George Beckerman (Head of the Class, Jackie Thomas Show, Molloy)

George Beckerman joined me to talk about early TV, his first writing job, 1983's NBC Yummy Awards; Paul Winchell and Pinky Lee; growing up in Forest Hills; going to high school with Jerry Springer; going into the textile business; getting his suits on the cover of GQ; selling his business and moving to LA; writing a screenplay "Beverly Hills Shrink" for Fred Weintraub; writing a special "Blondes vs. Brunettes" directed by Steve Binder; seeing Joan Collins sans makeup and working with Don Novello; pitching 30 episode ideas to the producers of Alice; getting a job on TBS sitcom Safe at Home with pissed off cast; hiring Dan O'Shannon and Tom Anderson; an arrest during rehearsal; pitching for Head of the Class and a movie for Gene Wilder; first head of the Class "The Russians are Coming"; the problems and greatness of multi-cam comedies; writing "Child of the 60's" and meeting Lori Petty; writing "Parent's Night" and having 23 characters to write; writing Trouble in Perfectville for Robin Givens and having it changed; working with Tannis Vallely and her father on two different shows; Howard Hesseman; becoming friends with Robin Givens and her mother and needing to get Mike Tyson off the set; Leslie Bega and Khrystyne Haje; creating and leaving "Molloy"; becoming friends with Mayim Bialik; Jennifer Aniston; fighting with Bill Bixby on the set of "Man of the People"; Monty has great cast including Henry Winkler, David Schwimmer, and China Kantner - daughter of Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, but was short lived; The Jackie Thomas show was the most fun he had; trying to turn Jackie Thomas into a modern day Dick Van Dyke; playing tennis with Norm MacDonald; working with Chris Farley; meeting his wife Geraldine Leder writing for "Secret Service Guy" a show that never aired; having his film script optioned by Ben Stiller and not getting a budget; writing a Lifetime movie for Kirstie Alley; a Hallmark time travel movie; writing for children's television; making a short film "Autocowrecked"; writing a song with a member of Foster the People; the current state of TV as a business; Adam I. Lapidus and the Simpsons