Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - 257. Paul Sand

Episode Date: April 29, 2019

Tony-winning actor Paul Sand joins Gilbert and Frank to discuss the birth of improv comedy and the early days of Second City and shares his memories of working with Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, Mary Tyler Moore, Zero Mostel and Barbara Streisand. Also, Judy Garland beats a retreat, Marcel Marceau joins the French Resistance, Paul tries on Harpo Marx's wig and a teenage Gilbert watches the filming of "The Hot Rock." PLUS: Elaine May! "The Mad Show"! Praising Valerie Harper! The genius of William Goldman! And Paul stars in a memorable episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Because at TD Insurance, we understand that your business is unique, so your business insurance should be too. Contact a licensed TD Insurance advisor to learn more. This is Ron Friedman speaking under great duress, reminding you that this is Gilbert Gottfried's colossal, amazing, unbelievable, stimulating, should-be-rated X because it contains things that could be harmful to your genitals, podcast, Lucky You. It could be a shitty weather report.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. EU. It could be a shitty weather report. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried and this is Gilbert Gottfried's amazing, colossal podcast with my co-host, Frank Santopadre, and our engineer, Frank Furtarosa. Our guest this week is a director, comedian, and popular, versatile, and Tony-winning actor who's appeared in both on and off Broadway as well as in notable TV and movie roles since the 1960s. You've seen his work in hit TV shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Carol Burnett Show, Taxi, L.A. Law, Gimme a Break, Saint Elsewhere, Night Court, The X-Files, Dharma and Greg. And in his own primetime series, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.

And curb your enthusiasm. That's next. Yes. Oh, go. Okay, I'm sorry. I thought you were done. That was the next sentence. I'm sorry. I thought you were done. That was the next sentence. I'm sorry.

All right. I've had chocolate. I told you. Well, now you've thrown off the whole timing. He's hopped up. That will be spontaneous. Yeah. He's hopped up on chocolate.

Well, you've killed my introduction. Okay, let's start over again. Okay, go back. Now, I'll just go end in an unforgettable role on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. You bet.

See, you forgot about that. I forgot that one. That's why it's written down. He's also done memorable work in feature films such as Viva Max, Holy Moses, The Great Bank Hoax, The Main Event, Teen Wolf 2, Chuck and Buck, and a movie that's been discussed on this podcast, The Hot Rock. Oh, yes. Hey, stop interrupting. Yeah.

Co-starring with our one-time podcast guest, Ron Liebman and Charlotte Rae. He's also starred on the New York and Chicago stage as part of the famed Second City Comedy Company. Not comedy. Second City Company. Second City Comedy. Second City Company. Yes.

All right. I'm going home. Home, as well as The Mad Show, inspired by Mad Magazine, and he won a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award for playing multiple roles in the Broadway production of the Paul Sills Story Theater. Story Theater. Along the journey, he shared the stage and screen with some of the most prominent figures in film, TV, and theater, including Robert Redford, George Segal, Alan Arkin, Barbara Harris, Richard Pryor, Dudley Moore, George Carlin, Zero Mostel, and Barbara Streisand. He even worked with the legendary Marcel Marceau. Please welcome to the show a favorite performer of Frank's and mine, and a man who says he once threw up

in the presence of Judy Garland, the talented Paul Sand. Well, I know I... Thank you. That was... I think that was everything. I think that was a lot. That was a lot.

We're completists, Paul. Did I mention curb your enthusiasm? Yes. Should I tell you my throw-up story? Please, yes. We insist. Okay. So I'm in Paris with the legendary Marcel Marceau.

And then I come back, and then I'm sleeping at with the legendary Marcel Marceau, and then I come back, and then I'm sleeping at my parents' house, and I get a telephone call from a choreographer named Paul Godkin. Wonderful man. And he said, why don't you come down? I'm staging a show for Judy Garland.

Maybe there's something in it for you. So do I have to talk fast? No. Talk at your normal pace. I'm racing. Isn't that weird? It's the chocolate. Anyway, I went down there,

and there was all these people from the Freed group, and those are people that ran all the MGM musicals in the early days Arthur Freed was the main guy and anyway so Roger Edens was the piano player and

Kay Thompson was in the room remember Kay Thompson? I know the name anyway okay so they were going to pick out the chorus people so i thought i don't want to do that so i said is there anything special like an audition for and they said yeah wait we pick the guys so they picked the guys then they said what do you want to do and i said i don I don't know, play some music. And they played music, and I just pretended I was in an MGM musical. And I had only been able to dance, and I worked with Marcel forever.

And so I start doing dances from MGM. And then Judy Garland walks in. And she literally entered laughing with a group of people. And she sees that this guy, me, is standing, I mean, is auditioning. And she became, I'm racing again, she became very friendly and polite. And she liked everything. She says, do another one, do another one. So she had me do three or four improvised dances.

And then I said, would you excuse me a minute? And I went out this exit into an alley, and I said, I don't feel good. And anyway, I started to get sick against this wall of the alley. And there's this little hand that's holding my forehead. And it's Judy Garland holding my head while I'm puking. I can say that. Oh, my God. Yes, you can say that.

Okay. puking. I can say that. Oh, my God. Yes, you can say that. Okay. And I said, I'm really sorry. I said, I do this when I get nervous.

And she said, oh, don't worry about it. When we're on the road, you can use my bucket. Oh, my God. Wow. And I said, does that mean I got the job? And she says, yeah. Can you sing? So I'm looking at Judy Garland, and I feel like I'm watching the movies, you know? Sure.

And I feel like maybe I'm Donald O'Connor. And I thought, I can't tell the truth. I can't go back now. So I said, yeah, I can sing. And she said, well, then, you know, arrange it, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, come and be my partner. I'm doing this tramp number that I did with Fred, she said, Fred Astaire in the movies. And you do it.

And that's how it started. And a friendship was born. She held your head while you vomited. Yes. Beautiful. And you went on the road that's how it started. And a friendship was born. She held your head while you vomited. Yes. Beautiful. And you went on the road with her for a while. Yes, it was one-night stands. We lived on a train.

She was recreating like the vaudeville days. Wow. So there were comics and singers. I just did that one piece with her. It was my first real job, actually. Yeah, yeah. That was my first paying job. It was before Second City, even.

Do you remember any of the comics? Frank Fontaine? Wow! Oh, Crazy Guggenheim! Yes! Hiya, Joe. Hiya, Mr. Donahue. It was pretty, yeah.

Yeah, it was pretty straight. He wanted my job. He wanted to do the number with Judy, and so he would be whispering into my ear all the time that they're going to fire you, and I'm going to do your part. So that was upsetting. But, yeah, I started learning early the meanness of show business. Sure.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around Paul Sand on the road with Judy Garland and Crazy Guggenheim. You remember he used to do that character on the Gleason show, Paul? He used to do the drunk? Not really. Oh, he used to do that? That's what Frank Fontaine, that was his sort of stage character. Gleason would be the bartender, and they'd go, Hey, you're crazy.

Hey, you. I didn't know he had. Yeah, he was a funny drunk. In the days when you could get away with doing that kind of thing. Yeah, I get it. And who are the other comics? Anybody else come to mind? Who's the only one?

