Those keen TV nerds are at it again! Today, we're taking a look at some excellent behind-the-scenes/making-of stories from some classic (and soon-to-be-classic) sitcoms. And yes, most of them are from NBC, but that's just the way the cookie has appeared to crumble today. Several entries here have also been sourced from informative Reddit AMA exchanges between creators and appreciators.
Who was the most serious actor on set? Contrary to his character, I feel like Michael Richards was a really serious person about his acting.
From show boom operator Elza Camacho during a Reddit AMA (u/thefiction):
Jerry Stiller [who played George's father Frank Costanza]: He was very serious about his craft. He was always early. He’d go into a set that was dark and go over his lines with his assitant for hours. He was from the old school: suit up, show up, and hit your marks. I worked with him 8 years on Seinfeld and 9 years on King Of Queens. He truly is a remarkable, gracious, talented, and beyond anything you can imagine wonderful man. To be so funny and so serious is quite a blend.
With Leslie and Ann in "The Fight," Amy Poehler said in the Paleyfest interview that she and Rashida Jones pretended to be drunk and improvised the fight, and they took snippets from the whole much longer scene they did. And apparently, all of the actors doing their crazy drunk stuff was an informal contest to try to crack Amy up!
TIL a producer on Family Ties felt Michael J. Fox was too short for the role and tried to have him replaced saying, “This isn’t the face you'll see on a lunch-box." Fox later gave him a custom-made lunch-box with the inscription, "This is for you to put your crow in. Love and Kisses, Michael J. Fox.”
Did Tim [Allen, playing Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor] ever actually get hurt on the set of tool time?
From actress Debbe Dunning, who played "Tool-Time Girl" Heidi Keppert, during a Reddit AMA (as u/DebbeDunning):
Yes he did. I can't exactly remember how but his back went out and it was unfortunately the week we were shooting the musical number where there was all this dancing. I remember he was sitting in the back of the convertible and he was in so much pain. But that boy works hard. He was hurting but he worked through the pain.
It will always blow my mind that someone saw Stephanie, a super bubbly high-pitched person, audition for sweet and kind Amy, and thought to themselves, "Hey, that girl should be [low-voiced, tough-as-nails bad-ass] Rosa!" And they were 100% right!
