by Raquel del
Castillo (L'10) and Kyle Fitzpatrick (C'08)
It is rare to be able to sit
in on a conversation with someone who has made history. But it
is an exceptional moment indeed to have the privilege to spend an evening
with someone who made history as one of a small band of geniuses that
launched an art form, in this case television comedy, and has remained
a creative tour de force driving its expansion for six decades.
On May 24, 2011, the Georgetown
Entertainment & Media Alliance (GEMA) hosted a special gathering
with Hollywood superstar and Georgetown alumnus Carl Reiner (F'43)
at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, California. Interviewed
by TV Guide Magazine's Senior TV Critic, Matt Roush, Reiner recounted
his early days in the theater, memorable years at Georgetown and his
rise to Hollywood icon status in front of an intimate crowd of Georgetown
friends and alumni. The ever-versatile actor, writer, producer
and director enchanted the sell out audience with his humor and warmth
as he expressed his fondness for his time at Georgetown, his admiration
for his fellow creators, his love for his family and his appreciation
for the life he has led.
Another special guest was also
in attendance: close friend of Reiner's and fellow Hollywood legend, Mel Brooks (The Producers, Blazing
Saddles, Young Frankenstein). Reiner and Brooks exchanged
spontaneous banter throughout the night adding to the great delight
of all. Reiner's daughter, Annie, his manager and nephew, George
Shapiro, and other friends also joined the crowd.
Reiner sat casually in a director's-like
chair alongside Roush and began the evening's discussion by showing
the crowd his class photo from Georgetown, taken in front of the historic
Healy Hall. Reiner spoke affectionately about his time at Georgetown,
where he attended the School of Foreign Service to study French as part
of his army service during World War II. He recalled his time
living in the Copley Hall dormitory, the high caliber of his Jesuit
professors, including one with close to ties to Lenin, and most memorably,
the school's Christmas play, at which he made his mark by impersonating
various well-known professors, including Edmund A. Walsh S.J., the austere
founder of Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. Impersonations
were –and still are—Reiner's specialty.
Reiner then discussed his transition
into entertainment, where he made his first television break on Sid
Caesar's Your Show of Shows. Reiner described the early
ideas that lead to The Dick Van Dyke Show—writers talking about
their wives—and how he wrote forty of the iconic television series'
first sixty shows. In true Reiner form, he explained, with a laugh,
"[I told my wife] give me Saturday and Sunday and I'll make us a
hit!" Also while developing The Dick Van Dyke Show, Reiner
discovered another legendary actress, Mary
Tyler Moore.
Reiner also detailed a few
new projects. He mentioned the musical adaptation of one of his films: Enter Laughing:
The Musical,
an off-Broadway show based on his work and praised by the likes of Jerry
Seinfeld. Reiner is also working on a new book entitled Is That
The Man? I'm The Man, Carl Reiner. The event was also joined
by one of Reiner's current creative partners and producers, Richard Appel, who produces Fox's animated The Cleveland
Show, which
Reiner offers his vocal talents to. The talk closed on Reiner
giving details on the other Cleveland show he is working on, TV Land's
Hot In Cleveland, on which he plays Betty White's boyfriend.
The evening also featured a
special presentation by Dr. Bernie Cook (C '90, G '91), Associate Dean
and Director of Film and Media Studies at Georgetown College, Rich Battista
(B'86), Founder and Chairman of GEMA, and Catherine Hagney Brown (C'84),
President of GEMA. They updated the crowd on GEMA's deep involvement with the new academic minor in Film
and Media Studies with an emphasis
on social justice launched in spring 2011 at Georgetown College. The
new program evolved out of a unique alliance between the University
and GEMA. GEMA leaders championed the project for years, playing
a key role in developing the program's concept and in coalescing alumni
and entertainment industry passion and resources for its creation.
Battista and Hagney Brown took a moment to recognize the GEMA members
who have been early financial supporters of the program, many of whom
were in attendance, and explained that GEMA will continue to seek additional
investors to expand the program's offerings. GEMA will also collaborate
on content where appropriate, engage alumni as visiting faculty or speakers
for on-campus events, provide current insight and professional support
from the industry perspective, and offer career support for students
and graduates. A new course being introduced this summer, for
example, is being taught by Dr. Cook and GEMA DC Co-Director, Jody Arlington
(C'93.)
Carl Reiner (F'43) with many of the GEMA donors to the Georgetown's program in Film and Media Studies
About Mr. Reiner:
Carl Reiner, actor, writer,
producer and director and one of the most creative minds in media and
entertainment, has influenced nearly every major comedic talent for
more than 50 years. The son of a watchmaker, he was born in the Bronx
on March 20, 1922. In 1942, Reiner went into the U.S. Army and was trained
as a radio operator. He later studied French on assignment at Georgetown
University's School of Foreign Service in order to become an interpreter.
A twelve-time Emmy winner,
Carl Reiner is best known as a co-star on the legendary television program
Your Show of Shows; the creator and co-star of The Dick Van Dyke
Show; director of such feature films as The Jerk, All
of Me, Oh God! and Where's Poppa? As an actor, he
has starred in such films as The Russians are Coming, The Russians
are Coming; Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid;
and the Oceans movies with George Clooney and Matt Damon. He
teamed up with Mel Brooks on the Grammy-winning 2000-Year-Old Man
comedy albums. Reiner's books include Enter Laughing, All
Kinds of Love, Continue Laughing, How Paul Robeson Saved
My Life, My Anecdotal Life, Just Desserts and the
children's books Tell Me a Silly Story,Tell Me a Scary Story
and Tell Me Another Scary Story. Reiner was inducted into the Television
Academy Hall of Fame in 1999 and received the Kennedy Center Mark Twain
Prize in Comedy in 2001.
About Mr Roush:
Matt Roush is the senior TV
critic for TV Guide Magazine. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University,
his love for TV and deep knowledge of its history has led to frequent
appearances on TV entertainment shows, as well as commentaries on specials,
documentaries and DVD supplements. His fondest memory: moderating a
sold-out cast reunion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Hollywood.