But there was a group of singers called the Hilos. Wow. Is that... The Hilos. I'm going to have to research that. Yeah, look at that. I heard you say that you thought she was psychic, Judy Garland. Well, I think highly intuitive.

I mean, I don't know what's really psychic, but highly intuitive. Because she always knew when to leave a party. She would say, let's get out of here. There's going to be a fight. And we would, and there was. That's a talent. that's a talent see i i hear so many stories of judy garland being a total mess like totally confused totally screwed up and you uh have a different opinion well i don't know. I was with her every day, and she seemed like an extremely talented lady and very polite and very encouraging and very helpful. And she was never weird to me.

She did only know who I was every other day. How so? I don't know why. Wow. So she'd work with you and the next day not know who you were? Well, we all had to get on a train, you know, to go to the next town, like Eugene, Oregon or something. And she said, give me a penny. So I give her a penny and she'd put it on the tracks and the train would run over it and it'd be real flat.

And she said, here, keep this in your pocket. It'll be good for you. So I said, okay. And then the next morning I'd see her on the train and I go, hi. And she'd look at me like, who are you? Wow. So, but she was, that's the only odd thing, but I liked her, and she was really helpful. Early in your career?

I mean, well, just those few months. Did you let on that you were kind of obsessed with MGM musicals as a kid? Did you share that with her? I don't know. Maybe before she walked into the room. I mean, Ginger Rogers was in the room. Wow. Wow.

I know. I would have thrown up, too. It was very exciting. And this Roger Ease played a piano and it sounded like a full orchestra. It was incredible. Let's go back, Paul, a little bit. Gilbert thought all these years you were Jewish.

Yeah, I'm very heartbroken. Paul Sand, which is not your real name. Stop it. No, wait a minute. I am Jewish. My mother's Russian Jew and my father's Mexican. Ah, so you are a Jew.

Yeah. Oh, I was going to stop the interview right here. Is that how that works? If your mother's Jewish, that makes you Jewish, right? Is that how that works? You were born Paul Sanchez, and you changed it. That's right. That's the Mexican side.

When did it become sand, and how did you settle on sand? Somehow, I got an agent named Lillian Small, and she said, just like in the movies, we got to do something about that name because everyone's going to think you're like some Jew from the Bronx, and you're going to walk in. No, you're going to walk in with the name Sanchez, and they're going to expect somebody dark and swarthy. But really, you look like a Jew from the Bronx. So let's change your name.

So it was like sitting like this and went through it. And I was always sitting on the beach i always lived on the beach and has sand as half a sanchez but that's in those days when those stories existed you know we don't bother anymore to change names now i don't think that That's right. You went out to France, and how did you locate Marcel Marceau? You've done some amazing research. First time anyone's ever said that. It's the first time he's ever done it, Paul. No, it's amazing. Yeah.

I'm in Paris. I go to the Herald Tribune, which is this English-speaking, English-language newspaper, and I went to Art Buchwald. Ah. Sure. I went to his desk that he worked on the Herald Tribune at that time, and I said, I'm this American guy. I'm looking for Marcel Marceau. Do you have his address? And he looked in his Rolodex and he gave it to me and he said,

good luck. And I said, okay, thank you. And then I found where Marcel Marceau lived and I knocked on the door and I learned how to say, I don't speak French. So I said, excusez-moi, mais je ne parle pas français. And he says to me, well, I speak perfect English. Just like that. Wow. So he said, I don't have a school, but I have a company. Why don't you come back in a couple of weeks and audition for me? And I did, and I got in the company.

Wow. Now, what amazes me with Marcel Marceau is I would see him on TV, and I knew he was a great mime. But his past, his history, that he was in the French Resistance. True. Yes, resistance. True. Yes, indeed. Yeah. He ever talk about that, Paul?

Never. Interesting. I didn't know that until years later when I read about him, really. I had no idea. Yeah. He never talked about it. And he would go on these dangerous missions where he'd smled children out of the country. And he said that he kept the children quiet in those times that were terrifying times.

He kept them quiet by performing mime for them and entertaining them. As a real hero. Yeah. That's amazing. That's amazing. hero. Yeah. That's amazing. That's amazing, yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. So he rescued about 70 children, I think.

You were at a point in your life where you just decided that you needed a change of scenery. You were what, 19? You didn't want to go to New York? No, yeah. But I think I was about 18, 19 in there. Yeah. And yeah, I didn't want to about 18, 19 in there. Yeah. And, uh,

yeah, I didn't want to, I wanted to run away from home. I mean, my parents were wonderful and loving and no problem, but I didn't want to go to San Francisco. I didn't want to go to New York. I wanted to go to France.

I've seen, uh, I was always going to French movies. I was always wearing black turtlenecks. No, true, true, true. What did they think when they saw you over there? That I was a cowboy. Yeah.

I love that. They did. They all thought of it. And over here, before I left, they thought I was a French guy. Yeah. Yeah. Let me talk about a little bit about your childhood too because you were a shy kid, but you were a movie buff.

You loved MGM musicals. You loved French movies. You loved all this stuff. Your parents were always encouraging to you. Supportive. They didn't push me around. supportive. Supportive. Yeah, I mean, they didn't push me around, but they had this, yeah,

I would get up in the morning and say, I want to take piano lessons, and they said, okay, or whatever, and they always encouraged me, like, yeah, supported me about, yeah. And wasn't it that you said they were held back in their childhoods? Well, they didn't get to pursue their dreams. Yeah, it was in their day.

It was like my mom wanted to be a ballerina. You can't be a dancer, they said. My father was a wonderful painter, a beautiful, wonderful painter. But he had to support the family. So, yeah, but he would paint sometimes. I still have a great painting of his, a few of them, yeah. Your mother said you could study with Viola Spolin, the great Viola Spolin, as long as you didn't become a child actor?

I'm stunned at everything you know. I am stunned. No, it's what we do. It's what we care about. But that's amazing to me. Yeah, I saw a play one night, and it was all under a blue light, and I was captivated, and I said, that's what I want to do. So she called up UCLA and said,

who's the best teacher for kids who won't make them crazy? You know? And so they found Viola Spolin, and we met, and she got a scholarship for me, which was great. And my folks said, you can take classes as long as you want, but you can't be a child actor. You can do all this, but you can't be a child actor. You can do all this, but you can't go and, you know. Yeah, they didn't want you to be one of the screwed up, crazy child actors.

Yeah, I think that was their reasoning. Yeah. I think it was wise. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. A little context about Viola Spolin, by the way, whose name has come up on this show before. I told you we had Peter Bonners here. Oh, yeah.

And we had other people here, and I can't think of who they are now, but other people who gave credit to Viola Spolin. Well, I think Ed Asner, too, was in the Compass Players, wasn't he? We had Ed here. He mentioned her. I mean, she goes back to the 30s. She goes back to the WPA. I mean, she was an actress. She was a teacher. She was a director and mentored a lot of people. And she's the inventor of theater games. She is. Yeah. She invented the whole... Matter of fact, I belong to

her little company called the Young Actors Company. And she tried out all these theater games on us. So I was about nine, 10. Nine years old, wow. And so her whole technique became my technique eventually. Of course. Not even aware of it, you know. Right.

