must act.’ Of course, my mother ignored her because she
didn’t want me to become an actor. I guess the woman was prophetic
because somehow I ended up acting, and now here I am."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Sam Anderson earned master’s degrees in American literature and
creative writing at the University of North Dakota and the University of
Wisconsin? It’s true! He was writing and teaching when he
"stumbled" into heading a one-man drama department at Antelope Valley
Junior College. He later moved to Los Angeles with "the acting bug
still in my blood."
Did you know . . .
. . . that while Ernie Sabella’s done a large amount of television and movie
work, his first love is the stage? As he explained in one print interview,
all of the roles he plays tend to have "a comic twinge. I tried
playing a serious part once, but people laughed at me."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot almost played the role of the Ben Jabituya in the
movie Short Circuit? Actually, Bronson was faced with taking the
part in the movie or doing Perfect Strangers! As Bronson explained
in one print article, "At one point I had the choice of playing the goofy
guy with the turban in ‘Short Circuit,’ later played by Fisher Stevens, or
‘Perfect Strangers.’ A real concerned friend of mine said, ‘Bronson,
just be real careful you don’t become the young, male Clara Peller.’"
(The latter is a reference to the elderly woman who became famous for shouting,
"Where’s the beef?!" in Wendy’s commercials during the 1980's.)
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker not only performs on stage, as well as writing,
producing and directing shows, but that at times he teaches acting as
well? As he explained in one print interview from the late 80's, "I
enjoy it. I taught a Shakespeare course this past summer. It’s
challenging and a great responsibility. It’s hard." When
asked is it’s possible to teach comedy, Mark thought about the answer before
responding, "You can teach technique, but basically in any kind of acting
somebody’s got to have the base, the impulse. Teaching acting is
teaching someone how to feel that impulse, how to recognize that impulse and
then how to translate it into a performance."
Did you know . . .
. . . that some great moments were inevitably left on the cutting room
floor? One such bit sounds hilarious but didn’t make the final episode
(and we’re not even sure which episode this was originally filmed for!)
As Bronson explained in a print interview, " . . . on a recent show, we
said that each King of Mypos gets to pick his own national anthem, and the
current king is a great Whitney Houston fan. So the current Myposian
anthem is ‘How Will I Know,’ and when I sang it with my hand on my heart
with this incredibly patriotic look in my eye, it was really funny.
Unfortunately, it was cut out because there just wasn’t enough time for
it."
Did you know . . .
. . . that the crafting of the series Perfect Strangers was a well
thought-out act of creativity? But of course you did . . . the results are
obvious! As Bronson explained in one print interview, "There are
three goals to every ‘Perfect Strangers.’ The first is to show true
warmth between these two people. The second is that you have to have some
kind of mental confrontation, where Larry can’t get through to me and I can’t
get through to him, and the third is that we’ve got to have a great scene
where we get a situation and we do a virtuousic turn with it. If you have
those three things, you have a perfect ‘Perfect Strangers.’"
Did you know . . .
. . . that even though he starred in a hit television comedy for six-plus
years (and countless projects on television, on stage and in film since),
Bronson was never much for leading the glamorous celebrity life that so many
stars aspire to. As he explained in one print interview in 2001,
"About 15 years ago, Robin Leach called asking me to come on ‘Lifestyles
of the Rich & Famous,’ and I told him, ‘If I had a lifestyle I would,
but I don’t like any of that fancy stuff . . . "
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson and Mark both were veterans of the stage and both continue to
work on stage quite regularly. As Perfect Strangers fans, you
certainly knew that! But did you know that Mark often said in print
interviews that his favorite stage role was in a production of Samuel Beckett’s
Waiting for Godot produced by the American Repertory Theatre?
"It won the Boston Critics Circle Award in 1983 and I think it’s the best
play written this century, so far," Mark explained.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Rebeca Arthur attended the University of Maryland as a dance
major, but later changed to a dance-theater major. She displayed some of
her lithe moves while doing a cheer in the episode See
How They Run which we have added the outline for this week!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker and Belita Moreno had acted together
before? They both performed in the 1984 Manhattan Theatre Club’s
production of The Miss Firecracker Contest. Mark played Delmount
Williams and Belita played Popeye Jackson!
Did you know . . .
