WEBVTT - Secrets of Melrose Place with Chuck Pratt! 0:00:05.680 --> 0:00:09.320 Still the Place with Laura Layton, Courtney Thorn Smith. 0:00:09.360 --> 0:00:12.400 And Daphne's Aniga an iHeartRadio podcast. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.759 Hello ladies, Hi, so good to say. Very excited today. 0:00:19.960 --> 0:00:22.919 We're so excited. It's a very special guest, Chuck. 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.160 Have you heard that from the girls of Melrose before? 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:31.600 We're so excited we have Pratt on the show today. 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:33.240 I's a writer on Melroe's Place. 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.040 Also, what were you saying, daph And you had a 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:37.240 beautiful introduction. 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:38.599 How hot I am for him? 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.720 We've got Chuck's been around in this industry for so long, 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:49.040 and there should be like a game three degrees of 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:52.560 separation from Chuck because you've written for so many shows 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:54.880 and produced since you were probably a child. 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:57.080 Yeah, and if he doesn't know somebody from work, he 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:58.640 went to school with them, or his kids went to 0:00:58.680 --> 0:00:59.160 school with them. 0:00:59.240 --> 0:01:00.640 You know everybody. 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:02.880 No I don't, but he don't. 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:11.280 Beautiful woman, you've written General Hospital, Young and the Restless, 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:15.200 All My Children. Oh yeah, Melrose Place nine O two one, Oh, 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:15.800 keep going. 0:01:15.840 --> 0:01:22.760 Then we did that little spinoff, Models Inc. Model But anyway, 0:01:22.760 --> 0:01:23.960 you've done so many soaps. 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:26.880 So that's the pilot of Desperate Housewives. 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:30.120 Desperate Housewives can I just ask a question before they 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:32.520 get into all the juicy questions, because I was, as 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:36.039 I told you, looking up some info on you. You 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:37.800 you grew up in the business because your dad worked 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.399 in the business. Correct, Okay, did your dad produce The 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:42.240 Great Santini? 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:47.280 Yes, it's so great that you guys actually know where 0:01:47.400 --> 0:01:49.640 the next generation has come along. And you say, yeah, 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:52.560 my father is a producer. His last film was The 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.520 Great Santini. And they go, oh, is it about a circus? 0:01:55.520 --> 0:02:01.000 I go, wow, yeah, I know, Michael. 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:05.800 Blake, Danner, Oscars all nominated. 0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:06.440 It was an amazing movie. 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:08.959 As a young actor coming up, I just was like that, 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.120 wait what, I know, you've done a ton of stuff, 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.200 but I'm like, dad produced a great thing. 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:15.880 Yeah, but your dad, Yeah, Well I got I got 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:19.320 to go to the premiere of it. I was just 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:21.640 out of college or about to be out of college 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:27.440 film school, and you know, met Robert Duval, Luke Carlino, 0:02:27.480 --> 0:02:32.119 who wrote and directed the film. And but I got 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:34.160 to meet Pat Conray, you know, who wrote the book 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:36.760 it was based on. And I got to sit and 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:38.640 talk with him because I said, you know, you wrote 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:41.720 this book. My father is kind of the great sant 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:45.120 I know the minute, you know, he had to make it. 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:46.560 I was one of the first people who read it. 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:48.600 My dad used to you know, I was working in 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.040 the mailroom at Paramount and he would throw me books 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:53.920 and go read this. Tell me what you think you know? 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.160 And I read. I remember reading Sounder and thinking, oh 0:02:57.200 --> 0:02:59.720 my god, this would be such a great film. I said, 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:01.280 this would be a great film. He goes, yeah, for 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:05.839 somebody else to make it. Go OK, So I read 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:08.399 the great Santini and I and I went. I went 0:03:08.440 --> 0:03:10.600 into his office and I said, Dad, this is uh, 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.519 this is sort of your story. And he goes, I 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:19.080 never hit your mother, no, no, But I said, you know, 0:03:19.320 --> 0:03:21.360 we grew up with horses and they had names like 0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:24.520 Trooper and sergeant, you know, and he was a veteran 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.639 and he got a good laugh on it. I said, 0:03:27.720 --> 0:03:29.840 you have, I mean, you have to make this movie. 