Have You Ever Been To A Taping Of A Television Show?

[+ WilliamM]

Many, many years ago, The Dick Cavett Show. Somehow we scored seats almost on stage. During the first commercial, Cavett told the guest that Bette Davis would be on the next show.

 

(thanks for telling us, Mr. Cavett.)

Edited July 25, 2018 by WilliamM

[+ Timsbud]

While applying for a Page job at NBC in Burbank, took a tour - and the sets for the nightly talk shows (Jay Leno, etc.) really do look much smaller in person than on TV. The distance between the couch and desk setup and the band are merely steps away - on TV, it looks like a long hike.

Went to a taping of Jeopardy at the Sony Studios - not much fun for the audience since we were warned not only not to call out answers, but not to react in any way, except when the Applause signs were on.

Attended a taping of a new, not-yet-broadcast situation comedy (Good Morning, Miami?) - as the actors were presenting their lines, if the studio audience, up on bleachers, did not react strongly to a punch line, they would stop, the writers would come out onto the set and converse with the actors, changing lines, and then, we were asked to pretend we had not already seen this setup, and react as if we heard the lines for the first time. Sometimes, the "rewrites" for a particular scene were done multiple times. Took over 2 hours to finish what would become a little more than 20 minutes (without commercials) of TV time. It's a tough business - even for the "live" audience.

[+ Avalon]

While applying for a Page job at NBC in Burbank, took a tour - and the sets for the nightly talk shows (Jay Leno, etc.) really do look much smaller in person than on TV. The distance between the couch and desk setup and the band are merely steps away - on TV, it looks like a long hike.

Went to a taping of Jeopardy at the Sony Studios - not much fun for the audience since we were warned not only not to call out answers, but not to react in any way, except when the Applause signs were on.

Attended a taping of a new, not-yet-broadcast situation comedy (Good Morning, Miami?) - as the actors were presenting their lines, if the studio audience, up on bleachers, did not react strongly to a punch line, they would stop, the writers would come out onto the set and converse with the actors, changing lines, and then, we were asked to pretend we had not already seen this setup, and react as if we heard the lines for the first time. Sometimes, the "rewrites" for a particular scene were done multiple times. Took over 2 hours to finish what would become a little more than 20 minutes (without commercials) of TV time. It's a tough business - even for the "live" audience.

 

I remember that show; I liked it.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Morning,_Miami

[+ poolboy48220]

since we were warned not only not to call out answers

HAHAHAHA. Why have I never thought of that possibility in the 50-plus years I have watched Jeopardy?

 

I went to a live taping of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me", the NPR quiz show. Took about two hours; I was just a tiny bit disillusioned that it was edited so that the participants seemed quicker-witted on the broadcast than they really are. They're still funny, but they weren't throwing out those funny responses as quick as the edited show would make you think.

[+ g56whiz]

Almost 50 years ago I was in a small singing group that performed on Captain Kangaroo. I was an adult by then who’d never seen the show. We sang canons. The Captain wasn’t there but Mr Greenjeans was. The crew was mucking about with mics etc. until he stepped in and pointed out that they’d known about the segment for weeks and they we’re wasting our time which was volunteered. I remember that each crew member seemed to have his own big BarcaLounger in the small studio which was the set. I also remember that the puppeteer had the foulest tongue I’d ever heard and I’d been in the Army for awhile. Sesame Street was relatively new at the time. I asked one of the producers what they thought of the upstart. He replied “Guess where they all started?”

[samhexum]

My former roommate & I were HUGE Bee Gees fans. Her father was the 'sound man' for Joan Rivers' talk show. One day they were on... he never called us to come meet them. "Oh, I didn't think you'd be interested." We never let him live it down.

[JayCeeKy]

Johnny Carson Show. February 23, 1988. Guests were Dionne Warwick, Louie Anderson, and Jennifer Tilly.

 

You had to get to NBC Studios in Burbank at 6:00 a.m. for tickets. Then, line up at 4:30 p.m. outside the studio. Was seated in audience at 5:00 p.m. Taping at 5:30. Fred de Cordova, the Director/Producer, did the audience warmup. He told us that the host for our show was going to be a "young, bright, up-and-coming comedian" (everybody sighed and booed) - and then he said: "His name is Mr. Johnny Carson!" (Hoots and cheers!)

 

While waiting in line they asked us to write down a question we would like to ask President Reagan if we ever met him. Carson used the questions as set-ups for jokes. Of course, my question was a Reagan insult and was not used.

 

The first time we saw Carson was when he came out at beginning of the show; during breaks the lights were lowered and Carson sat at his desk smoking and talking to Ed. There was absolutely no audience interaction with Carson before, during, or after the show. I guess when you host a show for 25 years (at that time) you lose interest. You did get to see his white Corvette, parked outside the studio - a car he drove himself to work every day.

 

I also literally ran into Ed McMahon at the Beverly Hills Center bookstore one day where he was signing a book he had just published. It must not have been promoted b/c I was the only person in the store. He did yell out, at one point: "Hey, Chuck!" - waving to Chuck Woolery who just happened to be walking past the store.

Edited August 1, 2018 by JayCeeKy

[+ WilliamM]

Talk shows occasional have audience members who attend every show. In the the 1960s, the most well known was "Mrs. Miller."

 

After our senoir prom in high school, we went to small local night club. The perfomer was someone who became famous on "The Tonight Show." I could not believe "Mrs. Miller" was there also.

[bigvalboy]

Have You Ever Been To A Taping Of A Television Show?

Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by Avalon, Jul 23, 2018.

 

Countless ones. I lived/worked in Burbank for years and made Sherman Oaks my home for the better part of several decades. Going to Television shows at ABC, Paramount, Disney or Fox was fairly routine...

[Muscle Lover 2]

I went to a taping of the Joan Rivers' show. She was in the midst of her feud with Victoria Principal. So, my group of 4 friends all had matching T-shirts that dogged Victoria and then we made a shirt for Joan that had, on one side, her holding an Oscar (the taping was on Oscar night, so horrible guests) flipping someone off with the words, "Pick a finger Vickie!" Her staff took the shirt back to her and said she loved it and wanted to put us on the show. We were right in front of where she stood for her opening monologue but she did not talk to us. After the show we got up to leave and she shouted for us to hold up. After she said buy to her D level guests, she hurried over and laughed with us about the shirts and said her lawyer told her not to put us on the show and inflame things worse with VP! My shot at stardom, dashed by lawyers!

[+ E.T.Bass]

Conan O'Brien. Funny show!

Conan's band was fantastic. They came up into the audience and played a short concert for us. Conan loves his fans!

Father John Misty was the musical guest. He sang Nancy From Now On. Was quite awesome.

Sara Silverman was one of the guests. She killed it. Came out to talk about her Disney movie and ended up getting Conan all embarrassed with a bunch of naughty talk.

After the show, they brought out Kristen Stewart to tape a segment to be spliced into another night. Everyone had to act like it was another day, and the audience had to play along, sort of thing.

 

I would do Conan again. Conan fans are a cool breed, if I do say so myself.

 

[MEDIA=vimeo]207984374[/MEDIA]

[+ poolboy48220]

The first time we saw Carson was when he came out at beginning of the show; during breaks the lights were lowered and Carson sat at his desk smoking and talking to Ed. There was absolutely no audience interaction with Carson before, during, or after the show. I guess when you host a show for 25 years (at that time) you lose interest. You did get to see his white Corvette, parked outside the studio - a car he drove himself to work every day.

There's a Monty Python skit, not one of their most famous ones, where Eric Idle plays an incredibly animated, laughing, screeching talk show host. The second the cameras stop he slumps and stops.