So how long did you study with her? Because now I'm trying to fill in the gap between you starting with her at nine and disappearing off to Paris at 19. Yeah, I studied with the woman. I came back and I worked more with her or Paul Sills. I was with the whole family forever. Right. And this is the father and the mother if you will of modern of improv absolutely yeah absolutely this is usually the question i asked toward the end of the show but what what are some of the things you've learned the most important lessons you've learned about acting and performing reforming? Not to try too hard, to trust your own intuition, to trust yourself, to trust

your own person. It's very hard to be yourself, but I think that's what works. Because we all have almost everything in us, and then you just play yourself, basically, but you play yourself doing everything. You know, yeah, we never were taught to put on odd makeup or funny noses or wigs and things. It just, it all comes out. I had the pleasure of working with your old friend, Alan Arkin, on a talk show a couple of years ago. And we asked him what was the mistake

that people in improv make? And he said, trying to be funny. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, that's what's wrong. When I go to an improv company now, to me, it's painful because everyone's trying so hard. And that's all I pick up is people trying too hard rather than being spontaneous. Viola used to compare true improvisation with a basketball

game where everybody's on the same side and we can't play the game without each other. And we can't play the game without each other. And now it's become, it seems to me, everyone's competitive with each other. And that doesn't make for brilliance. Did Paris live up to your expectations? You had seen all these Godard films and Truffaut films. Yes. Okay.

So you had an idea of what it was going to be like. It was just like the movies. It was lived up to your expectations it was perfect yeah yeah you know what's funny when you were saying about being yourself i've been in both sides one where i've auditioned for things and other times where i've watched other people audition. And people come in, and they'll be totally charming and likable. And then all of a sudden, they act. Yeah. That's it. They're gone.

There's nobody there. Yeah. Well, harp technique was more about being of service on stage to the other performers and it being a group thing, getting out of the way. Exactly. Just being with each other and seeing what comes up.

It takes a lot of courage, but it pays off. At some point in Paris, you decided what? I've had enough of this and I have to go home. No, wait a minute. Why did you read that? Because've had enough of this and I have to go home. No, wait a minute. Why don't you read that?

Because that's absolutely what I was thinking. We're like Judy Garland. Was it too much of a good thing? We are like Judy Garland. Good callback. We see everything ahead. We're intuitive, Paul. Oh, God. Yes. We're intuitive, Paul. Oh, God.

Yes. That's what it was. You were homesick or you decided this was enough glamour or enough I have to go back at some point? It was either I stay here and try to become a French actor or go home. And I didn't want to stay and become a French actor, which means, I mean, I love the French actors. But I... You would have been a great Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Yes! I see you starring in Breathless. Do you know I was in Chicago and I read a review by Pauline Kael of the New Yorker magazine about this movie called Breathless. How you got to see it. And so I got on a plane the night before our day off or night off. And I flew into New York City just to go see Breathless. So, yeah, I was still a great fan of that. It all had that spontaneous look to it, didn't it?

Oh, yeah. And I was always attracted to that. When did you go back and get involved with Paul Sills and what eventually would become Compass Players? I came back somehow, and I was in Los Angeles, and I get a letter from Paul Sills, and he said, I've got this company called Second City,

And he said, I've got this company called Second City, and do you still do what you did as a kid at my mother's school? And I said, I think so, yeah. And he said, I saw you. Elaine May and I came out to the school, and you were this little kid, and we just wanted to know if you could do it, still do it. Wow. And I said, I guess, and then I got on a plane and went, and I was the quiet one, though, for a year. Oh, I have a little something to say. By all means. Yeah, now would be the perfect time. By all means. Yeah, now would be the perfect time.

I haven't stopped talking since I sat down. No, go ahead. Your turn. I'm sorry. No, tell us. No, I don't want to be too pushy. No, we like it. Okay, okay.

All you, buddy. Okay, what was I going to say? Well, Elaine may come and see you. So everybody was brilliant and they were all from the University of Chicago and great minds and very knowledgeable about what's happening everywhere in the world at all times. And I wasn't. So I would, when we took suggestions of the audience, I always took the objects. So when it was time to do the improvisations after the show, I would take the objects and then make it around that, whether it's a baseball or this or that.

Anyway, one night we were taking suggestions. Oh, no. So we used to go every morning at 11 o'clock, Barbara Harris, Severn Darden, brilliant, brilliant, Barbara Harris, Severn Darden. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Love Severn Darden. Oh, my God. Unbelievable.

And the three of us would get on the bus and go see the latest arty movie. It would be like an Ingmar Bergman movie or an Italian wild movie. Then we'd come back and we'd satirize them that night. You know? So anyway, that was our pattern for getting new material. So we're on the bus going to the movies. And there's a man sitting across from me on the bus reading How to Win Friends and Influence People. How to Win Friends and Influence People.

It was very moving and really interesting that he didn't cover the book up with something. You know what I mean? I mean, I really thought this is so courageous and sweet. This is nice. So anyway, that night at the theater, someone yells out, phonograph record. And I flashed on that guy's book, and I said, I'll take that one. I'm going to be a guy that buys a record called How to Win a Friend.

Ah, yes. Which you did on the Carol Burnett Show all those years later. Yes, did it forever. later yes did it for you did it forever um anyway so it's my point is i could speak when i felt it was coming from me back to that again it was something that moved me that i thought was uh very interesting or you know anyway then I could not stop talking because I got the courage to be myself because people laughed. So you were shy,

you were kind of a wallflower for the first year, and then you gradually got your voice? Instantly. The minute I saw the guy reading the book. How about that? A a turning point and that was the very yeah then i i got it oh i get improvising now it's all it's got to come from me my point of view on a subject am i being clear yes very yeah that. You know, now just a memory of mine. When I was a kid living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn,

me and my two sisters, Arlene and Karen, would go every night over to the Brooklyn Museum to watch them film the Hot Rock. There you go. Yeah, he was there. That's amazing. Yeah, I was in the hot rock. There you go. Yeah, he was there. That's amazing. Yeah, I was in the crowd watching. I was in the crowd of people watching them film the hot rock.

Fascinating. Do we, that, when there's the big car accident? Yes, yes. When Liebman fakes the crash? And I'm pretending to be a doctor. Yes, yep. And I just swallowed a diamond. We would see them, the car, speed around.

They built an artificial front to the museum so the car would have something to speed away from. And it would speed and, yeah, there'd be that car accident in the beginning. Yeah, yes, exactly. I remember that very well also. It was very vivid. Yeah, I saw them doing it. Because I remember they built like an artificial front

so they'd have something for the car to speed around. Yeah, we had Ron Liebman here on the show. Oh, of course. We talked about that scene. As long as you jump to the Hot Rock, Gilbert, and I'll come back to Second City. But, you know, we fly around here. Paul.

Yes. Watching last night, I went back and watched it again. It's a favorite heist movie. We just lost William Goldman, by the way. Yeah. The writer of that screenplay. A lot of fun. A couple of months ago.

Just tell us about whatever you remember about Zero, who played your dad. You were Greenberg. No, I'm very, thank you. To catch our audience up. The great Zero Mustel. Yeah, you were, Paul was Greenberg, the explosives expert. That's right.

