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Marc "Babaloo" Mandel (born October 13, 1949) is an American writer and producer. He first wrote episodic television comedy, then later began writing feature films and theatre.
Babaloo Mandel was born on 13 October 1949 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Splash (1983), Multiplicity (1996) and A League of Their Own (1992).
- January 1, 1
- Writer, Additional Crew, Producer
- New York City, New York, USA
- Babaloo Mandel
Babaloo Mandel was born on 13 October 1949 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Splash (1983), Multiplicity (1996) and A League of Their Own (1992).
- October 13, 1949
Marc "Babaloo" Mandel (born October 13, 1949) is an American writer and producer. He first wrote episodic television comedy, then later began writing feature films and theatre. He and long-time writing partner Lowell Ganz penned numerous high-profile films including Splash (1984), Parenthood (1989), City Slickers (1991), and A League of Their ...
- The Idea Behind City Slickers
- Writing Broad Comedies
- A Perfect Writing Team
- No Middle Ground
- Writing Characters
- Screenwriting Misfits
The initial spark of an idea actually came from Billy Crystal, who pitched us the premise. “We hadn’t met him yet,” said Ganz, “but he knew our work and we knew his work. So he invited us to a meeting and he pitched a one-liner, or elevator pitch, and wanted to know if we were interested.” It’s been argued that screenplays work best when writers ad...
“I don’t know if our comedic style is unique, but our movies tend to be very sincere. They’re not satirical. You are supposed to believe these characters exist in the real world,” pondered Ganz. “I don’t know if that is unique to us, but it’s specific to our writing.” In one film example, Splash, the majority of the story is real except for one fic...
Logistically, Ganz and Mandel work as an integrated team, chatting from opposite sides of the desk. “Every word in every one of our scripts came out of a session in which we were in the same room at the same time. One of us might get an idea driving to the office, but basically it’s very tight and conversational at work,” said the team.“Writing is ...
“We used to have a sign that said, ‘No one knows anything — especially us.’ It would hang above the desk in our old office just so, no matter how many hits you got, we didn’t want to fall in the trap of ‘We know the code.’” The writers said they learned this after the release of their first movie in 1982, Night Shift, which starred Henry Winkler an...
All in all, despite changes in the industry, the writers always write people. One could argue the type of movies they wrote have gone to television, but in terms of staying relevant, true characters are always appreciated no matter the decade. “When we wrote Fever Pitch, about young people, no one told us those weren’t relatable characters. We were...
In the good ol’ days, when people like Ron Howard, Penny Marshall or Billy Crystal had deals with the studios, the writers could talk to them about a project, then they would approach the studio, and the movie would essentially be in the works. For City Slickers, they discussed the idea of “running of the bulls” to start the movie. They pitched thi...
Jul 1, 2022 · Legendary comedy screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel dive deep into creating the surprise hit that's endured across generations. By Andy Greene. July 1, 2022. ©Columbia...
Marc "Babaloo" Mandel (born October 13, 1949) is an American writer and producer. He first wrote episodic television comedy, then later began writing feature films and theatre.
