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Post by Paper Crane Song on Aug 18, 2017 3:21:01 GMT -5
Don't you wish we could know what was ad-libbed and what was scripted? It would be pretty cool to see the original scripts, and to see how the actors interpreted the lines and the scenes.
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Post by kellie on Aug 18, 2017 9:00:28 GMT -5
One of my faves this one. The bit where Murdock takes Face's hat, I always think that was Dwight messing with Dirk, like they used to do to each other quite a bit. In the scene before, in the lobby, you see Murdock go to try & pinch his hat, but he can't quite get it, so then nicks it off his head at the next opportunity. And the way they look at each other when he does it, both knowing, but carrying on while trying not to laugh. Also, the bit where Murdock bursts in on Tawnia taking about a Chinese food, he has a massive grin on his face, he looks like he wants to burst out laughing. Wouldn't surprise me if he made that bit up himself aswell! I don't know how the crew & camera men filming stopped themselves from laughing whenever Murdock was in a scene! There's a bit of hat nicking going on in the background of the end scene of CHILDREN OF JAMESTOWN (#stuff this forum taught me) although it's Face nicking Murdock's cap. So maybe in BATTLE OF BELAIR it was Dwight getting his own back on Dirk! I'm going to to have to have a look at that now! Must have missed it. Sometimes in scenes you see Dwight or Dirk laughing & I often think it' s the other making him laugh off screen! Would love to ask them about the jokes they used to play on each during filming. I bet we would hear some really good stories.
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Post by kellie on Aug 18, 2017 10:25:27 GMT -5
Just had to go & watch that episode, Children of Jamestown. I saw the end where Face nicks Murdock's hat & he grabs it back! Haha, can't believe I've never ever noticed that before. Must have been some fun times between those two!
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Post by kellie on Aug 20, 2017 13:50:32 GMT -5
Don't you wish we could know what was ad-libbed and what was scripted? Yeah, be interesting aswell to know how much was Dwight's idea on some of Murdock's scenes & what he was told to do. Like his 'God Save the Queen' speech next to the helicopter, was that specifically written in or did he take it up on himself to do that? It's one of my favourite scenes of the whole show, I love that! 😀
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Aug 20, 2017 18:19:21 GMT -5
My hunch is that many fans believe that Dwight ad-libbed much more than he actually did. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that the writers did write much of what Murdock said and did, although the interpretation of the character surely was made perfect through Dwight's acting skills. It would be interesting to know how much of "Murdock" is due to Dwight and how much due to writers and others involved in the show. I think we fans perhaps sometimes fail to give as much credit to the writers (and others) as is actually due to them and we perhaps tend to focus too much on the actors or even equate the actors with the characters.
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sidney
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Post by sidney on Aug 20, 2017 20:14:08 GMT -5
My hunch is that many fans believe that Dwight ad-libbed much more than he actually did. Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that the writers did write much of what Murdock said and did, although the interpretation of the character surely was made perfect through Dwight's acting skills. It would be interesting to know how much of "Murdock" is due to Dwight and how much due to writers and others involved in the show. I think we fans perhaps sometimes fail to give as much credit to the writers (and others) as is actually due to them and we perhaps tend to focus too much on the actors or even equate the actors with the characters. You KNOW how much I love Murdock, but I gotta tell you, I am thinking that everything that was cheesy was what Dwight came up with... I totally think his ideas were the stuff that DIDN'T WORK for me personally. Haha...
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Aug 21, 2017 19:06:46 GMT -5
Like Billy pulling him at the end of WEST COAST TURNAROUND?
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Aug 22, 2017 7:58:30 GMT -5
Like Billy pulling him at the end of WEST COAST TURNAROUND? To me, that was always an artifice of the writers. Some might have been Dwight, but I doubt that overall. I think they might have pitched him an idea a few times and said, "Run with it for 30 seconds," but not frequently. In one of the interviews with SJC, he talks about including Dwight's version of Kissinger after seeing a tape of him doing it for stand-up/audition. I think they might have taken characteristics or bits from the men at times and given some leeway, but SJC usually ran a pretty tight ship from what I have heard.
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Post by kellie on Sept 16, 2017 8:17:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that Dwight would see what they wanted him to do and he'd say, I'm not doing that! Then do his own interpretation himself. The creators would call him for doing it, but them would keep it in every time. I heard him say once he thought up the idea of being dragged off scene by the dog and the producers or whoever hated it, but again kept it in. Later on they started writing him more stuff he liked, so he did their stuff aswell.
I bet we'd be surprised at which was their own stuff and which was written in. What we think was his might not be and vice versa.
Do you think while he was doing certain scenes that he decided himself to make up the accents he did? Like in Timber, when Face is getting him out and he's going from a German accent to an English accent and back again! (I love that). Or do you think it was written in specially, because of how good he was at accents and impressions?
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Post by kellie on Sept 16, 2017 9:58:16 GMT -5
I also thought it was interesting when I read that it was Whoopi Goldberg that told the makers of TNG they should give Dwight a role, after she'd acted with him and thought he was great.p, so the character was wrote especially for him. You can tell they knew how to write a character that would suit Dwight and it suited him perfectly. Still not a straight character, still quite funny sometimes and he still got to do some over the top impression type scenes. Just not mad like Murdock was!
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Sept 16, 2017 20:55:11 GMT -5
I think Dwight can play almost any role. He's in a very serious role in a TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL episode, ironically playing a psychiatrist.
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Post by kellie on Sept 17, 2017 13:51:40 GMT -5
If he hadn't played Barclay in Star Trek, I think he might have been good as the Doctor in Star Trek Voyager. Funnily enough, a Voyager was on tv today, I only caught the end while waiting for something else coming on & It was about the Doctor & I started to think it might have been a good role for him.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Sept 17, 2017 18:47:14 GMT -5
Yes, I could see him playing that role.
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Post by kellie on Sept 19, 2017 13:48:24 GMT -5
Like you say, he there's not many roles he couldn't do.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Sept 20, 2017 19:01:56 GMT -5
Well, I don't think he does quite so well playing females...unless you're just going for laughs, like as the pregnant lady in COWBOY GEORGE or the hotel maid in LITTLE TOWN WITH AN ACCENT. Or of course the famous bride in TILL DEATH DO WE PART!
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