Herschel Weingrod (screenwriter, Trading Places, Twins, Kindergarten Cop)

Herschel Weingrod joined me to discuss being influenced by Billy Wilder and Laurel and Hardy; getting his Bachelors in European history; taking film courses close to graduation; going to the London Film School for graduate school; odd jobs taken; looking to write a film noir; getting the idea for "Cheaper to Keep Her" from an article; having Mac Davis star; Roger Ebert said it was a good script; writing "Trading Places" as "Black & White"; the Dukes were brothers his partner, Timothy Harris played doubles tennis with; making them commodities brokers; setting it in Philadelphia; pitched for Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; Wilder wanted to change the character to be more likeable; Aykroyd gets hired; Ray Milland fails physical, replaced by Don Ameche; 90% of the movie is from the script, 10 % improv; censors won't let Eddie smoke Kools; Don Ameche apologizes for the f-bomb; explanation needed for end of the film; "Trading Places: The Musical"; timelessness of film; writing "Brewster's Millions", a film made many times; "My Stepmother is an Alien"; Jon Lovitz; Gene Wilder wouldn't've worked because he wanted to be loved; John Landis added Franken & Davis, the train and the monkey to the story; Broadway versions of 80's movies have challenges; The Broadway Rule of the "What I want Song"; "Trading Places" Funko Pops; people quoting the movie in real life; Trading Places remembered as #5 Christmas movie; "Twins" - hired to rewrite the original script; added search for the mother; studies twin tics for movie; "Lifted"; Lana Clarkson; "Kindergarten Cop"; how to write for Arnold; "Brewster's Millions" written originally for Bill Murray; people bet on whether he would show up for "Space Jam"; Bill adlibs; picking the players for "Space Jam"; "True Luck"; Peter Weber comedies; Harold Ramis; Cary Grant; Tom Hanks; English antisemitism; Kaifeng Jews