You might not know the name Bruce Vilanch, but you’ve undoubtedly seen some of the TV shows he’s worked on.
He was head writer for the Oscars for fifteen years, plus another ten as a contributor. He’s also written material for the Tonys, Emmys, and Grammys. He spent four years as head writer/celebrity participant on “The Hollywood Squares” (the version with Whoopi Goldberg in the center square). He wrote for Bette Midler for a long time, including the song “You Made Me Watch You,” which she performed on Johnny Carson’s penultimate “Tonight Show.” The list of other celebrities Vilanch has written for includes Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, Rosie O’Donnell, Paul Reiser, Elizabeth Taylor, and Charo.
Yes, Charo!
But mixed in with lots of successful projects were some real stinkers, which he details in his new book, “It Seemed Like A Bad Idea At The Time: The Worst TV Shows In History And Other Things I Wrote.” They include the legendary “Star Wars Holiday Special,” a “Paul Lynde Halloween Special,” “The Brady Bunch Hour,” “The Donny and Marie Show,” and the Village People movie, “Can’t Stop The Music.”
He was also involved with one of the most-ridiculed segments of an Academy Awards show, the opener of the 1989 broadcast — conceived by producer Allan Carr — climaxing with Rob Lowe and an actress dressed up as Snow White singing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” You could hear chins hitting the floor all across America that night, though I’ll admit sitting up and watching gleefully because I was doing morning radio then and, considering the huge audience the Oscars drew in those days, knew instantly this would be a recurring topic on my show the next day.
I touched on some of these subjects when I interviewed Vilanch in 2007 (you can listen to our conversation here), but he goes into a lot more detail in the book as he recalls things most Hollywood folks would rather you not remember (or even know about).
“It Seemed Like A Bad Idea At The Time” had me alternately laughing and groaning. It is a great read from a great storyteller and truly funny human being.