>>

YOU KNOW THE NAMES JOHN

CANDY, GUILD ARE

RADNER, BILL

MURRAY

AN

IMPORTANT FIGURE

MENTORED

THESE.

BERNIE

SAHLINS

MAY NOT BE A

HOUSEHOLD NAME BUT PEOPLE

WHO

KNOW THEATER

AND

COMEDY KNOW HIS

INFLUENCE.

HE DIED SUNDAY AT THE AGE OF

90678

WE'RE JOINED NOW BY

FRIENDS

AND

COLLEAGUES

INCLUDING

SHELDON

PATINKIN,

MARTHA AND

MATT THE DIRECTOR

OF

SECOND CITY

TRAINING

CENTER.

CONDOLENCES TO ALL OF YOU ON THE

LOSS OF

YOUR

FRIEND.

>>THANK YOU.

>>SHELDON, HOW LONG DID YOU

KNOW BERNIE?

>>60 YEARS.

>>60 YEARS.

>>YEAH, WE

HAD A THEATER

THAT

WE BROKE AWAY FROM

THE

UNIVERSITY OF

CHICAGO THEATER

IN

FORM CALLED

PLAYWRIGHTS

THEATER

CLUB IN

1953.

I'M GIVING AWAY MY

AGE.

AND BERNIE WAS ONE OF THE

PRODUCERS.

I WAS THE STAGE

MANAGER,

PRODUCTION MANAGER,

MUSICAL

DIRECTOR, BOX OFFICE

MANAGER,

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND

ACTOR

ONLY WHEN WE

HAD

TOO

MANY ROLES

FOR THE NUMBER OF THE PEOPLE

IN

ENSEMBLE.

THE FIRST THING I REMEMBER ABOUT

BERNIE, HE HAD

HIS

OWN

BUSINESS.

HE HAD

TAPE RECORDERS.

>>THAT'S WHERE HE GOT

HIS

BUSINESS ACUMEN WITH A TAPE

RECORDER COMPANY.

>>THAT'S

RIGHT.

HE REALLY WANT TO DO

THEATER.

BERNIE WHO WE JUST MET

CAME INTO

THE THEATER

ONE

DAY, THERE WAS

MAYBE THREE OR FOUR O

F US, LATE

SUMMER, HE SAID

COME

ON I'LL

TAKE TO YOU MY FAVORITE

RESTAURANT IN

TOWN SOX WE

WERE -- IN

TOWN

.

SO WE WERE

POOR, HUNGRY AND

YOUNG AND HAD

VISIONS MORE

THAN

SUGAR PLUMS DANCING IN OUR

HEADS

AND HE TOOK

US TO

FLUKIES

HOT

DOG STAND NORTH ON

WESTERN WHICH

REALLY WAS HIS

FAVORITE

RESTAURANT.

>>HE WASN'T KIDDING?

>>HE WAS

NOT KIDDING AT

ALL.

>>WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF

HIS.

>>

SHELDON INTRODUCE MED

TO

HIM.

I WAS

TAKING IMPROVE CLASSES

FROM SHELDON WITH A GROUP OF

PEOPLE IN 1981

OR SO AND

BERNIE

WAS AROUND AND I WAS INTRODUCED

TO BERNIE.

IN

FACT, DO YOU KNOW THAT I

AUDITIONED FOR ONE OF THOSE

SECOND CITY

COMPANIES?

>>REALLY.

>>I WAS ALL

OF.

[ LAUGHTER ]

-- I WAS AWFUL.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>>I

HAVE

KNOWN BERNIE AND JANE

SINCE THEN AND THEY ARE

VERY,

VERY FREQUENT THEATER

GOERS AND

THEY ARE -- THEY ARE

REALLY BIG

PART OF THE CULTURAL

SCENE.

SO I'VE SEEN HIM THROUGHOUT THE

YEARS AND, HE

ALSO THEN BEGAN

CREATING

PERFORMANCES BASED ON

VERSE DRAMA WHICH GIVES

YOU SOME

IDEA OF THAT GUYS

RANGE.

>>SO MANY

PEOPLE THINK OF

BERNIE

SAHLINS AND THINK

COMEDY,

SECOND

CITY,

IMPROV

ALL THAT

BUT

HE HAD TREMENDOUS RANGE.

HE STUDIED THE

CLASSIC AND

INTERESTED IN ALL KINDS OF

THEATER.

WHAT WAS HIS SIGNIFICANCE TO THE

WORK YOU DO?

