# Sitcom Writer: Jerk on TV = Nice Guy in Real Life, and Vice Versa. True? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819 "2011-07-21T06:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/21 "2011-07-22T22:23:01Z")
My list of evil characters, and the nice actors that played them: [ul] [li]Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville)[/li][li]Nellie Olsen (Alison Arngrim)[/li][li]Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton)[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/22 "2011-07-22T22:36:59Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > He added that if you want to meet really creepy, messed up authors, you should look for those who write self-help books. Having worked in a bookstore that had a number of author events with self-help writers, this has been my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/23 "2011-07-22T22:44:41Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > The director yes, but only to an extent. At some point you have let the actors _act_. > > The problem, as I’ve understood the reports on Ozzie, is that he gave his family – who were not trained actors, especially the boys, who were quite small when the show began – what are known as “line readings.” That is, he recited their lines of dialogue and told them to deliver them with the exact same emphasis, inflection and so on that he did. They weren’t acting as much as they were miming him. > > But that’s not something you do with real actors, especially not when you have full control on who is hired and can choose people with actual skill, training and talent. But he did, to the extent that a number of actors refused to ever work with him past their one guest spot, and more than a couple either walked out or were fired when they balked at his unprofessional control demands. I think it’s a matter of opinion not a hard and fast rule. Actors obviously prefer directors who let them do what they want but that doesn’t mean they’re always right. Some great directors, like Hitchcock and Kubrick, were notorious for controlling their actors down to the smallest detail - they had an exact vision of what they wanted the film to be and they wanted their performers to do it that way. While _Ozzie and Harriet_ may not have been in the same league, it was Ozzie Nelson’s show and he had the right to have it made his way. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/24 "2011-07-22T23:22:27Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Having worked in a bookstore that had a number of author events with self-help writers, this has been my experience. I’ve read in several places that Deepak “Woomeister” Chopra is an absolute asshole. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/25 "2011-07-23T03:48:26Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > I’ve read in several places that Deepak “Woomeister” Chopra is an absolute asshole. I think we even had a thread here that showed that, from a Doper who works in a bookstore. I guess the reasoning behind the idea is that the type of people who are willing to sacrifice the quality of their shows/work to the preservation of a positive image are likely to be jerks. On the other hand, even nice people have some standards. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819/26 "2011-07-25T13:28:50Z")
I’ve heard people say that Christopher Reeve was a total asshole off-stage, and his only friend was Robin Williams. But my one run him with Reeve was very pleasant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sitcom-writer-jerk-on-tv-nice-guy-in-real-life-and-vice-versa-true/589819.md?page=1)