116.6K
Downloads
234
Episodes
Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Tuesday Oct 17, 2023
Meet Alan Arkin, a sly comic actor who turned his fine eye for characters into a legendary career that spanned 50 years and won him many awards, including an Oscar at age 72 for Little Miss Sunshine. From his beginnings as a folk singer, to a stint with the Second City Improv troupe, to an iconic role in Catch-22, to late-in-life triumphs on the big and small screens, Arkin always imbued his supporting characters with first-rate humanity. As always, find more clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Alan Arkin?
Like many iconic comics before (and since), Alan spent time at the Second City Improv Troupe and was a big part of their classic early sketches. Here is Alan, as Noah, auditioning animals fo the ark. https://youtu.be/GaqaFcG0sy0?si=6R41wo-M_gDu0DEa
Little Miss Sunshine was a surprise hit back in 2006 with it's oddball family road trip capturing the public imagination. A big part of that was Alan's portrayal of the grandfather and his interaction with Abigail Breslin who played the title character. https://youtu.be/10WeBvmN0C0?si=3uAPgM2sja5kdImz
Joseph Heller's antiwar novel Catch 22 was a cultural touchstone, and Alan's portrayal of Captain John Yossarian was key to the success of the movie adaptation. Here is Yossarian discovering the meaning of Catch 22. https://youtu.be/oRIFdh0QG7A?
Alan's last major role was as Norm Newlander, longtime agent to acting coach Sandy Kominsky (played by Michael Douglas). Their scenes together were warm and witty, imbued with wisdom that comes with age. https://youtu.be/gUgxPOIkVFQ?si=TDsZYl6thZbbQKis
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.