Diary of a Young Comic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Diary of a Young Comic | |
|---|---|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Gary Weis |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Erik Daarstad |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | February 3, 1979 |
Diary of a Young Comic is a 1979 made-for-television comedy film starring Richard Lewis, Dom DeLuise and George Jessel and directed by Gary Weis.
The film is a satirical take on Hollywood and follows the story of a young stand-up comic who moves to Los Angeles trying to make it big.
Billy Gondolstein (Richard Lewis) is a young Jewish stand-up comic from New York City who decides to change his surname to Gondola and try his luck on the Los Angeles comedy scene, much to his family's dismay.[1]
In Los Angeles, Billy reconnects with his cousin, Shirley Gondolstein, also from New York.[2] She advises Billy that she now goes by the name "Shi" and that "Essence is all that matters to me anymore."[3] Shi lives in a bare apartment and, while Billy is visiting, her boyfriend Fred (now known as "Fre") shows-up to dump some straw on the floor.[3][4] Shi tells Billy that the straw is "a queen-sized bed."[3]
Billy soon finds that everyone he meets is either obsessed with celebrity or is an out-of-work performer working a part-time job: His landlord, Mr. Porzinski (Stacy Keach) also works as a stunt man and Billy takes a cab and finds out that his driver is also a composer.[2] One of Billy's neighbors (Linda Kerridge) is the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe.[2] Billy visits a psychotherapist (Richard Dimitri) whose office walls are covered with the pictures of the celebrities he has treated, with their eyes covered with strips of black tape to supposedly protect their identities.[5] On his way out of the therapist's office, Billy remarks "Say, isn't that Flipper?"[3]
Dom DeLuise, George Jessel, Gary Mule Deer, Nina van Pallandt and Loudon Wainwright III all make cameo appearances in the film as themselves.[2]
Cast
- Richard Lewis as Billy Gondola (formerly Billy Gondolstein), an unknown standup comedian who is struggling in his career and moves from New York to LA.
- Michael Lerner as Norman Greenleaf, Billy's agent
- Linda Kerridge as Linda, Billy's neighbor he dates who is a Marilyn Monroe impersonator
- Bill Macy as Herbert Gondolstein, Billy's father
- Bunny Summers as Bertha Gondolstein, Billy's mother
- Stacy Keach as Mr. Porzinski, Billy's landlord who is also an aspiring stuntman
- Richard Dimitri as Dr. Alexander Biff Mendez, Billy's therapist
- Tim Thomerson as Lucifer, a leather jacket-clad, chain-smoking biker who Billy meets at a diner. They realize they went to neighboring high schools.
- Richard Karron as Cab Driver
Cameos
- Bernie Brillstein as Himself
- Gypsy Boots as Himself
- Dom DeLuise as Himself
- Budd Friedman as Himself
- George Jessel as Himself
- Gary Mule Deer as Himself
- Nina van Pallandt as Herself
Production
Prior to Diary of a Young Comic, director Gary Weis was the creator over 45 short film segments for Saturday Night Live (SNL).[3] SNL's creator, Lorne Michaels, served as the film's executive producer.[5]
The script was written by Richard Lewis and Bennett Tramer, based on a story originally conceived by Weis.[6] Weis decided to put Lewis in the film after watching him perform at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.[7] Tramer approached Lewis after one of his stand up sets at The Improv and suggested that Lewis might be a good fit for a project he was working on with Weis.[4]
NBC aired the film on February 3, 1979, during SNL's timeslot, while the show was on hiatus.[6]