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:31.840 And he goes, We're going to make this movie. It 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:35.160 took a lot of it took it basically ended his 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:38.600 career because it took so long, really yeah, to get 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:43.200 the money Ryan and then united artists and uh, then 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:47.200 he couldn't find a director. That's that's a whole story. 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:49.640 I mean, Ulu gros Bar started it, but because of 0:03:49.680 --> 0:03:51.840 the basketball scene where he bounces the basketball off his 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:56.000 kid's head, he backed u. Ulu gross Bar said he 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:58.000 wouldn't do it, and my father said, we won't cut 0:03:58.040 --> 0:04:01.280 the scene. It's Past's favorite scene the book and that's 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:06.880 the way it goes. So they had, uh, okay, this 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:09.600 is a good start. My father was on a first 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.160 class flight to New York to go and talk to 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:15.280 U A about money for the picture, and Paul Newman 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.080 is on the same flight reading the script because they've 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:20.240 got it. He was the first person they went out 0:04:20.279 --> 0:04:22.520 to and he was probably a little too old for 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:24.440 the part, but you know, they could. They figured they 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:27.800 could make it work. And uh, my father just saw him, 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:30.960 watched him read the script. I mean, what an opportunity. 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:33.680 I thought, never in my life if I had that opportunity. 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:37.640 And yeah, and so he went up to UH as 0:04:37.640 --> 0:04:39.920 the flight was coming in. He looked over and Paul 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:42.640 new was going, you know, wiping a tiro and he goes, Okay, 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:44.640 the script did get to you. You know, it was 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:47.560 one of those and my father went up and he said, 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.159 you got to do this movie. You know, I just 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:52.800 saw you reading the script. I'm the guy, you know, 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:55.719 I'm the producer and uh and he said, you know, 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.520 it would be probably one of the greatest roles of 0:04:59.520 --> 0:05:02.440 my life. He said, but I have a I have 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:05.520 a kid, and we have problems. Get had drug problems 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.359 and died actually I think of an overdose. And he said, 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:11.599 you know, he's made claims that I'm an abusive father 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:14.120 and stuff. He said, I can't, I can't do this. 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.720 My father said, so it's the basketball scene. He goes, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.560 it's the whole thing. It's not just about so so 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:23.760 they lost him. And then they went to Gene Hackman, 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.920 Burt Reynolds and you know, and my father goes, you know, 0:05:28.960 --> 0:05:30.800 and this went on and on and on, and I 0:05:30.839 --> 0:05:34.159 thought other movies on the Orion schedule got moved up 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:36.320 in front of it, and it looked like it might not, 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:41.600 you know, get made. And I think it was Pat 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:46.240 Conroy h lived in the South, and so did Robert Devall. 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:50.080 So pat Conroy said it was his suggestion. How about 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:55.040 Robert Devall's perfect? Deval was perfect? And you know. 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.839 The next logical step, which is Melrose Place. Yes, you know, 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:02.599 there's so much, there's so much in common. 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:04.080 It was only a few years later. 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:06.960 The same genre. 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:11.400 Yeah, so we're so we've been watching it. We're only 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:13.240 in episode twenty three. I feels when doing it a 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.200 long time. And first it's like eight kids trying to 0:06:16.240 --> 0:06:18.839 make it eight kids. And now it's starting to get 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:23.279 exciting and sexy and stuff is happening. Do you remember 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.200 that transition? Do you remember that? Do you was there 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:29.080 in the writer's room, people going, it's not working. Nobody 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:31.400 cares about these kids. We need to spice it up. 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:33.839 Were you brought in there? Were you there from the beginning? 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:37.640 This part? I remember so well, you know, I mean, 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:41.120 I'll say, God, yes, do I remember this? I mean, 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.360 it was it was a it was a number of things. 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.320 You know, ratings are always a big deal. And uh, 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.680 we had we'd been doing we were on like shooting 0:06:50.760 --> 0:06:57.920 episode six or seven, and Darren pulls me into his office. 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:00.920 I was co producer, I think then I was supervising. 