Howard Storm (born December 11, 1931) is an American TV and film director,[1] television director, and actor.
Biography[]
Filmography[]
In 1975, he began his directing career, directing episodes of Laverne & Shirley, Busting Loose, Joanie Loves Chachi, Mork & Mindy, Taxi, The Redd Foxx Show, Full House, ALF, and Head of the Class, among other series.[2]
He also wrote the Season Happy Days episode "Kiss Me Sickly" (episode #22), and the Season 2 Joanie Loves Chachi episode "One-on-One" (episode #3).
Howard's acting credits also include The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Rhoda, and Sanford and Son, among other television series.
In 1985, Storm directed his first and only feature film, Once Bitten, starring Lauren Hutton and Jim Carrey.[1] In 2010, he made a small guest appearance in the film Valentine's Day.
Mork & Mindy[]
Howard served as the unofficial "house director" of Mork & Mindy, for the first three seasons directing 59 of the series' 95 episodes; via his connection to the Garry Marshall / Thomas Miller / Edward K. Milkis TV show production team,
Getting the Gig[]
Sudden Fame[]
Network Interference[]
Tricky Guest Star[]
Raquel Welch's appearance on Mork & Mindy is both famous and infamous. Resulting from ABC-TVs intent to increase the T&A / 'jiggle factor' in their shows (lending the 2nd season of the show an even more uneven feel), Welch, Broadway star and dancer, Vicky Frederick (of Dancin' and A Chorus Line fame), and Playboy Playmate of the Year Debra Jo Fondren were brought in to play Nirvana, Sutra and Kama, members of the Necroton Black Army, the Orkan's nemeses
While Frederick and Fondren are remembered fondly by the cast and crew of the show, the same cannot be said of Welch's appearance. Cast as Captain Nirvana, the leader of the expedition to find Mork, extract his knowledge of Earth and make the call whether to invade or destroy the planet, Welch reportedly caused disruption both prior to and through the shoot.
Howard Storm the show's director recalls at length the issues that were had on set. "Raquel Welch was any director’s nightmare,” according to Storm. [3]
"The first day, we do the read-through. Raquel is on my right and the two girls are on her right. After the read through, we dismiss everybody but the star and then we aks, "Do you have any questions?" Present are Bruce Johnson and Dale McRaven, who are the Exec Producers, Garry Marshall, Pam Dawber, Robin, Raquel and me. Raquel says, 'Yes. Who are the girls that are going to play my lieutenants?' I tell her 'The two girls who just read with you'. She says 'Oh I didn't notice them.' I ask 'Anything else, Raquel?' She says 'Yes my entrance doesn't work. They can't come in before me. I have to come in first.' I tell her, 'But Raquel, if you come in first.' I tell her, 'But Raquel, if you come in first and they come in after you, they're going to pull the eye away from. The idea is that one girl comes, walks downstage left, poses and, and the audience knows that's not you. There's anticipation. The other girl comes in, walks downstage right, poses. No, that's not you. And then you enter and you're center stage and there you are, flanked by your two lieutenants!' Raquel says 'No, they can't come in before me, but I have an idea. Supposing they wear dog masks and I lead them in leashes.'" [4]
Storm recalls how this led to a direct issue with Pam Dawber, "While we're rehearsing, she's still pushing for dog masks, but we're not going to do that. Robin tells her, 'the entrance is really good as it stands. Its exciting.'" Robin was trying to talk her around to their idea as having the other girls playing her Lieutenants come in after her, would take focus away from her (the opposite of what Welch was actually going for). As Robin was trying to explain it to her. Pam who was with him says “You know, Raquel, Robin is right.” "Raquel steps in front of Pam, blocking her off from Robin, saying, “Honey, please.” Then she turns her back on Pam and continues talking to Robin"
“Pam made a fist and made believe she was hitting [Raquel Welch] in the back of the head, and walked away,” says Storm. After that, “Pam would do that every time she came on stage. She’d sneak up behind Raquel, and make believe she was punching her in the head."
"Raquel," he recalled, "has her fiancé with her, a Frenchman named Andre Weinfeld who has worked in French TV. He stands behind me and every time I give her a note, I see her look past me to see what Andre thinks. After awhile, I start to spin around really fast to catch him giving her either a nod or a shake of the head. One day I tell her, 'Raquel, I need you a little closer to Robin for the two-shot. You realize that's one of the most brilliant notes a director has ever given an actress.' She says, 'What are you talking about?' I say, 'I know it's great because Andre agreed with me,' and I walk away. The fight ends in a split decision. Raquel gets to make her entrance before the two girls, but we nix the dog masks."[4]
Difficulties Directing Robin / Leaving the Show[]
Storm recalled Robin Williams starting in to use drugs during the second season of the show, and that 'During the third season, Robin's problem with [cocaine] worsens. Once the show becomes hot, all the stars want to hang out with with this brilliant, young, new performer. He's invited to every A-list party and there's loads of coke just sitting there. I try it once or twice and I don't like it, but Robin gets into it an a big way." He recounted how he began to "show up an hour and a half late, and there's always an excuse: "The cab broke down" or "I couldn't get a cab". Storm states "To come down from the coke high, people drink booze, so Robin's on vodka and coke and it's a very sad thing to watch. Robin comes to the set and we rehearse awhile and then we take a break for five minutes and we can't find him. He's either in a cupboard or under the bleachers. He finds a place to hide so he can grab five minutes of sleep. He's exhausted. He's burning the candle at both ends..." [5]
Storm remembers how it began to wear both on William's performance and his own work, telling William's "Your work is getting mediocre and my work is getting mediocre. If you're not willing to come in her and give a hundred percent, I'm going to leave." William's replied "No,no Papa! Don't do it! I'll be good!" But he asserts "As Robin's coke problem worsens it becomes more difficult to interact with him creatively. I go to the green room to give him notes and he's lying down. I don't know if he's awake or asleep. I feel foolish leaning over somebody, talking to them and their eyes are closed." He recalls how to get his attention he would "kick him in the shoulder" and this would happen with increasing frequency. Finally, Storm states, he tells him "Robin, I can't do this anymore." Telling him he either takes notes properly, or private notes or whatever he wants but he can't keep doing this. At the same time, Storm recounts, "I'm offered seventeen episodes on Taxi, and I figure that will be a nice change." He is also tired of the misconception that he just 'lets Robin loose'. After speaking with, and to his relief, getting Garry Marshall's blessing he takes the Taxi job. "I'm excited about the job on Taxi, but I'm sad about leaving Mork & Mindy, because I love Robin and I love working with him and Pam."[5]
"Years later [Pam] tells me, 'You were the only director that Robin respected, because you weren't intimidated by him. Every time you left and someone else came in, it was a problem.' As nice a guy as Robin is, when a director is not controlling the scene, the actor will eat him up alive. From what I hear, Robin has trouble with a lot of the directors who follow me." [5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Janet Maslin (November 15, 1985). Once Bitten (1985) FILM: 'ONCE BITTEN,' VAMPIRE HUMOR.
- ↑ The Howard Storm Script Collection
- ↑ Mork & Mindy Was One Of The Most Unlikely Miracles.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Imperfect Storm:From Henry Street to Hollywood - Chapter 22.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Howard Storm - "The Imperfect Storm: From Henry Street to Hollywood" Chapter 24 (2019).
