Leonard Stern Week On The OTN.

Leonard Stern was a great, and quite prolific comedy writer.
He was involved in such hits as "The Honeymooners" and "Get Smart"
I met him a few times.
Once, in his office, and several times on the studio lot.
He was always decked out in a distinguished three-piece suit.
I never recall any other comedy writer ever wearing a suit, much less a three-piece suit.
I'm told that he did that to intimidate people.
It certainly worked in my case.
But he turned out a tremendous output of quality work.
He also had about four, maybe five shows that have earned a place on the OTN.
That's why this is Leonard Stern Week on the OTN.
One post won't cover it.
I'll offer up a couple today.
First, "I'm Dickens, He's Fenster"
It debuted and departed in the early 1960s.
It was hilarious.
It brought to our attention John Astin and Marty Ingels in the title roles.
John Astin was much funnier here than on "The Addams Family", and on this show, he was basically playing straight for Marty Ingels.
Marty Ingels never had another series since then, but it had nothing to do with his talent, which was enormous.
It had much more to do with his emotional instability, which was enormous.
The series is out on DVD, and I highly recommend it.

The next series to be mentioned here is "He and She", which starred Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss.
It was smart, sophisticated, and wacky.
The wackiness provided primarily by Jack Cassidy, as an egocentric actor named Oscar North, who starred in the series "Jetman", based on the comic strip that Benjamin's character drew.
It was a pleasure to watch a married couple who respected each other, which is what we got here.
It's also nice to see that Benjamin's and Prentiss's marriage has survived so successfully after all these years.
Far more successfully that "He and She" did.

Mark Rothman, CEO of the OTN.

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My books ,"Show Runner" and it's sequel, "Show Runner Two", can be found at the Amazon Kindle Store.
Along with the newer ones, "The Man Is Dead", and "Report Cards".
You can search by typing in my name, Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, or Happy Days.
Check them out.
You don't need a Kindle machine to download them.
Just get the free app from Kindle, and they can be downloaded to an IPhone, IPad, or Blackberry.
The paperbacks, "Mark Rothman's Essays", and my new novel, "I'm Not Garbo" are available for people without Kindle.
I have many readings and signings remaining, and the thing about Kindle is you can't sign one.
If you'd like one, contact me at macchus999@aol.com.
And now, we've got my reading of my "Laverne & Shirley Movie" screenplay on YouTube.

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