And Zero was his double-crossing dad. Yeah. And Zero was his double-crossing dad. Yeah. Well, okay. Aside, and this is from all sincerity, aside from being an extraordinary, amazing, magical kind of actor, it would just get into it and not come out of it.

What was interesting, we shared the car on the way to location all the time. It would just be him and me in the back seat being driven around. And he would talk about himself as being a painter. He never talked about himself as being an actor. Interesting. Yeah, that's the thing that comes to my mind. Other than playing with him wonderfully and comfortably in front of the camera and being awed by watching him. But that was the most outstanding thing.

And I heard he would just go off on his own tangents when he was acting. Wonderful. Yeah, inspiring. acting. Wonderful. Yeah. Inspiring. Yeah. We had some people here who did stage performances with him who were, you know, an actor named Gino Conforti who was in the original Fiddler on the Roof

with Zero. And some people said he would just go off script some nights. He would just make his own show up. I can't wait to do that on Broadway. I'll do it. I think it's just great. And someone we're trying

to get on this show, George Segal. Yeah. Another great. How was he to work with? What wonderful company you were in, Paul. It was a very comfortable company. Yeah. I liked it. Yeah.

It was, yeah. Yes, it was very comfortable. I don't remember any tension or throwing up or anything. Very comfortable. Yeah. And Peter Yates gave you the part based on your Tony speech? Wait a minute.

For now, yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I'm stunned at your research. Oh, the internet's a wonderful yes, yes. Yeah, I'm stunned at your research. Oh, the internet's a wonderful tool, Paul. It's amazing to me. We're fans. We're lifelong fans of yours. Some of this shit we know naturally

and some of it we go digging to fill in the gaps. Sometimes we look something up on the internet and it's totally fucking wrong. Right, there's a lot of that too. And then we're something up on the internet and it's totally fucking wrong. Right, there's a lot of that too. And then we're called out on it by our guests. Yeah. Well,

some agent, I can't think of his name, I really can't at the moment, he was a really hot shot agent at ICM and he asked me out to lunch, it was after I got the Tony, and he asked me out to lunch. It was after I got the Tony, and he said,

if you leave your agent and come with us, ICM, I can put you in this very interesting movie in a very interesting part. Would you do it? And I said, yes. And I did. And I went to meet Peter Yates. And he said, I did not, yeah, just what you said.

I didn't see your play, but I liked your Tony Award acceptance speech. And I want you for this part. Wow. And so then he did audition me, and I did, and I was good at it. And then, yeah, that's it. You're great in that picture. And I always remember your line in it where Zero Mostel does something. He's a really conniving guy.

Yeah. You know? Yeah. He's a shyster lawyer. And you have this line where you go, Mama's gonna be really angry at you. If you don't mind me sort of

straightening out that line a little. Yeah, so they decide to pretend, to get a key to a safe deposit box. They take Zero up to this empty warehouse where I'm being held by this giant. And they're going to throw me down the elevator shaft if Zero doesn't give us the key. So it was like we're all in cahoots,

and I'm pretending to be chased around and screaming, no, no, let me alone, oh, my God. And Zero says, you're kidding me. You wouldn't throw him down. And then Robert Redford says something like, oh, no? Okay, so-and- so. And they threw me down the elevator shaft. But it was only like a foot down

on a mattress. But I screamed real loud like falling. Ah! And Zero goes crazy. What have you done? And then I say, I'm going to tell mama on you, daddy.

Perfect. When you're hanging by the rope. Yeah. And then they cut to, I'm hanging by the rope. And then I also remember from watching that movie years ago, Afghanistan, Bananastand. Yep. Wasn't that funny? Yep.

The word of hypnotism. Yeah. All those great actors. Moses Gunn, too. Oh, he was great. Everybody. Oh, oh. And one of those things, of course, I'd remember this.

The music was... Dun, dun, dun. Dun, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da. Dun, dun, dun. The-da-da-da-da-da-da. Dun, dun, dun. The look on Paul's face right now. I'm freaking out. I'm freaking out. It's like an acid flashback, isn't it, Paul?

I know that trick. I don't know. Did Yates let you, the master improviser, do any improvising and playing around with that wonderful William Goldman script? Well, you know what I think? If there's wonderful lines to say, you're very comfortable with them

and you don't feel the need to hear this flow right along out of you. Yeah, so that's... No, I don't remember. Because I'm thinking about you and Redford on the lake in the first scene that the two of you have together and you're randomly flinging these explosives

into the bushes and you're telling them that you studied at the Sorbonne. Yeah. No, that was all written. All written. Yeah. When we were like climbing over a wall

escaping or going trying to escape into prison. Right. Then we made up some dialogue on the way over the wall to have something to say, yeah. Such a wonderful movie. And you, visually,

you look different in every single scene. Isn't it strange? You've got the big fro, and the next time we see you, your hair is slicked back. I remember that. And he's wearing, he looks like Secret Service.

Oh my God, I remember the slicked back hair. Yeah. A very mysterious, eccentric character. Greenberg. We will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing, colossal podcast. But first, a word from our sponsor. Want visibly glowing skin in 14 days?

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It wasn't Compass Players when you joined, right? Because that was Shelly Berman. That was the previous incarnation. First, there was Playwrights, and then there was the Compass, and then there was Second City. When I arrived, there was Severed Darden, Barbara Harris, Eugene Trubnick, Andrew Duncan. Right, great talents.

Howard Alk. Sure. He was one of the owners. Was Libertini in there yet? Oh, God, yes. Yes. Yeah. And Melinda Dillon was his girlfriend,

and she was a coat check girl in the club. coat check girl in the club. And then she knew when Barbara Harris would have to go away, then Melinda said one day, I know everything she's done. Wow.

So she would be, she'd get up there and do all the songs and all the sketches, yeah. Yeah. Melinda Dillon, who would go on to star with Richard Dreyfuss

in Close Encounters. Yeah. Of the third kind. Yeah would go on to star with Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Yeah, and a lot of Christmas Story, a lot of great stories. Right, Christmas Story with McGavin. How can I forget that? Oh, yeah, flawless. And what do you remember about your work, your early work with Alan Arkin? You know, we didn't,

we were in Young Actors Company together, but we were just these, you know, little band of children, really. And we would do plays. The Clown Who Ran Away and Never on Sunday. No, Sunday cost five pesos. So we were just kids and, you know, nothing in particular. I didn't know he was going to turn into Alan Arkin. We were just like children playing, really. I just wanted to say about Paul Sills, and by the way,

that wonderful book called Something Wonderful Right Away, did you give the author that title? You know that, too. I read that book years ago. And by the way, more people should know who Paul Sills is. He would really throw us to the ground if anybody

tried to tell a joke. He said, literally pulled you down on the ground and said, you were telling a joke? You're telling a joke? And he says, no jokes are allowed just humor you know what I'm saying

and yet all these comedians came out of that came out of that school how do you square that up I think I don't know about everybody but you sort of find your own again you find your own way around and I guess if CBS says

well when I was doing that series for CBS, the writers would have in the script, and I had the main role in the show, and on the script, it was typewritten, this is a joke, Paul. They had to spell it out. Joke ball. They had to spell it out. You know what I mean? Because I don't recognize a bad joke when I see one.