>>FIRST

MARTHA I'M SORRY

THAT

WE RUINED YOUR

CAREER.

I APOLOGIZE ON

BEHALF OF SECOND

CITY AND BERNIE.

>>THINK

OF WHAT SHE COULD HAVE

MADE OF

HERSELF.

>>WE HOLD SO MANY PEOPLE

BACK.

>>SHE'S REALLY A GOOD

ACTOR.

>>THAT'S WHAT WE LOOK

FOR.

WE'RE ACTORS FIRST,

COMEDIANS

SECOND.

WE USES TO BE.

I STARTED DIRECTING

FOR SECOND

CITY IN THE EARLY

2000S AND IT

TOOK A FEW

SHOWS FOR

ME TO

DIRECT TO AND PAID ATTENTION AND

KNEW.

HE WAS NOT ACTIVE IN THE THEATER

ON A

DAILY

BASIS

FOR

SOME TIME

THEN.

I REMEMBER WHEN I GOT HIM AT THE

FRONT BAR AND

REINTRODUCED

MYSELF BECAUSE HE

WASN'T UP

TO

DATE ON WHO I

WAS OR WHATEVER.

HE SAID I HAVE HEARD BUT

GIVE ME

A CALL.

HE WROTE DOWN

HIS PHONE

NUMBER

ON PROBABLY A

NAPKIN OF

SOME

KIND.

HE SAID CALL ME.

I CALLED HIM.

IT WAS HIS HOME NUMBER BECAUSE

HE DIDN'T HAVE A CELL PHONE AND

HE WAS AT HOME BEFORE DINNER

AND

HE SAID I WANT TO YOU MEET ME

FOR COFFEE.

MEET ME

AT

THIS TIME AND THIS

PLACE AND BRING A

PENCIL.

THAT WAS THE END OF THE

CONVERSATION.

I WAS CHARMD BY

THAT.

HE WAS DIRECT AND TO THE POINT

AND I COULD TELL HE WANTED TO

TALK ABOUT THINGS.

THAT COFFEE

WAS WHEN I GOT

TO

KNOW HIM.

IT ENDED UP BEING ABOUT A

TWO-HOUR COFFEE.

>>WHAT WERE SOME OF THE

THINGS

HE

TOLD?

>>HE

WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE

YOUNGER GENERATION AND WHETHER

WE WORRIED ABOUT THE SCENE

WORK

AND THE

INTELLECTUAL PART OF IT.

HE WAS AN

--

INTELLECTUAL GUY.

HE BELIEVED PERHAPS

RIGHTFULLY

SO THAT SECOND CITY'S

AUDIENCE

WAS MORE

DIVERSE, MORE GENERAL,

MORE BROAD,

MORE

SUBURBAN IN A

WAY.

AND PART AFTER THIS FRUSTRATED

HIM.

BUT IT WAS -- PART

OF THAT

FRUSTRATED HIM AND THAT WAS PART

OF THE SUCCESS OF THE

ALUMS THAT

WENT ON TO

FAME AND

FORTUNE THAT

MORE PEOPLE SOUGHT OUT SECOND

CITY AS A PLACE

TO GO TO

FIND

FUNNY.

HE WAS CONCERNED THAT WE WERE

FORGETTING THAT THE

ORIGINS OF

THE THEATER WERE IN

THE HONEST

SCENE WORK

AND

SATIRE.

MY WHOLE ROLE IN THAT TWO

HOURS

OFFICE TO CONVINCE HIM

THAT

WEAPON HADN'T LOST SENSE --

THAT

WE HADN'T LOST SENSE OF

THAT.

>>LET'S GO BACK TO

THE ORIGINS

OF SECOND

CITY.

BERNIE WAS ON THE SHOW AND

HERE

IS WHAT HE SAID ABOUT

THE EARLY

DAYS.

>>YOU

SEE, WE WERE

OUT OF WORK

AND WE NEED AID

PLACE TO

SIT.

[LAUGHTER]

IN THOSE DAYS YOU BUILT A COFFEE

SHOP.

WE STARTED BUILDING A

COFFEE

SHOP.

ALL THESE

OUT OF

WORK

ACTORS,

PAUL AND MYSELF

WE SAID

LET'S

PUT A LITTLE SHOW ON.

THE FIRST NIGHT

THERE

WERE IN

THE COLD DECEMBER THERE WERE

500

PEOPLE OUT

THERE.