. . . that reporters were always disappointed to find out there were no
major feuds on the set of the show. When asked if they try to steal scenes
from one another, Mark explained, "We work within the script. Most of
the improvisation is within the lines of the script. And we don’t steal
from each other; we feed each other." Bronson added, "As an
actor you don’t deliberately try to steal scenes."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark once directed a six-minute film for the New York Stage and
Film Company. As he explained to a reporter, "I don’t like to
describe it because in the time it takes to describe it you can see it. I’ll
say there are two men in an empty theater and no words are spoken."
Sadly we do not know the name of the film.
Did you know . . .
. . . that Melanie considers herself a character actress and is happy with that
description? As she explained in one print interview, "I have very
realistic expectations, because I was raised in the business. But I always
knew I would act. Being the daughter of the toilet-paper king of North
America, who was also the nation’s leading drunk (as the drunk man on Bewitched)
what chance did I have to do anything else?"
Did you know . . .
. . . that a lot of people considered the focus of the series to be about a
young man helping his immigrant cousin assimilate to American ways? But
fans always recognized that this was only half the story. Balki taught
Larry just as many life lessons throughout the series. As Mark explained
in one print article, "The humor of the show is the two characters leading
each other through life – the blind leading the blind."
Did you know . . .
. . . Melanie’s father was Mr. Whipple? Of course you did, don’t be
ridiculous. But here’s an interesting fact . . . her mother was a dancer
named Meg Brown who appeared on an episode of Dennis the Menace while she was
pregnant with Melanie! So technically Melanie had her television debut
pre-nataly!
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot grew up on the poor side of Pasadena,
California? Because of that, he was grateful for the opportunities
afforded him as an actor. As he explained in one print interview, "I
grew up on welfare. If you only have one shirt ‘til you’re twenty and
somebody says they’ll put you in a TV series, you don’t care if you play a
gay transvestite or anything!"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Rebeca Arthur once had the opportunity to become a Playboy
Bunny? Fortunately for television fans, she declined because, as she put
it, "The hours were wrong."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Trishka the Bear, who was brought in to playing the menacing bear the
guys and girls encounter on the Chronicle's camping trip, was attracted to the
gum that Rebeca was chewing? Rebeca explained that the bear kept nuzzling
her hair because she could smell the gum. Not only that, but as Paula A.
Roth explained to TV Guide, "She was supposed to be menacing, but she
adored Mark and all she wanted to do was hug him. The director had a tough
time getting the shot."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot was valedictorian of his high school class? If
you've read this feature regularly you most certainly do. But did you know
Mark Linn-Baker was tenth in his high school class? Pretty
impressive! His name is listed as Mark L. Baker and his listing reads,
"Mark . . . the other fourth of the Baker-Anzovin Clown Act . . . "I
want go to New Jersey!, I want to go to New Jersey!, I want to go to New
Jersey!, I want to go . . . " Mark's quote beneath his name? A
tricky bit of philosophy in the phrase: "There are no aetheists in
foxholes."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson's appearance as a trapeze performer on Circus of the Stars
has been used in recent visual jokes on both Jimmy Kimmel Live and The
Daily Show? It's true! But the truth is it wasn't clear if
Bronson would even make it through the ordeal! As Circus of the Stars
executive Bob Stivers said at the time, "He was the most uncoordinated
person in the world. He had terrible upper arm strength." His
catcher, Danny Castle, was quoted as saying, "Bronson gets the award for
the most improved, that's for sure." Bronson himself recalled,
"For the first three weeks, almost, I would just shake on the way home --
you know, like when you've almost been in a car accident. I thought about
quitting a lot." But fortunately he stuck with it and ended up saying
he'd had a wonderful time doing the show.
Did you know . . .
. . . that both Bronson and Mark have had extensive careers on the stage as well
as on the big screen and television? But of course! But did you know
they actually appeared together on stage once? According to a program for
a production of Twelfth Night on Twelfth Night (when Shakespeare's Twelfth
Night was performed on January 6, 1990) Bronson and Mark were both scheduled
to appear in the show: Mark playing Feste and Bronson appearing as Sir Andrew
Aguecheek. They performed with an all-star cast including Ed Asner, Sally
Field, Rue McClanahan and David Ogden Stiers. This was presented by The
Shakespeare Festival / L.A. And among the additional sponsoring members
was Perfect Strangers' director Joel Zwick!