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:04.719 Yet Eddie goes and he goes, Juck, I have something 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:06.880 to tell you what Let's walk to the elevator together. 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.440 So we walked the elevator. I thought, oh, I'm getting fired, 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.360 you know, and I think i'd written, you know, a 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:15.560 number of episodes. When people liked my episode, I thought, wow, 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:19.800 this has never happened. This is scary. And Darren goes, 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.200 when we come back it was a Friday goes when 0:07:22.200 --> 0:07:24.640 we come back on Monday, goes, none of the people 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:26.120 out there are going to be here. I go, what 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.360 do you mean the assistance? I thought, what the assistants 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:29.960 were getting rid of? 0:07:30.000 --> 0:07:30.040 This? 0:07:30.080 --> 0:07:34.440 Says they're great, Eddie goes. He goes, No, we're firing 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:38.680 three writers, you know, including the supervising. Uh, pretty sure, 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:41.559 and we have another guy's coming in. It was Frank South. 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:45.600 Did Frank have a history of soaps and dramas? 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:49.120 He was an episodic guy. I was, you know, I 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:52.320 was the soap guy riding up episodes in the beginning. 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:54.200 You know a lot of people have given, you know, 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:57.520 given me credits saying I was the reason it turned 0:07:57.560 --> 0:08:00.280 to a soap. No, it was. It was as a 0:08:00.320 --> 0:08:03.360 combination of people. But I sure as hell knew how 0:08:03.360 --> 0:08:03.800 to do it. 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:06.280 You know, but in the beginning, you were writing your 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:10.280 soap style, but without the melrose esqueness of it. 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:12.960 Yeah, yeah, no, it was uh, you know, I'd come 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:17.640 off shows like Santa Barbara where where you know, if 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:20.120 you know the history of the show, anything went. We 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:23.600 were insane. We just our ratings were so low and 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:26.360 the network was stopped caring about us. So we had 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.560 alien episodes we did. We turned daytime on it. You know, 0:08:30.600 --> 0:08:34.040 we didn't care. And we won every you know, we'd 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:37.560 win twenty three Emmys, you know, each season, and you 0:08:37.559 --> 0:08:40.280 know I would win Emmys, and it was it was 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:42.839 a great freedom. But then I moved to primetime. It 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:45.319 did Gabriel's Fire and Life Goes On, which were more 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:49.640 traditional shows, and learned the one camera you know world, 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:50.520 which I already knew. 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:54.080 But you know, so when when Darren said we have 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:55.960 to change it up, did you go, oh great, I 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:57.319 know how to do this and excited. 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.800 Actually it wasn't Darren that that said it the way 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:06.000 the way it happened, As I recall Wash, we were 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:09.680 called in uh by UH and I think I think 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:14.040 uh the former writers sumed and fired. Right before they 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:16.439 were fired. We were called in for big meeting. Aaron 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.440 was there. I remember writing a note to I think 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.360 to Darren, I said, I know why Fox likes I know, 0:09:23.440 --> 0:09:26.520 I know why Fox likes Aaron Spelling so much. And 0:09:27.440 --> 0:09:32.680 I said he looks like Bart Simpson. And I remember 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:37.640 thinking if Darren shows up to Aaron beyond that elevator. 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.199 And this is around episode six. 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:42.719 Yeah, I was around six, and and it was all 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:45.200 the network executives, all who became at some point or 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:47.600 another president of the network. There was Bob green Blatt, 0:09:47.880 --> 0:09:52.680 you know, who went on to run NBC and Showtime. Uh. 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:57.040 There was Sandy Grushaw who ended up being president of Fox. 