I PERSONALLY HAVE MET

2,000

PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

>>SHELDON NOW

WE TAKE SECOND

CITY FOR GRANTED.

THE PUBLIC TAKES ITS FOR

GRANTED, ITS INFLUENCE AND

ALL

OF THAT.

REMIND US HOW IT WAS DIFFERENT

FROM WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN

THE

50s.

>>THE

COMPASS CAME

BEFORE

SECOND CITY AND WAS MORE OR LESS

THE SAME BUT WAS IN THE

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

A

REA AND

DEPENDED ON THAT

AUDIENCE FOR

WHAT IT WAS.

IN FACT,

WHAT

DAVID

SHEPHERD WHO

WAS THE

PRODUCER MOVED IT

NORTH,

IT DIDN'T DO AS WELL.

WE WANTED TO OPEN

ANOTHER

COMPASS, WELL BERNIE AND PAUL

WANTED TO OPEN IT.

DAVID WOULDN'T LET THEM HAVE THE

NAME.

BUT INSTEAD OF

OPENING

IT IN

THE

UNIVERSITY AREA,

WE OPENED IT

A

BLOCK AWAY FROM

WHERE SECOND

CITY IS RIGHT

NOW AS A MATTER OF

FACT -- NO SEVERAL BLOCKS

AWAY.

ON A STRETCH OF WELLS

STREET

THAT NO

LONGER

EXISTS

1842 NORTH

WELLS, WHERE DO I REMEMBER THAT

AND NOT WHO I

MET YESTERDAY?

[LAUGHTER]

AND IT WAS A RECONVERTED -- IT

WAS TWO STORES,

A

RECONVERTED

CHINESE LAUNDRY AND

A

RECONVERTED

HOT

SHOP.

-- HAT

SHOP.

WE WERE

THE FIRST

STOREFRONT

THEATER.

>>ONE OF THE THINGS HAROLD SAID

HE MADE IT OKAY TO BE SMART

ABOUT

HUMOR.

HE HELPED ESTABLISH

HUMOR AS

SOMETHING THAT IT WAS OKAY

TO BE

INTELLECTUAL AND LOVE

HUMOR.

>>WE WERE OFF IN

THE

UNIVERSITY.

OUR AUDIENCES WERE DOCTORS AND

LAWYERS AND MANY,

MANY

PSYCHO

ANALYSTS, ALL

OF WHOSE CHILDREN

WERE IN VERY BAD

SHAPE.

AND

PROFESSIONALS, GENERALLY

SPEAKING.

THE REFERENCE LE

VEL WAS VERY

DIFFERENT IN THOSE DAYS FROM

WHAT IT IS NOW.

WHEN MIKE AND ELAINE

WERE DOING

THEIR -- MIKE

NICHOLS

AND

ELAINE

WERE DOING THE

NIGHTCLUB ACT AND

BROADWAY ACT THEY WOULD ASK

FOR

AN AUTHOR,

ANY

AUTHOR

FROM ANY

TIME, ANY PLACE AND THEY

WOULD

IMPROVISE THE

SCENE IN ANY

PLACE.

>>WOULD YOU

GET STEPHEN

KING IF

YOU ARE LUCKY.

BUT WHAT

BERNIE

RESENTED, THAT

MATT WAS

TALKING

ABOUT WAS THAT

THE REFERENCE LEVEL WAS

TELEVISION AND

THE

REFERENCE

LEVEL WAS MOVIES,

BLOCKBUSTERS

MOSTLY.

AND HE WAS

CONVINCED

THAT THE

REFERENCE LEVEL OF THE

SHOWS

COULD STILL BE

AS

INTELLECTUALLY

ORIENTED OR

LITERARILY O

RIENTED

AS IT WAS AND THE AUDIENCE WOULD

KNOW WHAT WAS

HAPPENING.

AND ANY TIME IT IS AND MATT HAS

BEEN VERY HELPFUL

IN DOING THAT,

THEY GET IT.

THEY

DO.

>>

MARTHA, TALK

ABOUT HIS

INTEREST -- CONTINUING INTEREST

IN THEATER IN

GENERAL AND WHAT

HE MEANT IN THE

THEATER

COMMUNITY BEYOND THE COMEDY

WORLD.

>>FOR ONE THING, PHIL, HE HAD A

VERY SPECIFIC

IMPACT

ON

THEATER.

