Cindy Begel is an American television writer and producer who worked on Mork & Mindy during it's 4th season
Biography[]
Begel began writing for sitcoms in the early 1980s, including The Jeffersons and it's short-lived spin-off Checking In and most of the Garry Marshall series (Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, and Joanie Loves Chachi). She also wrote for Alice, Gimme a Break!, The New Leave It To Beaver/Still The Beaver, Head of the Class and Married... with Children.The Martin Short Show.
Begel later shifted to writing and producing for a younger audiences, as with the Saturday morning sitcom Hang Time and the cartoon The Kids from Room 402.
Career: Partial Filmography[]
| Show | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Joanie Loves Chachi | ||
| Christmas Show | 1982 | Teleplay |
| Mork & Mindy | ||
| Gotta Run: Part 1 | 1982 | Story |
| Cheerleader in Chains | 1982 | Written by |
| I Don't Remember Mama | 1982 | Story Editor |
| Drive, She Said | 1982 | Written by |
| P.S. 2001 | 1981 | Written by |
| Laverne & Shirley | ||
| I Do, I Don't | 1982 | Written by |
| I Do, I Do | 1981 | Written by |
| Antonio, the Amazing | 1980 | Written by |
| Happy Days | ||
| Baby, It's Cold Inside | 1981 | Written by |
| No Tell Motel | 1980 | Written by |
Behind the Scenes[]
In a number of interviews Cindy Begel gave some insight into her days as a writer on the show, and the process involved shedding further light on the myth that Robin Williams add libbed all his lines. Recalling how one person, rather ridiculously, asked her if she just wrote 'Mindy's lines', and how impossible it would be to do a show like that.
The process involved would be the initial read through with everyone involved (cast, crew, costumes, writers etc. so everyone knew what was expected of the episode) where the cast would read the script, and bring the words to life. A thrill for her personally would be for Robin to laugh at one of her jokes, an achievement she felt was worth more than an Emmy as he wasn't just a straight actor but a genius comedian 'funnier' than anyone in the writing room. They would do the read through and some initial changes there and then if something wasn't working, but Robin would be happy with the lines if he got a laugh. The problem would be the next day as rehearsals proceeded, naturally he would read the lines again and get less laughs from those around him, as they'd already heard the gags. So he would request new lines or suggest others, and this would happen a couple of times up until actually shooting in front of the live audience. What would happen on that night, would be Robin would then choose from the 3 or 4 options presented to him during the week, with his innate comic gift inevitably guiding him to the right one (but at least the cast would be aware of the options). His actual adlibs on the night would actually be very few and far between.
Cindy Begel On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 4-29-20
Cindy Begel interviewed by Vicki Abelson 4/29/20 - Mork & Mindy Portion begins around 46:01
In both videos she also gave insight into what a shy man Robin Williams was on a one to one basis, and how he came alive in a group situation.
Writing for Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy
Cindy Begel interviewed by Graham Rogers on the BBC around the time of Robin William's passing.