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The career ofAlan Zweibelis also a mini-history of 20th-century comedy.
He got his start selling one-liners piecemeal to the last of the Borscht Belt comics.
He helped Gilda Radner humiliate Woody Allen.
Theyd usually make up sometime on the Sunday after anSNLepisode.
Then Radner zeroed in on Woody Allen.
Milton Berle was unbelievably tacky onSNL.
And it was even more awkward in rehearsals, according to Zweibel.
(Thats ostensibly a reference to the networks poor performance in the late 70s.)
He nearly witnessed the assassination of John Lennon.
Its Garry Shandlings Showcould have been a cheesy 80s sitcom.
Before he came onboard, Shandling pitched the show to NBC president Brandon Tartikoff.
According to Zweibel, for NBC to buy the show, thered have to be some changes.
He didnt want Garry to use his real name.
He said Garry should play a character with another name.
In other words, Tartikoff wanted to eliminate everything that madeIts Garry Shandlings Showso special.
Hes responsible for one of the worst-reviewed movies ever.
Director Rob Reiner loved it and wanted to adapt it into a movie.
An avalanche of critical revulsion came his way, led by Roger Ebert.
Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this movie.
Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it.
Years later, Zweibel ran into Ebert in a restaurant bathroom.