Yeah. But you're a naturally funny actor. I mean, that's all. They saw me just doing Broadway, not telling one joke, and then they give me this contract and give me a script full of jokes that I don't understand. It's so distinct. But that was then. Sometimes a lot of directors would go,

well, like in Airplane was the perfect example. They wanted actors so they wouldn't say stuff like jokes. They wouldn't be funny. Well, certainly in the case of Airplane, they were trying to do a straight-up parody, and they thought comedians would ruin it, would call attention to the joke. Yeah, comedians would just

joke a joke. Yeah, I don't know. Well, there's satirists. They used to call us satirists at Second City. We'd make satire out of situations, movies and headlines.

Sure. And, you know, it's interesting that you say you're taking improv classes because we had on Bruce Stern who said he's always trying to improve his performance and be a better actor. Yeah. So like it never stops with some people. No. No, I have a company now even. Tell us about the Santa Monica Theater Company. You just keep astonishing me.

Well, we put on shows, and they're wonderful, and we've only done a few, but the newspapers really like us, and I've got some stuff I want to do. We raise money, and then we get some money, and then we put on a show like that. And so we have some exciting stuff coming. Good. And that's it.

We'll plug it again at the end because it's important. Okay, thank you. And getting back to the improv class, it's like so you at no point ever like just take your shoes off, sit back and go, okay, I know what I'm doing. Oh, no, no. I'm getting the feeling lately that I kind of know what I'm doing, and that's why I was courageous enough to start the theater

and to direct actors. And I really like, I love teaching, and I love directing actors to aim where I think they will be most comfortable and thrilling to watch. So yeah, I could do that. I know how now, and that's really fun. But there's still a part of you that says, I have to be better.

Oh, yeah. You relate to that, Gilbert? Not me. I sucked in the beginning, and I still do. Yeah. No, it's no. And also, it's an interest in the subject. It's fun to do.

And Aretha Sills knows everything Viola Spolin ever did backwards and forwards. And so she's having us do some games now that I never did as a child that she must have done later. So it's all very exciting. How did you working with Second City and all these people, and throwing out other names, Bob Dishey, Ted Flicker? I don't know if these were people that were in the company with you. Not that company. Your friend Valerie Harper?

Oh, yes. She's like a—she's my fairy godmother, this woman. Yeah. She just—she's amazing. A lovely person I've gotten to meet three times. I'm so glad. Yeah, she's lovely. I adore her. She's amazing. But how did you get from, we're trying to just do the chronology of this, just to piece this together, Paul. You're working out regularly with Second City now, and how does it start to turn into a professional

acting career? Because I see you turn up in the TV show Bewitched in the 1960s. You turn up. Did you do a series with George C. Scott called East Side, West Side? I didn't remember that until this minute. How about that? How about that? So you're starting to get acting work. Well, what happened was we went on the road.

We produced happy improvisers in Chicago, and then magazines start coming and reviewing. And then bring us to Los Angeles. And we came to Los Angeles. Then we were all signed by William Morris Agency. And then they were all set out for jobs. So we started getting these odd little jobs. And then going back to the theater at night

and doing, you know, our show, which is the ideal lifestyle for an actor, by the way, to have a home base and then go out and, you know. Because you started turning up on interesting things. Gilbert, do you remember a show called Mr. Broadway with Craig Stevens? No. Yeah.

No. Occasional wife you were on. No. A sitcom. Sort of. Bewitched? Oh, No. Yeah. No. Occasional wife you were on. No. A sitcom. Sort of. Bewitched? Oh, yeah. Yeah.

So you started, and this is 64, 65, 66. You did The Mad Show in 66 with Joanne Worley. Oh, yeah, and Linda Lavin. Linda Lavin and Libertini. Yeah, and, oh, I can't. Yeah, okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So you're turning into a professional now.

It's not just classes and workshops, and now you're getting TV work, and you're on Broadway with a mad show, off-Broadway. Yeah, but my first job was being Judy Garland's partner. That was pretty professional. Okay, so that happened first. That was the first job, yeah. But, yeah, I see what you, yeah, we're starting to get noticed and asked, yeah.

Yeah. We're all getting kind of hot, you know. And you worked with the great Jack Guilford. Yes, he played my father. Yes. Yes. And what was she like to her? Blacklisted like Zeroford. Yes. He played my father. Yes. And what was he like to her? Blacklisted like Zero was.

Yeah. It sounds funny to say a very sweet man, but he really was gentle and kind. And, you know, by that time, they've been through some pretty rough times, that generation. Sure. And his wife was on set, and she would knit and bring him lunch. And he didn't chat, but he was not cold, but friendly. Yeah. I got to talk about Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers.

And I always loved that the title had your name above the name of the show. Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. And I always loved that the title had your name above the name of the show. Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers. And I tell you, it's a show that a lot of people have a fondness for. Fred Silverman asked Brooks and Burns at MTM to create a vehicle for you? I didn't know that. Because you had done a Mary Tyler tyler moore episode a memorable

one where you played her you played an irs agent which i watched again it's on youtube and it's charming and i could see what they saw on you paul huh huh uh yeah oh but what was the question well i was trying to figure out how that show came about. By the way, Steve Landisberg was also on that show, Gilbert, a favorite of ours. Oh, yeah. Remember him? Yeah, absolutely. And an early role for Penny Marshall. Yeah, yeah.

So they surrounded you with good people. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I did The Taxman on... The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Yeah, I can't forget the name of the thing, but her show. And then we were doing the tag, shooting the tag at the end of the show. And she said, why don't you stay on the show and be a regular? And I said, but I'm on my way to Broadway. We're going to open a show. And she was like,

well, don't you want to do a series, have a good part of a series? I said, well, I can't just not show up. You were going to do story theater? Yeah, going to do story theater. Right. So then I went away and did that for a long time and came back and got a little place to live in Malibu, in a real junky part of Malibu. And I was on the beach with all these, my dog friends, all the dogs on the beach were my friends. Anyway, we were all wet one afternoon sitting there staring at the ocean. And Mary Tyler Moore walks by. And Jim Brooks. Wow. And, I don't know, the head of the world walked by, like accidentally.

And said to you, you know, hi, oh, Paul, hi. How do you feel about doing a TV show? And I was all worn out from doing Broadway for a year and a half. And I said, yeah, but I don't want to be a doctor or a cop or I don't know. They said, well, we'll call you. Come and visit us. Anyway, they came up with this concept of being a musician. In the Boston Symphony, yeah. Yeah, and yeah. us and anyway they came up with this concept of being a musician in the boston symphony yeah yeah

and yeah and and do you have a brother yeah so they put her brother in tried to make me feel at home i guess and it was a weird experience that was that was you weren't cut out for it you weren't cut out for a weekly series not that one one. I see. Okay. I still remember the TV guide cover. That was a little difficult. I think Alan Burns was one of the creators of the show, was interviewed about it later in life, and he admitted that they were overextended. He used big words like that all the time.

You know, whatever. I don't know. But they didn't expect it to be bought, I think. I see. Yeah, they didn't expect it to. And then there they were. And they weren't writing on it at all. And they were telling the network that they were.