Did you know . . .
. . . that while Bronson excelled in academics in high school he really wasn't
involved in the social side of things. As Bronson explained in one press
interview: "I wasn't in sports or school politics and I didn't go to the
dances. Then at the awards ceremony I went up and got all the honours, and
it was 'Who is this guy?' I always knew I'd have some sort of
triumph. Even though I had repressed myself, I had confidence I could turn
people's heads."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Balki's culture was inspired greatly by Bronson's trips to
Greece? But, of course, Balki wasn't based specifically on any one culture
but rather on a mix of inspirations, including Bronson's upbringing. The
name "Balki," for instance, was inspired by a family incident in which
he and his brothers and sister tried to come up with a name for the new family
dog. "I do that sort of thing," Bronson was quoted in one print
interview, "I put in a lot of little funny words we made up when I was a
kid, especially when I speak Myposian. The inspiration for that is when
people speak foreign languages around you and you literally can't figure out
what they mean, but you sort of hear syllables." As for the Greek
influences, Bronson explained, "It's a funny thing because I think about
Greece a lot when I do Balki, and yet, when I'm in Greece, if I get really silly
or emotional or anything, my friends there look at me as though I'm crazy.
The superficial trappings of the character are inspired by certain aspects of
Greek peasant life, but I have to say that the soul of the character isn't
Greek, because all the Greeks I know are really very, very serious."
Did you know . . .
. . . that just about any time a celebrity steps out in public with another
celebrity, rumors abound that they may be dating? That's pretty standard
in our celebrity-saturated media of today. But sometimes this can go a bit
too far, in particular when Bronson attended one of the People's Choice
Awards shows with co-star Belita Moreno. We don't know what questions
the paparazzi may have asked, but somehow Bronson felt compelled to make it
clear in one blurb printed in the press (which referred to Belita as his date .
. . oh, and spelled her name Belitta to boot), "We're only friends."
Did you know . . .
. . . one of the most appealing aspects of Perfect Strangers for fans is
the amount of physical comedy seen in the series? But of course! But
it wasn't necessarily planned that way. As Bronson explained in one print
interview: "I think we are the only show on the air at the moment with
classic physical comedy. It's quite deliberate, and in our case, it was
totally organic. Nobody ever said when they first put the show together,
'Let's do an old-fashioned physical comedy.' I mean, they came to me and
said, 'We want to do a show about a guy who sees the world with fresh, innocent,
loving eyes.' We call them little ballets, when we do these extended
physical things, and we actually use a lot of balletic terminology as a matter
of fact, which is strange, because neither of us has ever danced. We work
these scenes out ourselves. To get them the way we want takes hours of
rehearsal over the course of a week."
Did you know . . .
. . . that as Balki, Bronson had to somehow get into the character of Balki each
week? As you might imagine, recreating an accent week after week while
delivering rapid-fire dialogue could get tricky. As Bronson explained in
one print interview, "Sometimes I feel like I've got peanut butter in my
mouth when we're rehearsing because I just can't get the words out; I sound like
I'm all gummed up. But once we've got the scene down and ready to go, I
manage to slip right into it with no trouble."
Did you know . . .
. . . that Bronson Pinchot often resorted to watching videotapes in preparation
for a role? As he explained in a print interview once, "I buy tapes
for research. Like when Balki was hypnotized and woke up as Elvis, I
bought a bunch of Elvis videos, mostly documentaries. Or when I did a
performance piece about manhood in the Thirties, I bought Clark Gable's Red
Dust, Robert Taylor's Waterloo Bridge and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.'s The
Thief of Bagdad." When asked about videos he viewed for personal
pleasure, Bronson replied, "Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz,
Captains Courageous and Mary Poppins. Oh yeah, and the entire
Shirley Temple library; the packaging, the style, the tone, the pure fun --
they're like art-deco ice-cream sundaes, you know what I mean?"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker's obvious love of comedy started back in his
childhood? It's true! In one print article, Mark explained, "I
think my family has a sense of humor. I always enjoyed it in the theater
and the great silent films. Comedy is drama but with better timing."
Did you know . . .
. . . that there is an unsung hero lurking behind the most popular television
series? That person is the casting director, who is often instrumental in
bringing talent to the eyes of the producers. Such was the case when it
came to casting a co-star for Bronson Pinchot on Perfect Strangers.
