# In Praise of Stephen Root and others of his clan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016 "2010-03-19T15:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/21 "2010-03-19T17:33:21Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > **NewsRadio** really was one of the best sitcoms ever. It even made Andy Dick look funny. > > Jimmy James rules! I agree. If you have Instant Watch some (all?) of the seasons are available. I still laugh when I think about the book Jimmy James wrote that was translated to Japanese and then back to English. > [@](#): > > Mr. James: The original title of this book was Jimmy James: Capitalist Lion Tamer but I see now that it’s … Jimmy James: Macho Business Donkey Wrestler. You know what it is. I had the book translated in to Japanese then back again into English. Macho Business Donkey Wrestler … well there you go. It’s got kind of a ring to it, don’t it? Anyway, I wanted to read from Chapter Three, which is the story of my first rise to financial prominence. “I had a small house of brokerage on Wall Street. Many days no business come to my hut …” My hut. “… but Jimmy has fear? A thousand times no. I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey strong bowels were girded with strength like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo … dung. Glorious sunset of my heart was fading. Soon the super karate monkey death car would park in my space. But Jimmy has fancy plans — and pants to match. The monkey clown horrible karate round and yummy like cute small baby chick would beat the donkey. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/22 "2010-03-19T18:28:50Z")
On several episodes it was revealed that Jimmy’s crippling fear was hippies due to flashbacks from when he was a park ranger in the 1960s. In a nice case of continuity (or perhaps retconning to explain his Vietnam experience) In another he told of how he wound up in Vietnam due to enlisting in the Marines following a failed love affair and how Vietnam had messed him up for life, but also gave him his drive and determination and discipline. IIRC he was now about to re-meet the girl who dumped him and caused him to enlist and was apprehensive about it. Somebody said “But think what your life would have been if you hadn’t enlisted. Where would you be today without that experience?” Jimmy: Happy as a clam living in Florida looking forward to retirement from the park service, playing with my dogs and grandkids and not having these damned Vietnam flashbacks! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/23 "2010-03-19T20:11:01Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > **NewsRadio** really was one of the best sitcoms ever. It even made Andy Dick look funny. > > Jimmy James rules! I hate Andy Dick, but he was damn good in News Radio. Great physical comedy. Gratuitous Jimmy James clip: [Macho Business Donkey Wrestler](http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=RzNUg_IcKrI&feature=fvw) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/24 "2010-03-19T20:11:08Z")
[Hulu to the rescue!](http://www.hulu.com/newsradio) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/25 "2010-03-19T20:44:41Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Category:Actors from Georgia > > Claude Akins > Luke Askew > Stephen Dorff > Ray McKinnon > Robert Patrick But you left out [Edward Andrews](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7y944I4h30). He was in _everything_ in the '60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/26 "2010-03-19T20:52:15Z")
Thanks for those links **ZipperJJ** and **Labrador Deceiver**. I’ll try to get caught up on _Newsradio_ as soon as I can. It went right by me in those days. > [@Slithy Tove](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by Zeldar > > Category:Actors from Georgia > > > > Claude Akins > > Luke Askew > > Stephen Dorff > > Ray McKinnon > > Robert Patrick > > But you left out Edward Andrews. He was in everything in the '60’s. Definite oversight. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/27 "2010-03-19T22:25:53Z")
Don’t forget Root as a Klingon captain in Star Trek: TNG; he takes Picard and Data to Romulus to find Spock. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/28 "2010-03-20T00:15:43Z")
I’m curious now: would Steve Buscemi be considered more of an actor than a character actor nowadays? 'cause if not, then let me put him up there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/29 "2010-03-20T06:17:51Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > But you left out [Edward Andrews](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7y944I4h30). He was in _everything_ in the '60’s. Edward Andrews was one of those character actors who seemed to specialize in a specific niche: corrupt businessmen/politicians/lawyers. Once you saw him you knew you couldn’t trust him. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/30 "2010-03-20T07:01:15Z")
I was completely unfamiliar with Stephen Root when I first started watching _NewsRadio_. I made a snap judgment that Jimmy James would probably be my least favorite character. Boy, was I wrong. I loved the Jimmy James wife search. He was also very good (as already mentioned) in _From the Earth to the Moon_. He played NASA controller/director Chris Kraft. His stricken reaction to the Apollo 1 tragedy, as well as his bemusement at Frank Borman’s bout of diarrhea on Apollo 8 (“Boy, it’s really going to smell bad up there.”) are among the many highlights of this excellent series. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/31 "2010-03-20T11:16:04Z")
The Newsradio “Macho Business Donkey Wrestler” reading is probably my favorite thing in all of sitcomdom. The writing was great, but Root’s delivery, and the sigh and the end made it perfect. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/32 "2010-03-20T11:56:17Z")
here it is [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jMZtdLra24E/hqdefault.jpg "Super Karate Monkey Death Car") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMZtdLra24E) ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/33 "2010-03-20T12:27:35Z")
It’s odd to hear Stephen Root speak in his natural voice,too. For a guy who plays a lot of loud, boisterous characters, he’s actually quite soft spoken. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016/34 "2010-03-20T12:43:43Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I’m curious now: would Steve Buscemi be considered more of an actor than a character actor nowadays? 'cause if not, then let me put him up there. 😃 For my money, Buscemi is still a “character actor” in spite of his headlining (or at least co-starring) in several noteworthy roles. I see him and Billy Bob as creative character builders with just not quite that “leading man” vibe. The fact that they have been in Top Banana roles just goes to show how well they can put on other aspects of their personalitities. FWIW, the “Actors by State” exercise I went through above was just to point out some Southern actors. If others want to take a similar approach for other regions, that would be fun to see, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-stephen-root-and-others-of-his-clan/533016.md?page=1)