“Slow down.”
What…does…a…yellow…light…mean?
Alex’s backstory, or at least part of it, was established early. In the very first episode, we find out about his divorce and his wife and daughter moving to South America. He finds out the daughter (who he hasn’t seen in 15 years) is going to college in Europe, so the gang commandeers a cab and drives to Miami so he can have a brief reunion when she’s changing planes.
As a bit of trivia, the daughter was played by Talia Balsam, who was later married to George Clooney.
Next time you see that scene, watch Christopher Lloyd. He says “what does a…” and then looks down at the paper before continuing. It’s like his brain can only hold three words in memory at any one time. Brilliant.
Musicat, according to several things I’ve read, Christopher Lloyd created much of the background for the character of Jim Ignatowski himself. He auditioned in character for the role, and the receptionist was uncertain when he came in for the audition whether he was trying out for the role or was a bum who wandered into the studio by mistake. Precisely how much of the character’s background was created by Lloyd before the audition and how much was added later by the writers isn’t clear.
Ah yes. That’s right. Thanks, now I remember that.
Huh. I thought Vincent Schiavelli’s character married Latka and Simka. It’s been a while. Oh, wait, different wedding.
Yeah, there were two weddings.
On an episode shown first on October 31, 1978, Latka married a call girl in a fake wedding.
On an episode shown first on March 25, 1982, Latka married Simka.
Christopher Lloyd played the minister at the first wedding.
Vincent Schiavelli played the minister at the second wedding.
And without cheating, I think his ex-wife was played by Louise Lasser. Interestingly (and tragically) literally every main cast member of that show went on to do bigger & better things: Hirsch, DeVito, Kaufman, Danza, Henner, Lloyd, all of them except Jeff Conaway (who OD’ed a while back).
Despite his substance abuse issues, Conaway was on Babylon 5 for four seasons. So he did have a few more relatively good years. In fact, he was in more episodes of B5 than he was in Taxi.
I can certainly believe it.
He also had a starring role in Wizards and Warriors in 1983 (which, despite only lasting eight episodes, I recall finding very funny). Being the lead in a show that bombs can be a career killer, especially when you add the drug issues as well. B5 was over a decade later.
You forgot Randall Carver.
It’s okay, everyone does.
I was unaware that Jeff Conaway had died. Sadly, I’ve not even thought of him in years.
I never watched Conaway in Babylon 5 but Bobby Wheeler was my least favorite Taxi character.
Obviously this post was made before Judd Hirsch’s performance in Sharknado, The Second One.
It doesn’t get any bigger than Sharknado. :smack:
Now, now, he played a significant role in Independence Day, too, putting up with his bratty, erratic son.
And never forget that Reverend Jim was that way from smoking marijuana. Once.
nm
I think the technical term is the “anchor.” Andy on WKRP in Cincinnati was the anchor. He’s sometimes cited as the reason the show was never more successful than it was, because some critics thought he was too lightweight to carry a show*. The anchor character is not supposed to change much, while the other characters are allowed to grow and change a lot. Leonard is the anchor on The Big Bang Theory. The idea is that since the audience observes along with the anchor, too much change in the anchor asks too much from the audience in changing and adapting.
Hawkeye was the anchor when MASH* premiered, although even if not officially, I think it kind of shifted to Col. Potter later in the series.
*Personally, I think the joke’s on them, because apparently the show has done really well in DVD and online sales, outperforming more successful shows of the time.
After leaving Taxi, Hirsch won two Tony Awards. His film work is just a sideline to his career since then.
He also was a regular in the TV show Forever.
Didn’t he play the Dad in “Numb3rs”? Between that, Independence Day, BBT, and The Goldbergs it seems he’s made a bit of a sideline playing “neurotic Jewish character’s father”
Since this zombie is awake: Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast recently interviewed James L. Brooks, legendary TV guy and Film Director.
Great interview overall; what is funny is that there are a few times he starts to laugh a bit, and you can totally hear that one standout laugher that cut through the overall audience noise during specific scenes in the Mary Tyler Moore show, Cheers, Taxi, etc. I had heard it was Brooks laughing backstage, but had never heard him isolated.
Anyway: He states that Judd Hirsch was the heart of the show both as the starting point for the actors, and as the character. Brooks discusses how the show emerged from an article in New York Magazine (same with Saturday Night Fever and a couple of other movies) about a taxi company where everyone had a dream career that they were pursuing while driving a cab.
Brooks went to spend a day at the cab company for research. While there, all the wannabee actors and artists, etc. looked to one guy as the coolest guy of the cabbies - maybe his name was Steve. Brooks waited for Steve to show up so he could see what he was like - turns out the guy was super easy-going and completely okay as a cab driver - grounded. Brooks realized he was the anchor to the show and slotted Hirsch in the role.
The overall interview is very good.