As reported in one print article, Lorimar Productions' resident casting
director, Cami Patton, searched in her massive files for a "young male
comedian." Her dreamlist of actors included Mark Linn-Baker, but with
an established film and theatrical career Mark was known for being reluctant
about committing to a television series. Patton's boss, Lorimar's senior
vice-president of talent, Barbara Miller, thought it might be the right time to
lure Mark to television. Her instincts proved correct. "At that
point I was ready to do a series, depending on what it was and who was doing
it," Mark explained. Patton and the producers both sensed that in
Mark they might have found an actor who not only possessed star quality but
would mesh well with Bronson. When Mark went to screen test with Bronson,
they weren't disappointed. "It was like they'd been doing it for
years," Patton was quoted as saying. Mark was offered the role the
next day and thus one of the greatest comedic teams of the latter twentieth
century was created.
Did you know . . .
. . . that when Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker started working on Perfect
Strangers they found themselves in the spotlight as neither had truly
experienced before? But success has its downsides. In one print
article Bronson explained, "There are two major kinds of pressure areas --
one is not being able to enjoy a meal in a restaurant without someone you don't
know coming up and treating you like a dog treats a fire hydrant. The
other is self-imposed to a considerable extent. We [celebrities] are
walking around a lot of the time thinking, 'Now that I'm here, how do I stay
here? How do I keep from becoming another statistic in terms of TV stars
you never hear of after their show is canceled?'" Later the article
states that Bronson would find therapeutic relief by visiting Greek sheepherders
who haven't heard of television, much less him. It then says that Mark
Linn-Baker enjoyed shopping for furniture in New York and was vaguely
embarrassed to admit, "I've only been mobbed once in a store."
Did you know . . .
. . . that when Bronson Pinchot played the role of lawyer Dennis Kemper in the
NBC series Sara, people naturally thought that he'd won the role because
of his appearance in the film Beverly Hills Cop? It was a natural
assumption since Sara first aired on January 23, 1985 and Beverly
Hills Cop had just come out the previous month, not to mention the fact that
both Dennis and Serge happened to be gay characters. But as Bronson
explained to TV Guide in March 1985, "Most people think there's a
connection, but this happened a month and a half before the movie came
out." His agent was a bit concerned about Bronson playing two somewhat
similar roles back to back, but Bronson went on to explain, "[I] didn't
have a choice. I had no money, no place to live. I said yes,
instantly!"
Did you know . . .
. . . that Mark Linn-Baker was not an overnight success? If you've
seen many interviews with Mark, you'll know that is a particular term he
loathed. Mark would repeatedly try to explain to interviewers why the idea
of an "overnight success" can be a fallacy. In one print
interview, he emphasized his previous work in theater this way: "There
really is a theater world, and it is an extensive world. When I walk into
an audition, people know me as a theater person. I'm not a TV person in
New York. I doubt that all but a few of the people I deal with have even
seen the television show. It's the television magazines that make it seem
as if I materialized out of thin air just before 'My Favorite Year' and then
began working on 'Perfect Strangers.' They pick out what's relevant to
their audience, and that usually means they just leave out the stage
stuff."
Did you know . . .
. . . that most actors have stories about the worst jobs they've had while
waiting to work regularly in their field of choice? Well, of course you
did. It's a formative part of most actors' lives. For Bronson, who
touched upon the subject in one print interview, the worst job he'd ever had was
collecting dried pine needles to scatter upon an outdoor stage of a
Shakespearean theater in the Berkshires to prevent the actors from slipping on
the rainsoaked stage. "I still get a jolt of acquisitiveness when I
see a fallen pine tree with handsful of luscious dried needles on it,"
Bronson was quoted as saying, "I feel like I should tuck them away for
later."
Did you know . . .
. . . that while Bronson is known for doing accents, one of his most interesting
stage adventures was doing a part in a Russian play called Zoya's Apartment.
While the part didn't call for a Russian accent, it did call for the actors to
be directed by the original Russian director . . . who spoke no English!
Working through an interpreter was an interesting experience, as Bronson related
in one print interview. "The interpreter's interpretations are more
on the impressionistic side. The director reads a line in Russian, and the
translator translates it for us. For example, my character suggests going
out for lobsters. The next line asks whether there's enough time.