People writing it, nothing made sense to me. Sure. At table readings, I didn't know what the script was about. Right. Yeah. What's wrong? No, nothing. So they felt, unprepared, like they just felt it was an idea for a show and they weren't ready when it went on. I kind of wanted to bring all the people that I've worked with with Second City to the set and be the writers and start all over again.

People you were comfortable with. Yeah, but I didn't know at the time, like, say, pardon the expression, the power I had at the time. So I probably could have talked Grant Tinker into bringing some of my people with me you know right but right right right right and what was mary tyler moore like to work with uh well the word adorable just comes to me wow uh and uh uh real smart a great survivor I liked her

I liked her she was I could see why they said stick around because you guys and obviously she was supposed to be playing a woman who was single

who was struggling to find a love life. I mean, it would have thrown the show, the balance of the show off. But you two were so charming together that I could understand what they saw. Yeah. I urge our listeners to find that episode. You're just charming in it. Oh, thank you.

And quirky. Anybody ever tell you, I know Harpo Marx didn't speak, but did anybody ever tell you i know i know harpo marx didn't speak but did anybody ever tell you how to kind of a harpo marx quality yeah and you're performing paul uh yeah i i yeah but i i hadn't i don't know you don't see it oh no it's not that it's i don't stop to think of it or you know i mean okay that's that it's i don't stop to think of it or you know i mean okay that's he's wonderful to watch i remember watching him as a kid forever yeah play the uh harp and suddenly become not funny and dead serious it was beautiful yeah there's a there's a you know what i'm you know what do you see it gilbert there's a there's a childlike quality in your performances sometimes reminds me.

Well, that's a, yeah. I'm flattered. I met him, too. Did you? Yeah. When I was traveling with Marceau in America, then he was invited everywhere. I went to meet Stan Laurel. Wow.

Tell us about that. Went to his house. Wait, I'm going to drop a couple more names. Go ahead. Yeah. Salvador Dali. Wow. Tell us about that. Went to his house. Wait, I'm going to drop a couple more names. Go ahead. Yeah. Salvador Dali. Wow. Keep them coming, Paul.

Yeah. But, yeah, some very fascinating people. Well, Laurel was living in Santa Monica forever there. Yes, right up on Ocean Avenue. They always talk about he had his name in the book. Wait, who had, who's his name? Stan Lawrence. His name was in the phone book. Dick Van Dyke and Chuck McCann and a whole

bunch of people we had here on this show went and found Stan in the phone book. Oh, I see what you mean. Yes. Yeah. How did you find him? And I mean that, how did you find him? I went, oh, how did I, impressed me? Yeah, I mean, how did you find the man to be as well as how did you find him and I mean that how did you find him I just I went oh how did I he impressed me yeah

I mean how did you find the man to be as well as how did you find him you know it's so it's so interesting because it's all it's

these are all gentle people you're talking about there was nobody nobody freaking out you know Cesar was a nobody freaking out, you know. Cesar was a little freaking out. These people you're mentioning were very gentle people, talented, and yeah. Did you have much interaction with Harpo?

God, I was so pushy. I said, he showed us the wig his wig uh-huh and i said can i try it on wow and he puts it on my head it's nice and uh that was aggressive of me but it was i like that he didn't seem to mind he was no he was nice about that yeah and it is funny, but it was, I liked it. He didn't seem to mind. No, he was nice. How about that? Yeah. And it is funny how I, it was amazing with Harpo that he would go from funny and crazy to like totally serious and touching in the movies. When he'd play the harp. Yeah.

He'd transport himself. Yeah. But tell us about Sid Caesar. harp yeah yeah transport himself yeah but tell us about sid caesar i he asked a few of us i think from second city to be on a show and then he told me to come to las vegas to see him in a show and he puts me at a table show and he puts me at a table ringside right next to him practically and i've been working for like five years with comedy people and and i didn't laugh i didn't laugh at the at what he was doing you know when i had a so, and then afterwards he says, you didn't laugh at anything I did.

I don't know how I got out of it, but it was, and it was not unhappy, but it was, it was not a kind of person that's comfortable for me to be around anyway. Interesting. Interesting. But I loved the show of shows. Sure. My God. Sure, anyway. Interesting. Interesting. But I loved the show of shows. Sure.

My God. Sure, sure. Yeah. Yeah. Did you stay in touch with, over the years, with any of those Second City people, Paul? Did you stay in touch with Severn or Libertini or? Yep. Barbara Harris, we just lost, of course.

Yeah, always. we just lost, of course. Yeah, always. Yeah, Barbara moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, and we talked on the phone a lot. What a talent. Oh, my God, yeah, yeah. She had a rather short career, all things considered.

Intense, very intense. Yeah, she did a lot. She didn't want to do a lot so she would she would quit and go home and so definitely her own person you know we will return to Gilbert Gottfried's amazing colossal podcast after this the score bet app here with trusted stats and real-time sports news. Yeah, hey, who should I take in the Boston game? Well, statistically speaking. Nah, no more statistically speaking. I want hot takes.

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Here's some names. You made a movie with Burgess Meredith, one of Gilbert's favorites. Yeah. Called The Bank Hoax, The Great Bank Hoax. Yes, The Great Bank Hoax. The Great Bank Hoax. Yeah. Yeah, that was nice.

Richard Basehart. Richard Basehart, who was an idol of mine as a kid. How about that? I mean, as a kid, but I mean, like La Strada and all that. Sure, yeah. So, yeah, that's what I was with CAA, and they would just put you in the movies, you know. Right. And you work with Jonathan Winters.

You're in Viva Max in a small park. Yes. This is astonishing. Yes. I confess you got me. We had John Astin here, who's also in that movie. What? We had him here a couple of weeks ago.

Who? John Astin. Oh, really? Also in Viva Max. Yes, I remember. That's with Winters and Peter Ustinov and Gino Conforti. Ah, exactly. Oh, well, there, yeah.

Yeah. But that's why, what? With Jonathan Winters, he's another one I heard couldn't really stick to a script. He would just go nutty. I didn't notice. I had the smallest part ever. Yeah. I didn't notice. I had the smallest part ever. I answered a gate. I just said,

what's the password? But they weren't allowed to shoot inside of the Alamo or outside the Alamo. So they brought us all to Rome. And they built the interior of the Alamo.

And that was a whole other adventure in Rome. How about making the main event with Barbara and John Peters and Ryan O'Neill? Which you're fun in. Was that CAA throwing you into another movie? That was ICM. I see. That was Arnold Stiefel. You moved around, Paul.

Well, the agencies get tired of you. Yeah, I've been there. They don't answer the phone. I can relate. They forget who you are. They forget. Like Judy Garland. Yeah. They forget who you are. They forget. Like Judy Garland. It's incredible.

Yeah, you have to keep hustling or to say yes to the next person that offers you. But you like working with Streisand? I did. Yeah. I did. All she is, to me me is a perfectionist. What's so bad about that? But people seem to resent, resent. Yeah. It's very weird. I even,

she asked me to put a quote in her book and I said, your success and career reminded me of what they did to the most beautiful and talented people in the ancient days they would throw them down volcanoes because they couldn't stand to look at them so it was I feel that she had a lot of envy and jealousy coming her way. Interesting. And she tried very hard to get it right. You can't knock that, you know. She did cut my best scene out of a movie. Not that movie? A different movie? No, that one.