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:01.200 There was Jonathan litt Men who went on and did 0:10:01.280 --> 0:10:05.160 all the Bruckheimer shows and hired Carol mendelsoid not me 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:15.440 not better to this day does he ever? Litman He 0:10:15.559 --> 0:10:21.839 owns O HI, I think, and Carol does too. They 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:25.040 were all there and Peter Chernan, who is the head 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.080 he was Fox, you know, and we were all called 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:33.800 in and they said, we love these episodes. Uh, you 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:37.160 guys are doing a great job, Darren. You know, you've 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:41.000 created great characters. Production Wise, I don't think ship was there, 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:44.360 but production wise it's looking really good. Uh, you know, 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.839 but we're a little concerned about the ratings. I thought 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:50.520 you should be, because I think we just had you know, 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:55.679 episode five, you know, five or six, and you know, 0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:58.720 the scripts for seven, eight, nine and ten were in. 0:10:58.880 --> 0:11:03.360 I know that we're sitting there and you could, you 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:05.800 could sense it. And afterwards, I said, what was that 0:11:05.880 --> 0:11:08.240 meeting about? And Darren goes, I don't know, but they're 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:12.160 they're worried, you know, they were. They were telling Aaron 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:14.400 the only way they could because he was so powerful, 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:18.240 that we're a little worried about the show. So, you know, 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:23.760 everybody got fired and and we kind of reassembled and 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.760 then and I remember at the end of that meeting, 0:11:26.800 --> 0:11:30.199 Sandy Grushaw was head of marketing, who I just had 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.679 an email from and he recalled this moment. I had 0:11:33.679 --> 0:11:37.000 written the where Jane loses a baby, where Michael and 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:40.040 Jane had a miscarriage and my wife had just had 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:42.920 a miscarriage. And so it was really an episode, you know, 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:45.960 a very special episode that I got to write about 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:47.960 something I experienced. You know. Of course, I had a 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:50.240 Golden Retriever puppy in it, which I always had a 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:54.760 Golden Retriever puppy and everything I still do. And I 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:58.160 remember the puppy story about you very well. I told 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:01.000 you to everybody. Oh my god, you know, he said, Hi, 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:05.880 Robert Chavez, Ah. 0:12:05.559 --> 0:12:08.480 Guys golf together I'm guessing, yeah, yes, so sweet. 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.440 He's so funny. He just he just had nothing but 0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:17.160 wonderful things. Anyway, that I am really digressing now, Robert. 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.679 In my very early twenty gosh, it sounded like it 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:21.319 was the turn. 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.360 You know, you guys were all panicking about these numbers. 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:27.800 But we were only like a few episodes in. We've 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:29.080 noticed because we're on twenty three. 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.400 You know, it was it was, you know. Then we 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:35.200 had the famous meeting on a Saturday when the ratings 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:37.200 like for ten came out and I think they were 0:12:37.600 --> 0:12:40.280 that was the miscarriage episode. They were the lowest of 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:45.840 the season. I thought, well, I liked it, and and 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:51.200 they called us on a Saturday into Into Fox. Chip 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:52.679 was not there for that either. 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:54.800 I know, because Chip was saying, oh no, they were worried. 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:56.479 We were fine with the ratings. 0:12:56.280 --> 0:13:01.560 Missed, almost failed. It was exactly she says, we were losing. 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:04.160 We almost. Chip said, well, I think we had a 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.360 twenty two shor order. Oh no, we didn't, do. 0:13:06.360 --> 0:13:08.679 You remember Andrew with the ratings, like waiting for the 0:13:08.760 --> 0:13:11.160 ratings to come in and following Lisa. 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:13.680 Andrew, Oh my god, you could do an hour on 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.520 Andrew Andrew who what he got the part. We all 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:19.840 went out to the set to see him and meet him, 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:24.360 and we'd seen his pilot golf stream or Golf something 0:13:24.440 --> 0:13:30.320 or other golf where he had a gun and you go, oh, no, 0:13:32.040 --> 0:13:35.040 he's really handsome. But in one scene he goes down 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.080 and he fixes a woman's pipe in the pipes in 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:45.280 the cellar, you know, and he has I know, you 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:47.400 could tell the writers that's what they were thinking. And 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.160 the woman looks at him and she's extremely attracted to him, 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.520 and h and we all looked and we said he 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:57.199 could be billy, just don't open your mouth, and we're okay. 0:13:57.520 --> 0:14:00.440 But we met him and he comes up and he goes, you, well, 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:03.000 it's nice to meet you guys. You know, you know 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.800 this Saturday me I wasn't in the Saturday meeting at 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:10.199 Spelling's house, but Darren called me right after. But he goes, 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:14.800 he goes, he said, look, you know I'm doing this show, 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:18.800 but you know what about Golf Springs. I mean, you 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:22.520 know