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Ref 163. Hi Bob!
I've been wondering. When you wrote Simon and Simon episodes did you find yourself using
personal characteristics of Gerald MacRaney and Jameson Parker to create or help
the story line? Is this a good idea? Do actors like that? The reason I ask is because sometimes I find discovering some trait an actor leads me to good idea. For example, I used Gerald MacRaney's love of the outdoors to dream up an idea for a film about a fairly current issue. Well I have to record now so.. Bye for now and thanks again.
Response to Ref. 163: Dear Rita,
Yes. If you're aware of personal characteristics of an actor, it sounds like a good idea to me to
use them in the writing if that's the actor you want to attract. He or she may not be as aware of those characteristics as you are, but as they say, it couldn't hurt. I loved writing for Gerald McRaney because he always delivered each line the way I heard it in my head when I wrote it. Jameson Parker, on the other hand, always found some odd approach to each line that I didn't expect. For years I was annoyed by that, but eventually I came to suspect that nobody notices these things except for the person who wrote the line. Using traits you get from actors to lead yourself to good ideas for characters also sounds like a good idea to me even if that actor never sees the part. Anything that helps your creativity sounds good to me. - Bob
Bob Shayne wrote for Simon & Simon, including such episodes as "The Dead
Letter File", "Ashes to Ashes and None Too Soon", "Emerald's Are Not a Girl's Best Friend", and "Manna From Heaven".
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