Oh, that movie. Yeah, both she and Robert Redford sort of cut me out of the best scene. God damn it. Do you, this is some fun stuff I found doing research, Paul. Back to the Mad Show. Did you know that the Mad Show had a softball team

that played in Central Park? No. And I don't think anybody that was in the show was on the softball team. But there's a picture online, I'll send it to you, of all of these ballplayers in the park, and they're all wearing Mad Show logos on their baseball uniforms. Patty Chayefsky, Jason Robards, Alan King, George C. Scott, Tom Wolfe, and Woody Allen.

Isn't that bizarro? Wow. I'm so impressed. And you weren't invited to play. No. No. Tom Wolfe and Woody Allen. Isn't that bizarro? Wow. I'm so impressed. And you weren't invited to play. No. No. Yeah.

And you worked with Arthur Godfrey. Do you have any memory of that? He was in the Bank Hoax. Oh, I don't remember. Isn't that weird? It's okay. It's okay. He hated the Jews.

Did he? According to Gilbert. Arthur Godfrey, famous Jew hater. Yeah. I don't remember. Yeah. Yeah. What about... This was a fun...

By the way, did Sondheim do some ghost writing on the mad show do you know about that no steven sonheim oh that way yeah yeah i didn't i yeah yeah he wrote uh a couple of songs the boy from ipanema you bet the boy the boy from it was called the boy from ipanema yeah um The Boy From Ipanema. Yeah. That Linda Lavin sang. Yep. And Mary Rogers wrote the lyrics, I think. That's right. That's right. Yeah. I had the Mad Show album.

I was too young to see the show. Yeah. That was nice. They were very nice. And again, really, pardon me, very comfortable people. Hard workers. Look back at it. It's sort of a precursor to Rowan and Martin's laughing in many ways.

Yes, you're right. Yeah. Joanne Worley was in the New York cast. I think Alan Suess was in an L.A. version. He was also in the New York cast. Was he? Yeah. Another talented guy.

Very, yeah. Yeah. We loved him. Tell us about Carol Burnett. Yeah. Another talented guy. Very, yeah. Yeah. We loved him. Tell us about Carol Burnett. You did some memorable Carol Burnett shows. And the sketches are, by the way, all on YouTube with you playing the jealous dad. The one where you're on the honeymooners on the drive.

And there's that solo piece. There's the how to win a friend. Yeah. She was the closest thing to the joy that I had working with Second City. Oh. She was so open and loving and spontaneous and a wonderful performer. She was just great to work with. It was like working with Barbara Harris. It was just like being in a company.

I didn't feel like we were in some TV hit. She was supportive of other performers, would help you shine. Amazing. Did you work with Harvey Korman? No, I don't think he liked me very much. I had the definite feeling. Really? Yeah, like, what's he doing here?

Because I noticed all your scenes are with Carol. Yeah. And not the other players. No. Although he is in an episode with Steve Lawrence, Gilbert. Oh, I think so, like a gangster. Yeah. I play Mad Dog, I think. Oh, I think so. Like a gangster. I think I play Mad Dog.

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Paul, tell us about the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, which you brought up in the first 30 seconds and is so memorable. Yes. And possibly my favorite episode in the run. Well, I can say anything on a podcast can't I yes you can it's a wild west buddy

yeah oh uh I got a call to come and audition and then it is improvised but they give they gave me a little piece of paper that said what it was

you're a French chef with Tourette's syndrome, and you hate salmon. And so then they give everybody else a little piece of paper. You own a restaurant. You're trying to find a chef to hire, et cetera, et cetera. So we just started improvising and I played the fresh shift like this. I don't like

this salmon and I'm going to go now. Go fuck yourself, motherfucker. And I left the room. And I got out of my car and I went home. And then my phone rings and says, where'd you go? And I said, well, I don't know.

I just left. And they said, well, you know, come back and let's do the show. Let's do it together. And so we were shooting it, and there was this wonderful, beautiful girl in braids and short Levi's. And she was pulling cables around, and I said, hey, I need some really dirty words fast. So I got to say it. Call Gilbert.

And she just says, cocksuck a motherfucker asshole, cocksuck a motherfucker asshole. So then I had to, then I said it right on the air and did it. It's great. That was part of the dialogue.

I threw it in. It's great. She gave them to me. Yeah. That's wonderful. Not that I needed them. I mean. But she seemed like the right person to ask.

That's considered a classic episode and a classic moment. In fact, it was a season finale. I mean, but she seemed like the right person to ask. That's considered a classic episode and a classic moment. In fact, it was a season finale episode. Yeah, I think it was. It was good. I had a great time. And it's fun that when you look at that group of people, that there are a couple of ex-Compass people in the scene with you.

It was Paul Dooley playing Larry's father-in-law. Yeah. And Shelly Bourbon's in there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of people, Michael York. Michael York.

That's right. He's the restaurant. He's the partner. Yeah. We were sitting out in the sun and he was having a cigarette, I think. And we were sitting on a curb next to each other. And I said to him, what did it feel like having the whole world want to go to bed with you?

And he said, they did? Wow. Where are they now? Great. And did you know Shelly Berman? No, no. Met him once, I think. Yeah.

I just got a, I got a question from a listener for you, Paul. From Leslie Friedman. She's a fan and she wants to know, did you do any studying or training to play Rabbi Polonsky on Joan of Arcadia? No studying. Just, no. Is she, I'm an actor. I pretended. No, no studying, but yeah.

Gilbert and I. The scripts were good. The scripts were good. Gilbert and I dug up something last night, another curio. You and Dean Jones playing the Brothers Grimm in a variety special. Very peculiar. Incredible.

Everybody's in that with you. Yeah. Terry Garr. Artie Johnson. Artie Johnson. Ruth Buzzy. Who else, Gil? Cleavon Little.

Oh, God. Yeah. Edie McClurg. Everybody. Yeah. What do you remember about making that? And you're singing, and you're dancing. And singing.

I know. I know. I remember he and I would ride around in carriages all the time. Yep. And we'd shoot all night. I remember that. I remember Terry Garr. Everybody was sleepy all the time because no one slept.

I can't tell you that I remember a whole lot about it. But the guy that choreographed it is Paul Godkin, and he was in my life earlier. He did the Judy Garland thing. There you go. Then I go, and then I earned some money before I went to France being on a television show that he choreographed. So he was, yeah, he was bumping into the same people.

It's really nice. I think it's great that Paul Sand has to run off to do an improv class. Yes. Amazing. It's perfectly fitting. But before we let you out, do you care to comment on either Holy moses or can't stop the music and we'll understand if you want to take the headphones off and just walk no holy moses was like the best time i had i had never had really a lot of experience in the movies but But that was the best time.