SHELDON IS THE ONE

WHO

INTRODUCED THE FOLKS ATHE ST

STEPPANWOLF TO BERNIE.

THEY

WERE

LEAVING AFTER BEING IN

HIGHLAND

PARK.

THEY HIRED PEOPLE

PART-TIME TO

DO BUSINESS

STUFF AND THOSE

GUYS

SAID, LOOK, THERE'S NO

MONEY, WE

HAVE TO CLEZ

AND

RUSS SMITH WHO

WAS THE FIRST

MANAGING DIRECTOR

JOHN

MALKOVICH'S

ROOMMATE IN

COLLEGE.

THEY SAID WE HAVE TO

MOVE TO

CHICAGO AND GET A NEW BOARD.

IT'S BERNIE WHO HE

CONNECTED

THEM

TO WHO WAS

HELPFUL IN

BUILDING A BOARD AND CONNECTING

THEM.

AND ALSO VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH

RICHARD WHO WAS ALREADY COMING

BUT I THINK

WAS

ENCOURAGED.

>>A.

CLAIMED THEATER

CRITIC.

>>

YES,

THEY'RE THEY ARE

CRITIC.

WHAT RUSS SAID TO ME

IN REGARD

TO

BERNIE'S INFLUENCE HE HELPED

THEM

GAIN A CERTAIN

AMOUNT OF

LEG MATCY, THESE

PEOPLE

ARE

SERIOUS.

BERNIE

HAS ALWAYS TAKEN

THAT

INTEREST --

>>HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON

BRINGING

WAITING FOR

GOODEAU

TO

CHICAGO.

>>MATT WE MENTIONED AT THE

BEGINNING OF THE SEGMENT ALL THE

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT

HE MENTORED.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT

MEANT TO

HIM TO

BE BRING IN

GENERATION

AFTER GENERATION OF TALENTED

PEOPLE?

>>IT'S PART OF WHAT DRIVES

FOLKS LIKE BERNIE TO THE

BUSINESS IN THE FIRST

PLACE

IS

CULTIVATING AND CONNECTING TO

PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THINGS AND

ARE PASSION ABOUT THE WORLD AND

HAVE OPINIONS AND

POINT OF

VIEWS.

HE WAS A VERY

OPINIONATED

PERSON

AND EVEN

IN MY

CONVERSATIONS

WITH HIM, IT WAS A

TWO-HOUR

ARGUMENT.

I HAD TO BE PREPARED AND HE

CHALLENGED MY

POINT

OF

VIEW.

HE RESPONDED TO

THAT

AND

COMEDIANS TEND TO

BE THAT

KIND

OF PERSON.

>>HE

SAID AT

ITS BEST IT'S

NOT

A COMEDY OF COMMENT.

>>FIRST OF ALL WE DON'T

DO

JOKES.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN

PART

OF

PRINCIPLE OF WHAT SECOND CITY IS

THAT IT'S NOT US

AGAINST THE

AUDIENCE IT'S THAT WE'RE

IN THIS

TOGETHER.

AND

BERNIE LIKED

SCENES, YOU

THIS USED TO BE CALLED PEOPLE

SCENES, NOW THEY ARE CALLED

BEHAVIOR SCENES THAT ARE

ABOUT

INTERPERSON

RELATIONSHIPS.

>>HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REMEMBER

BERNIE?

>>60 YEARS OF

ONE OF MY

BEST

FRIENDS,

MAN WHO

REALLY

IS

RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT MY

CAREER

IS OVER AND OVER AND

OVER

AGAIN.

THE WAY I STARTED AT SECOND

CITY

I WAS A COLLEGE

ENGLISH TEACHER

BECAUSE I WAS BEING A GOOD

JEWISH BOY AND GETTING

OUT OF

SHOW

BUSINESS.

[ LAUGHTER ]

AND HE CALLED

ME ONE

NIGHT

AND

SAID, YOU STILL

AN ENGLISH

TEACHER?

AND I SAID, YEAH.

HE SAID ARE YOU GOING TO BE AN

ENGLISH

TEACHER THE REST

OF Y

OUR

LIFE?

I SAID WHAT DO YOU WANT

BERNIE?

I HE SAID I WANT YOU TO

TAKE

OVER AS

MANAGER AND

ASSISTANT

DIRECTOR FOR PAUL AND I

TOOK THE

JOB.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING

HERE AND

AGAIN

OUR

CONDOLENCES.

>>THANK YOU.

HE WILL BE MISSED.

>>

INDEED.