I did that first, and I got I'm just 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:25.160 study liquing. But I go, I don't think that show's 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:33.440 going forward. He goes, really, oh, I just thought, oh 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.440 my god. I have had times in my career where 0:14:37.440 --> 0:14:39.520 the show I was working on, or that I had 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:42.840 been one case created, was canceled and they called and 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:45.280 gave me the bad news. And then the next day 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:46.920 they called and said, we want to hire you on 0:14:47.000 --> 0:14:49.920 another show that we're doing. And you go, okay, can 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:51.400 I take all the writers? I go yeah, I go, 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:55.720 all right, well we're all still working. That's great, different show. 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:59.280 But so when you fired some of those initial writers 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:01.320 that were hired to write a certain kind of TV 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:03.440 show that wasn't working, and you got other ones in, 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:04.520 like Franky. 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:09.640 They brought Frank in. He was not comfortable with the 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:11.960 whole show. He was you know, he was working and 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:16.200 had written a pilot for Brand Follisy. I mean, he 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:18.840 was kind of you know, in a tier where we 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:24.360 worked and you know of you know not, you know not. 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.440 I never I never used the word camp and we 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.920 never used the word soap opera. But we were. 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:34.680 Doing you never did the wig thing happen? 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:37.680 No, No, we had certain we had rules. We had rules, 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.280 rules that have followed me to other shows that I've done. 0:15:41.320 --> 0:15:44.720 So when Marsha takes off the wig, the scar that 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.920 was Shakespeare the words May Shakespeare. 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:53.080 You're really looking for a word, and you're a writer 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.640 and you want to save face. You can see there's 0:15:55.680 --> 0:16:00.200 two Actually, you say melodrama. It was mellow. Melrose was 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:04.080 great melodrama or Melrose was great. 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:07.080 And noir and that so melodrama is better than camp 0:16:07.320 --> 0:16:07.920 or so. 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:13.680 Oh yeah, okay, oh okay, did we descend in the 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:14.480 last years. 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:16.280 I mean, luckily you didn't have to be there. 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:18.240 And you're thinking guys were doing soap opera. I know 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:19.600 we're not saying it, but I know what we're doing 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:20.880 because you knew. 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.520 But I knew, but we had certain thing ways and 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:25.680 I mean this was okay, I'll go back to we 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:27.640 have the meeting with the Fox meeting, and they were 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:31.120 all wearing really short tennis shorts and they looked ridiculous. 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:34.720 I mean they look I mean, if you can imagine 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:39.920 these guys without tennis shorts, they're kind of let's not 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:44.560 let's not imagine that the shorts because they had been 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:47.240 playing tennis at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club or whatever. 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.040 But so they they called us in and they said, 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.560 and before the meeting, Darren looks at me, he goes, 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:56.240 you know what, this is about I bet you figured 0:16:56.240 --> 0:17:01.880 it out. And I go, no, these people don't talk 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.760 to me, you know. I mean, Aaron barely you know, 0:17:04.760 --> 0:17:09.840 knows Aaron knew I was. But he goes taking to 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:11.600 tell us to turn it into a soap. I know 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:14.800 they are, and I looked at I said, well, you know, 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:17.520 it'd be really easy to do, and we are kind 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:22.120 of tiptoeing into it a little bit, and and certainly 0:17:22.119 --> 0:17:25.600 with the introduction of Marsha's character, but and. 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.280 You're like, I'm here, and I look at him on 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:27.680 my sad. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:30.040 I said, well, let's just go listen to what they say. 0:17:30.080 --> 0:17:31.679 And he goes, I don't want to do a soap, 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:34.879 and I go, oh, it's such a soap and I 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:37.520 went okay, I said. I said, okay, well, you know 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:40.359 there's no way we're going to make it one hundred 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.680 percent of soap, you know. And I said, so let's 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.679 not worry about it. So we went in and they said, 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:49.919 like right out of Bob Greenlet's mouth, we wanted to 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:52.720 turn it into a soap. What would you do? And 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:56.040 Aaron wasn't there, you know, And I said, they've talked 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:59.919 to Aaron for sure, because they used words like Dynas, 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:05.080 Steve Dallas and you know and everything, and we said okay, 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:08.520 and they sort of said it as an ultimatum, you know. 