The director, do you know who the director was? Yeah, Gary Weiss. Who had come from Saturday Night Live. So brilliant. He would, I played an angel, a sex addict angel,

an alcoholic. And I had, I don't remember, I had a monologue or something sitting on a rock talking about how tough life was or being an angel was. And he got, he laid down underneath the camera. And so his head was right underneath the lens. And he laughed so hard so silently and it was so encouraging that there was just no stopping you know what i mean he was so encouraging and so loving to us uh yeah that was wonderful and then good people in that movie richard pryor obviously yeah andley Moore. Yeah. And then Can't Stop the Music, you were playing basically a record executive.

I was sort of playing Arnold Stiefel, an agent. Okay. But I was sort of, Alan Carr said, use Arnold Stiefel as a role model for you. So, yeah. role model for you. So, yeah. That was, yeah, that was one of the things where I said,

I don't like the dialogue, can I change the dialogue? And they, Alan Carr said, yeah. And I said, I have a writer and she can help me. She writes movies. And he said, well, I can't give her any money,

but I can give her a fur coat or a new car. Fantastic. So ask her which one she wants. Oh, fantastic. She was a wonderful, smart, kind of a mannish woman. And she said, I don't want a fur coat. So she needed a new car and got her a, that was, yeah. So that was. That's a wild movie. So she needed a new car and got her a... That was...

Yeah. So that was... That's a wild movie. That's insane. I mean, yeah. I mean, a real golden turkey, but there's some fun things in it. Yeah. I sort of remember.

Yeah, I remember the... Yeah. They put us up at the Plaza Hotel. Nancy Walker directed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Did you have fun making it, at least? I can't say no.

Last question. Yes, sir. Do you remember anything about working with George Carlin and Blake Edwards? No. Did I? Yes. In a pilot called Just In Case. Oh, I didn't even... Yes, how do you like that? I remember doing the pilot.

Didn't stick with you? No. Isn't it interesting in an actor's career that you have so many you know, it's work. It's just another job. It is weird. Sometimes if I look at IMDb, I don't think I did some of these things.

Yeah. Are you in touch with Valerie still? Yes. How's she doing? And her husband, by the way, Richard Shaw, another funny guy. Yes. Yeah, her ex-husband. Her ex-husband.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She's remarried to a wonderful Tony. And they live in Santa Monica. We talk on the phone once in a while. It's very nice.

We should have her on this. Pardon me? I said Gilbert. Gilbert and I should have her on this show. Valerie. She's a great talker and she's done everything. She, oh, do. She's got a lot to say, and she's amazing.

She helped me so much in certain moments. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So tell us about the Santa Monica Theater. I know you did a Kurt Weill piece not long ago. Yeah, yes, yeah. And it's still going strong. The theater still has its heart, and we're still—I'm finishing writing a play.

Okay. And we want to do that, and I want to do other—there's other plays I want to do. And I have a—I don't have a company, but I have some favorite actors. There's the Shea Star. She's brilliant. Saul Mason, he's a great actor from Australia. So I have some favorite ones, and we'll all just keep working together. So we'll tell our L.A. peeps to come see you.

Yes, yes. And the name of the space again is the Santa Monica? The Public Theater, yeah. We need to raise a lot of money so you can tell people. Absolutely. You were born there in Santa Monica, lived above the carousel at one point,

and you're still there. I don't live there. I live up down the beach, yes. Down the beach. But you're still where you started. There's something nice about that. Yeah, I learned how to walk on the pier, yeah. As a baby.

That's great. Will you write a book, Paul? Will you write a memoir? Funny you should mention that. I'm taking writing, memoir writing class, and this interesting woman, Jill Robinson, Jill Sherry Robinson. She's the daughter of Dory Sherry. Dory Sherry, sure.

Yes. And she's encouraging me to write my memoirs. So I am doing that. I think you should. Yeah, I think there are sort of, yeah, I am more or less. What was an evening with Paul Sand,

which you did last year? Was it just you telling stories? In Arkansas? How do you know about that? It's on the web. No, it was a university thing. I have a friend who taught film in that university. And would I come and talk?

Is that the kind of thing that maybe you would tour with? Develop it and do it around the country? You know what I'm thinking? Remember it was at Spalding Gray? Sure. He used to read it. Yeah. I have fun reading my memoir stories.

So that might be interesting, you know. But anyway, there's, yeah. You have stories to tell. We appreciate you coming and doing this. I'm stunned. I'm sorry. I was going to say schlepping all the way from Santa Monica to Hollywood, and you sat in traffic for a long time, and we appreciate that.

But class is not very far away, so we're going to class now. And Gilbert's going to a comedy class right after this, right? Yes. He's going to a stand-up class. I love you. Every time I see you, Gilbert, I love watching you. Oh, thank you. Yeah, I always...

You're one of those people where you just stop and watch. Yeah, we don't take you casually. Oh, thank you, Paul. That's a nice compliment. Wow.'t take you casually. Oh, thank you, Paul. That's a nice compliment. Wow. Truth is a truth. Yeah, he does command attention, doesn't he? It's wonderful, yeah.

And he has one of the most distinct voices in all of show business. That's true, but we can sort of see you thinking, and it's wonderful to watch you think. Yeah. Like right now, you're thinking, it's wonderful. Paul, you ever this way? You ever in New York? No, but I want to do

my show in writing on Broadway. Let us know and we'll take you to lunch. Okay, well if you hear it's coming, then drop by. Yeah. Gilbert's

wishing you had started the show with a compliment. What? I said Gilbert's wishing you started the show by complimenting him, but he'll take it here. And to think that going back, that flashback of me and my sisters when we were kids, watching

them film the Hot Rock and then hearing a wonderful compliment from you. Oh, well, yeah. Well, we could go on and on, but it's really been a real pleasure meeting the two of you. Thanks for doing this. We'll tell our listeners to rent the Hot Rock

or watch the Hot Rock if they haven't. And anything to plug. Anything to plug. Plug the theater. Yes, yes, yes. Support the theater. We'll put it up on social media, and we'll let you know when this goes up on the internet, Paul. Great.

Thanks so much, you guys. We thank you. This has been Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast with my co-host, Frank Santopadre. And we've been talking to the great Paul Sand. Thank you, Paul. Thank you very much. Bye. Okay, bye.

I'd like a posh. Let me hear it. When I hear a lady that you shouldn't push. Get out of the way. I'm a man. I push. Out of the way. It's a lady, then you shouldn't push. I'm the man. I push. Out of the way. It's a world, world, world, world match.

And the fratless we can't break the bridge. But we won't give Tristan to anyone strange. Cause we don't remand that. The thing you're losing is cannibalism. And youth is on pro-flat. And it's time we go slander with hat. Well, the answer's simply forflat. And it's time we were slandered with hat. Well, the answer's simply for slat. It's

two rows for Shrending Hurl is mad. It's a world, world, world, world mad. What? And the framp was recambered to branch. What did you say? But we won't give drist into anyone's trench. Wait a minute! Just you sing it.

But we won't give this to anyone's branch. That's what I taught. Because we don't rent that branch. That's no word! What kind of word is that? And it's time we were slandered. Stupid word!

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Let's go. Let's go. All right. All right. Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast is produced by Dara Gottfried and Frank Santapadre, with audio production by Frank Verderosa. Web and social media is handled by Mike McPadden, Greg Pair, and John Bradley Seals. Special audio contributions by John Beach. Special thanks to John Fotiadis, John Murray, and Paul Rayburn.