Then the interpreter translates my next line as, 'We have as much time as there
is in a boxcar,' which I guess means we have oodles of time, but you can't say
that in English -- it sounds silly." When asked how rehearsals were
going, Bronson said, "I'm laughing a lot and I'm worried a lot."
Did you know . . .
. . . that one of the most memorable things about the series was Bronson's
unique accent for Balki? But of course! But as Bronson was quick to
point out in one print interview, "The accent is just a device. Over
the long term, the show is about two people who are very different. It's
about who they are and what they are. No one is going to tune into a show
just to hear a funny accent."
Did you know . . .
. . . that when Mark Linn-Baker relocated to Los Angeles while doing Perfect
Strangers (at least during the months the show was in production) his only
concession to the California lifestyle was to buy a car. A starring role
on a network sitcom had to have changed his life significantly, but Mark played
it down in one print article, stating, "The biggest change in my life . . .
is that I never have to pay for a cup of coffee anymore. Wherever I go,
the coffee is free."
Did you know . . .
. . . that for a long time before he was famous people assumed Bronson was
Bronson's last name. "People always used to think Bronson was
my last name," he explained in a print interview, "Like Charles
Bronson, or like that TV show called Then Came Bronson. I didn't
mind, except it sounded so military -- everyone calling me by what they thought
was my last name! Actually, Pinchot didn't trouble me. It just that
Bronson has such a macho connotation, and it doesn't go with the roles I
play. Thank goodness I'm better known now, so that they say, 'Oh, yeah --
Bronson . . . '"
Did you know . . .
. . . that when ABC decided to move Perfect Strangers from Wednesday
night to Friday night, it wasn't a decision which exactly thrilled the cast and
crew of the series. Mark Linn-Baker, in a print article from 1988,
explained his opinion about the move this way: "It was a good move for the
network, but I'm not so sure initially that it's going to be good for us.
It was kind of a left-handed compliment that the network thought we were strong
enough to move us to another night. We were their first winner on
Wednesday night in a long time, and I guess they think we can build a new
audience on Fridays. But viewership is lower on Friday, and our weekly
ranking is not really going to reflect the strength of our show. Our
numbers are going to drop, but I suppose the network knows what it's
doing." History proved Mark right, unfortunately, as Perfect
Strangers weekly rating did drop significantly, even though it was a longtime
lynchpin for the beloved TGIF lineup.
Did you know . . .
. . . that while Balki is an immigrant, Bronson was born in the U.S.? Of
course you did, etc.! But what's interesting is how real immigrants used
to react to Bronson when they'd meet him in person. "This summer I
was in New York Metropolitan Museum and a group of kids came up to me giggling
and talking in a foreign language and asked me if I was Balki," Bronson
related in an early print interview, "They told me they were new here, too,
but found it real easy to make friends. Another time, an old Greek man
showed picture postcards to me. They were of San Francisco and other parts
of the U.S., and he told me that ever since he was a little boy his dream was to
go to these places."
Did you know . . .
. . . that in the acting world there's an old saying, "Dying is easy . . .
comedy is hard." Even Peter O'Toole spoke this famous quote as Alan
Swann in the film My Favorite Year. But according to Mark Linn-Baker, the
difference between comedy and drama isn't necessarily distinct. In a 1986
print article, Mark explained it this way: "I have a strong sense of humor
in my work. That comes out in whatever I do. I don't see things as
comedy or drama. The dramatic literature isn't that simple. Many
comedies have serious parts and tragedies have humor. It's not a
distinction you make in training. You don't train differently for
comedy. You learn how to act. You bring your own reality and
technique to it."
Did you know . . .
. . . that in Hollywood it's common for many successful people to hire a
personal assistant or publicist? It becomes the only way they can keep up
with the day-to-day hurricane of activity that comes with being popular.
But interestingly, Bronson didn't hire a personal assistant for quite some time
(and when he did, he advertised for one openly in the Hollywood Reporter's
classified ads!) As he related in one print article, "I went a longer
time than most people before I hired an assistant. I was going crazy
trying to do everything myself." And the idea of hiring a publicist
didn't occur to him until "I went to the Emmy's with Mark Linn-Baker, and
his publicist was like 'Now this is your seat and the backstage bathrooms are
over here.' I was sitting there thinking, 'Nobody cares about whether I
have a fall, have a heart attack, die or even know where the bathroom is.'"