Television icon divulges juicy history in Hollywood

By: Gavin Godfrey

Posted: 4/20/06

George Schlatter is certain that he never saw Goldie Hawn naked, but when it comes to her British co-star Judy Carne, the American television icon was not so sure.

"I thought I saw (her) naked, but I wasn't sure because she has two backs," Schlatter said.

The famed writer, director and producer of the classic 1968 series "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" shared several crazy memories from his life last night with a standing-room-only crowd at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The event was sponsored by Newhouse and started with a brief introduction by Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University and a television, radio and film professor.

Thompson began with a story about a trip to Schlatter's Los Angeles home. Standing in the living room, Thompson stood in awe of the all the books Schlatter had placed on the shelves. The star-struck professor tried to reach and skim through various texts, but couldn't get through them with all the Emmy award trophies in his way. The glow in Thompson's eyes was obvious as Schlatter headed to the lectern.

"I must admit, I am little giddy right now," Thompson said.

From the moment he opened his mouth, Schlatter had the crowd's attention at his fingertips, but before he divulged into his wild tales of Hollywood and celebrity life, Schlatter made it a point to address his youthful audience. He remarked that in this era of time that the world revolves around communications.

The current generation of communications college students are going to save the world, but they must make up for the past mistakes of their elders, he said. With the quick, cunning humor that made his show so popular, Schlatter jokingly blamed his generation for the $4 trillion national debt.

"How did we let this happen?" he asked. "We had to be stoned to leave you guys with a four trillion dollar debt. I'm letting you guys know right now that whatever path you choose, it is going to be tough."

After the quick motivational anecdote, Schlatter went into sharing some gritty details of his rise to television broadcast success. The self-proclaimed "cocky" speaker opened up about his experiences about everything from film legend Milton Burrow dropping his pants in front of him to threatening to drown Judy Garland if she didn't apologize for walking away from him while he was trying to serenade her by singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow." In response to this, Garland grabbed the nearest lamp and chased Schlatter through the studio, threatening to beat him.

He swore the incredibly outrageous incident with Garland was all in good fun, reiterating that laughter among friends is never a bad thing. Schlatter made the point by noting, "Humor is the great lubricant of our lives."

For the last half of the lecture, Schlatter discussed the makings and eventual sensation of "Laugh-In." The 1960s were booming years for television, and the comedic style of Schlatter's show was something never done before. The producers, writers and directors wanted to create something as close to the edge as possible, he said. In the middle of the entire flurry was a 30-year-old Schlatter who had a ton of money invested in the NBC series.

Both Schlatter and Thompson credit "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" as setting the precedent for Saturday Night Live, MTV and the myriad of reality television shows. Schlatter's undeniable humor was contagious and caught on to everyone in the attendance.

"He was fantastic," said Mukesh Vidyasagar, a televison, radio and film graduate student. "The man is knowledgeable, and he knows to communicate with people."

Vidyasagar was amazed at Schlatter's ability to relate to the crowd through such fresh and witty humor. One example was Schlatter's commentary on today's pop culture. In response to inquiries by the crowd during the question and answer period, Schlatter touched on everything from the fakeness of "Survivor" to the justification of Viagra.

"Viagra's not that bad," he said. "I take it myself so that I won't fall out of bed."

Alanna Miller, a graduate student also studying television, radio and film, attended a screening of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" last week and was happy to meet the man behind the curtains. Miller, who will graduate this summer, was impressed with Schlatter's enthusiasm for the business.

Though full of laughs and enough true Hollywood stories to fill a DVD for E!, Schlatter wanted to his audience to leave with the proper motivation to achieve anything in their future.

"Don't be afraid to be relevant," Schlatter said. "Never be afraid to say anythi