Buck Henry
Writer / Show Creator
About This Interview
In his Archive interview, Buck Henry talks about gaining performing and writing experience in the improvisational troupe The Premise; on writing for such television series as The Steve Allen Show, That Was the Week That Was and Get Smart, as well as recalling his many appearances guest-hosting Saturday Night Live. Buck Henry was interviewed in North Hollywood, CA on February 26, 2009; Jenni Matz conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.
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Highlights
Buck Henry on the genesis of Get Smart: "What are the two biggest movies in the world today? James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Get my point?" (01m 05s)- Buck Henry on satire and the history of the satyr play "At its best, political comedy is still the most powerful stuff written...nothing is sacred until somebody hurts you" (02m 50s)
Buck Henry on Saturday Night Live; being a frequent guest-host on SNL- Buck Henry on writing for That Was the Week That Was; how the American version differed from the British version
Buck Henry on being assigned Stan Burns as a writing partner when working on the new Steve Allen Show- Buck Henry on founding the prank organization "S.I.N.A" - the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals
(02m 10s) - Buck Henry sings the title song to a musical comedy he wrote while in the Army, "Beyond the Moon" (00m 23s)
Chapters
- Chapter 1
- On his family; on his childhood as Henry Zuckerman; on how he gained the nickname "Buck"; on wanting to be an actor; on early acting jobs including Studio One as a teenager; on his education at Dartmouth; on being drafted into the Army; on a theater company he put together in Germany during WWII
- On a theater company he put together in Stuttgart, Germany during WWII and the musical comedy he wrote "Beyond the Moon"; on struggling as an actor; on taking a job in a play in North Carolina;
- On moving back to New York and joining the improvisational troupe The Premise in 1960; on S.I.N.A and the pranks he used to plan with Alan Abel
- On getting a job writing for The Steve Allen Show; getting hired by Bill Dana and getting Stan Burns as a partner
- On becoming a writer on The Garry Moore Show
- Chapter 2
- On writing for The Garry Moore Show; on the skill of writing in the voice of another character
- On writing for That Was the Week That Was; how the American version differed from the British version; on how the show was structured
- On the challenge of writing comedy about dark or difficult subject matter; "At its best, political comedy is still the most powerful stuff written...nothing is sacred until somebody hurts you"
- On the genesis of Get Smart; on the main characters played by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon; on what he liked and disliked about the show; on his favorite episodes and what the show was able to do unique to its time in history
- On how he came to host Saturday Night Live so many times; his character "Uncle Roy"; on popular skits like "Stunt Baby" and "Samurai Stock Broker" with John Belushi
- Chapter 3
- On the production and creative process of Saturday Night Live and how he interacted with the cast and crew
- On what he liked and disliked about the process on SNL; on writing the President Ford sketches with Chevy Chase on SNL; on why he didn't like writing the monologues
- On the new version of Saturday Night Live he helped Lorne Michaels create after his hiatus; on Captain Nice
- On writing the screenplay for The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman and Mike Nichols; on the reaction to the film; on his cameo in The Player; on the art of the pitch
- On his first love: the theater; on appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; on the growing freedoms in television today
- On his proudest moment: finishing a script; on the sense of accomplishment he feels watching someone perform what he has written; on advice to aspiring writers
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He sounds like a smart allic, but Bless his heart.
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