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:11.520 As we left, I said that was an ultimatum. And 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:16.280 Frank was was on at that point, and uh, and. 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:19.080 So who said, don't worry Darren, it'll be a melodrama. 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:24.080 That came later, but no. And then we went out 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.919 and I said, uh, let's give it a try, Darren. 0:18:26.960 --> 0:18:29.840 You know, I think it'll be fun, you know, and 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.600 he goes, well, you know all the you know Chip used. 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.880 I listened to him and he used the you know, tropes. 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.320 It's not a word I love, but uh, you know, 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:42.480 there are certain conventions and soap operas and we introduced them, 0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:46.320 which is why, you know, when you guys think about it, 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:50.159 why did Keith come in? You know, you had the 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:53.520 ex husband. Did he ever show up? I don't even yes, 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:58.239 Oh my god, I love Linda. He would show up 0:18:58.280 --> 0:18:59.880 to he would show up to work with his surf 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:05.040 board and b m W convertible audience, you know, and oh, 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:08.960 there's there's Heather in her Porsche. A good story about 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:18.120 Heather's Porsche. I'm jumping around, I was. 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:16.720 I was. 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.240 I had written and directed an episode. It was really 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:22.639 late late in the in the run of the show, 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:24.320 and we were out at the beach House and we 0:19:24.359 --> 0:19:25.920 were on and we were shooting a scene where she's 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:27.840 at a door and she says something and then she 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:30.399 goes out the you know whatever that front door was 0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:33.720 and Lee's and uh, I have noise in my head, 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:36.600 sat under what that is? And Forrest calls over and 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.840 he goes, it's her car. I go, it's her car 0:19:40.080 --> 0:19:43.080 and they go. He goes, somebody turned off Heather's car 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.280 and they turned it off. And so she set her line, 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:49.359 went out the door, closed the door, and then she's 0:19:49.359 --> 0:19:51.800 standing out there and I say print and I hear 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:57.560 in the headseto. They backed it up right almost to 0:19:57.640 --> 0:19:59.960 the door. So she got in the car and boom, 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.639 she was gone. I thought, it's really come to this. 0:20:02.800 --> 0:20:05.480 It's like, I'm only going to work to the very 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:06.520 last second. 0:20:11.359 --> 0:20:12.399 They were a long hours. 0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:15.480 Oh I know, I know. Look when I started to direct, 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:19.520 I realized really how awful it was for you guys. 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:22.960 The doing scenes on the on the beach and during 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:27.679 El Nino with Heather, and she wore she wore ugs, 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:29.760 you know, and they showed up in like a key 0:20:29.800 --> 0:20:32.560 shot and we go, oh, she's supposed to be barefoot 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:34.720 in the Dominican Republic. 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:40.119 Speaking, because that's all the last part of Melrose. Do 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:43.920 you feel like it was really different two different shows. 0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:46.200 I mean a lot of people on the writer stuff 0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:47.600 had gone, a lot of actors. 0:20:47.680 --> 0:20:50.240 You know, we did so many episodes, as you guys know, 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:53.080 I know you've talked about double ups, and for us, 0:20:53.119 --> 0:20:55.440 we had to write them that fast. Yeah, a lot 0:20:55.440 --> 0:21:00.320 of inexperienced writers and very little rewriting more rewrite on 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.119 every show I've ever worked on, you know, just just 0:21:03.280 --> 0:21:08.320 notes and you know, inner workings with the writers. But 0:21:08.440 --> 0:21:10.560 you know, we would have to rewrite and hold the 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.520 hands of young writers just to get the scripts, you know, 0:21:13.640 --> 0:21:17.040 get enough scripts ready to go. Uh. And we plotted 0:21:17.080 --> 0:21:18.760 them one after the other, and we got to the 0:21:18.760 --> 0:21:21.439 point where we could plot a show, you know, for 0:21:21.480 --> 0:21:26.000 an outline, in a day, day and a half. We 0:21:26.000 --> 0:21:28.119 we would then take a few days off to write 0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:31.320 and take a breath, but then we would jump in, 0:21:31.440 --> 0:21:33.520