Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Comedy-writing duo makes a big 'Splash!' in film industry Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 14:59:57 EST Message-ID: \SE D;LIFE \SS (WS) \HD Comedy-writing duo makes a big 'Splash!' in film industry \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES - On the 23rd floor of a Century City tower, two writers who go by the names of Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz operate what many in Hollywood consider a sure-fire comedy factory. The two wrote three films in a row that grossed more than $100 million in the United States and Canada - "Parenthood," "City Slickers" and "A League of Their Own" - along with such successes as "Splash!" and "Night Shift." On the downside, the current Billy Crystal comedy, "Mr. Saturday Night," is struggling for an audience even though it got good reviews, and "Gung Ho" was a rare strikeout. Mr. Mandel and Mr. Ganz could pass for brothers. Both are black-haired, with playful eyes and wide smiles, and their speech harks back to their New York upbringings - Mr. Mandel in the Bronx, Mr. Ganz in Queens. Mr. Ganz, 44, is taller and more outgoing, a born storyteller. Mr. Mandel, a year younger, remains more contemplative. His real name is Marc, but after they met in 1973, Mr. Ganz dubbed him Babaloo, after a character in Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint." Both came up through the ranks. Mr. Ganz and a former partner submitted a script for "The Odd Couple" and were hired by Garry Marshall. Mr. Mandel flirted with stand-up comedy, then started writing movie and television scripts. Mr. Mandel and Mr. Ganz worked together on the TV show "Happy Days," and in 1981, Ron Howard, who had acted in the series, asked them to write a film he planned to direct, "Night Shift." That started them on a roll. One recent morning, the partners took time out from writing a movie script for the Stephen Sondheim musical "Into the Woods" to reflect on their antic careers. They denied the local belief that they are running a cottage industry, writing all the comedies in town. "No, no," Mr. Ganz declares. "We've had four pictures in the last 3 1/2 years. But now, no matter how much we write, there won't be another picture in the theaters for another year, maybe longer." He says he and Mr. Mandel require about two months to write a first draft. That is usually preceded by a month of discussion. By the time they start writing, they pretty much know the direction of the script. Their projects usually originate with other people. Mr. Crystal provided the ideas for "City Slickers" and "Mr. Saturday Night." Producer Brian Glazer, Mr. Howard's partner in Imagine Pictures, where the writers have their offices, suggested "Splash!" "Gung Ho" came from the producers, who had been inspired by a news article. Director Penny Marshall supplied the idea for "A League of Their Own" after reading about a World War II women's softball league. Mr. Ganz adds: "We've had a lot of externally generated ideas, but they're pretty much just an idea, a sentence or a paragaph: 'I read an article in the newspaper about two guys who . . . I think that would be a good movie. What do you think?' We think about it a couple days, then come back and say, 'Yeah, we've got something on that.' " Many screenwriters complain that their scripts are damaged by producers, directors and stars. Not so this team. "We have a simple philosophy: We like working with somebody we're very friendly with, who is much more powerful in the industry than we are," Mr. Ganz says. "We never want to be the most famous, the most out front, the strongest elements. A lot of people like that. Writers virtually never are. Neil Simon may have been the exception." Mr. Ganz adds that he and his partner preserve the integrity of their scripts by remaining with the production throughout: "We go through the rehearsal process, we go to the set - whatever. If they want script changes and they make sense, we do our own rewrites when there's trouble or disagreement. When we see one of these movies, it's our movie." Writers such as Preston Sturges, John Huston and Billy Wilder turned to directing to maintain control of their work. Mr. Ganz and Mr. Mandel have no such ambition. "Life is choices," Mr. Ganz philosophizes. "It's become a cliche, but we always say, 'We would rather have control over our lives than over our movies.' We work in a controlled way: come in at a certain time, see only each other nine days out of 10, finish at a specific time, go home to be with our families." Both live quiet lives in the suburban San Fernando Valley. Mr. Ganz and his wife, Jeanne, have three young children. Mr. Mandel and his wife, Denise, have six, including 4-year-old triplets. Mr. Mandel seems unabashed by his name, which he uses only for professional purposes. "The only people who call me Babaloo are in the industry," he says. "As soon as I get home I'm 'Daddy,' or 'Hey, you' or 'Mister.' [Mr. Ganz] gave me the name, and the minute I heard it I said 'screen name!' "I like it. It lets you know that a comedy is coming. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. 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