Robert B. Weide
Robert B. Weide | |
---|---|
Born | June 20, 1959 |
Occupation | Documentarian, producer, director, screenwriter |
Notable works | Primetime Emmy Awards (1986, 1999, 2003) |
Spouse | Linda Bates Weide |
Website | |
www |
Robert B. Weide (born June 20, 1959) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He has directed a number of documentaries and was the principal director and an executive producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm for the show's first five years. His documentaries have focused on four comedians: W. C. Fields, Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, and Woody Allen. His latest documentary, Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021), explores the life and works of Kurt Vonnegut.
Weide has received an
Early work and education
Weide began working with film at an early job inspecting 16 mm educational films at the Fullerton Public Library in Orange County, California.
In 1978, while taking film production courses at
Career
W. C. Fields: Straight Up (1986)
Weide co-wrote W. C. Fields: Straight Up (1986) with Joseph Adamson and Ronald J. Fields. Adamson directed it, and
Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (1989)
Weide's next project concerned the career of Mort Sahl.[4] The project was part of the American Masters documentary series, which originally ran on PBS in 1989.[5]
Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth (1998)
In 1998, Weide directed the documentary
Curb Your Enthusiasm
From 2000 to 2005, Weide served as principal director and an executive producer of Larry David's HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm.[6] He became involved in the series after receiving a script by David titled "Prognosis Negative". In 1998 David told Weide that HBO was interested in doing a comedy special about David's return to stand-up—"ostensibly a documentary with some behind-the-scenes footage. And he told me he wanted me to direct it."[7] The special turned out to be the beginning of the series. Since then David and Weide have often collaborated, with Weide serving as a director and executive producer. Weide returned with the show in 2007, directing "The Anonymous Donor", and has continued to guest direct since.
Weide received several
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Weide's first feature film as director, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People, was released in October 2008, to generally unfavorable reviews,[11] though it topped the United Kingdom's box office during its opening weekend.[12]
Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)
Weide's next documentary,
Weide was the director and main writer for Mr. Sloane, a 2014 British comedy series.
Work with Kurt Vonnegut
I have some kind of knack for getting to know or becoming very close with people I've long admired. Kurt Vonnegut and I—it's not an exaggeration to say we were best friends. And I grew up just idolizing him."
— Weide in October 2008[6]
Weide wrote and produced the 1996 film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night. With Vonnegut's support, Weide chronicled him on film starting in 1988 and has obtained footage of him from 16 mm home movies dating back to 1925. Weide was also working on a film adaptation of The Sirens of Titan until the film rights were sold to another producer.
Writing under the pseudonym Wyaduck (a Marx Brothers reference), Weide was a frequent poster to Usenet group alt.books.kurt-vonnegut, where he reported on the progress of the Mother Night project. He was mentioned in Vonnegut's Timequake.[16]
In 2001, Weide directed a revival of Vonnegut's play Happy Birthday, Wanda June starring his wife, Linda Bates, as Penelope.[17]
Filmography
As writer
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1982 | Marx Brothers in a Nutshell | TV movie documentary | |
1984 | The Great Standups | TV movie documentary | |
1986 | W. C. Fields: Straight Up | TV movie documentary | |
1987 | Billy Crystal: Don't Get Me Started | TV special (short) | |
1989 | Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition | TV documentary special | |
1996 | Mother Night | Feature film | |
1998 | Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth | Documentary feature | |
2011 | Woody Allen: A Documentary | TV documentary special | |
2014 | Mr. Sloane | 6 episodes | |
2021 | Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time | Documentary |
As director
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | The Great Standups | TV movie documentary | |
1989 | Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition | TV documentary special | |
1998 | Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth | Documentary feature | |
1999 | Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm | TV movie – pilot | |
2000–2024 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | 30 episodes | |
2005 | Earth to America | (opening segment) | |
2008 | How to Lose Friends and Alienate People | Feature film directorial debut | |
2011 | Woody Allen: A Documentary | TV documentary special | |
2012 | Parks and Recreation | Episode: Dave Returns | |
2014 | Mr. Sloane | 6 episodes | |
2014 | Marry Me | Episode: Annicurser-Me | |
2016 | Graves | 2 episodes | |
2021 | Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time | Documentary |
Awards and nominations
Personal life
Weide married actress Linda Bates. His marriage to her and her subsequent issues with progressive supranuclear palsy are chronicled in Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time.[18]
References
- ^ a b "Marx Brothers in a Nutshell". Weide's official website. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "A Sketch of Robert B. Weide's Career". Weide's official website. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "'STRAIGHT UP' A TRIBUTE TO W.C. FIELDS". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 1986. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition". Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "Whyaduck Productions, Inc. – Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition".
- ^ a b Adam Baer (October 1, 2008). "Uncurbed enthusiasm". Salon.com. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Interview: Robert B. Weide". duckproductions.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ Weide, Robert. B. (April 5, 2020). "Robert B. Weide: My life as a meme after 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- ^ "Sí, pero, ¿quién es Robert B. Weide, "director" de todos los videos virales que circulan en Internet?". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Internet Thinks Year 2020 is Directed by Robert B Weide and the Meme 'Director' Has Thoughts". News18. March 23, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ How to Lose Friends & Alienate People at Metacritic .
- Toby Young's book, depicting his failed five-year attempt to make it in the U.S, as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, has shot to the top of the UK box office in its opening weekend. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People took £1.5 million over the weekend according to Screen International. It has, so far, failed to enjoy the same success in the US.
- ^ Woody Allen: A Documentary – About the Film, PBS.org American Masters, July 21, 2011. Note: the two-part film first aired on November 20 and 21, 2011.
- ^ "Woody Allen: A Documentary". Rotten Tomatoes. February 14, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ^ "Woody Allen, American Master". The New Yorker. November 15, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- Usenet: [email protected]. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
The reason I had to post to the NG right now is because I'm a little delirious. I'm not trying to gloat, but I can now say I'll die happy. I've lived every Vonnegut fan's ultimate dream... I'm in the book. (!!)
- ^ Monji, Jana J. (November 8, 2001). "A Vibrant 'Happy Birthday'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ Dawson, Angela (November 17, 2021). "Robert B. Weide Explores His Friendship With Kurt Vonnegut In Long-Awaited Documentary". Forbes. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
External links
- Robert B. Weide at IMDb
- Biography from the HBO website
- 40-Minute audio interview with Robert Weide on The Sound of Young America