Animal House to West Wing with Tim Matheson
In this exclusive episode of Dropping Names, we sit down with the legendary Tim Matheson to explore his incredible journey through Hollywood. From his iconic role in 'Animal House' to his unforgettable appearances in 'West Wing', Tim shares behind-the-scenes stories and insights that reveal the…
Two moments from this episode
Sorkin Keeps The Uh
On The West Wing, Tim Matheson added an unscripted "uh" in the middle of a long speech so he could turn and give attention to another reporter in the scene. He did not know the camera feed was going back to the production office where Sorkin was watching. As Matheson walked to his trailer, Sorkin came onto the stage to find him.
“And he goes, keep that uh. That was good.”
Anne Bancroft Stops The Set
On To Be or Not to Be, Mel Brooks was producing and acting but not directing. When he wandered onto the set in the afternoon and started giving notes on a scene between Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning, Bancroft asked everyone to stop and observe that Brooks was telling two Oscar winners how to play a scene.
“All right, all right, do it your way. Go ahead, go ahead, do it your way.”
Names dropped in this episode
109 names come up in this episode, in the order they are mentioned. Tap a timestamp to jump straight to that moment.
Donald Sutherland
3:45Star of MASH, Klute and Quicksand: No Escape Wikipedia ↗
“if somebody moved two blocks away, he goes, ah, cut, cut. Who's down there?”
Photo: Festival TV Monte-Carlo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Henry Fonda
5:25Screen legend, co-star of Yours, Mine and Ours Wikipedia ↗
“Who was just basically walk in, hit your mark, look them in the eye, and tell them the truth.”
Lucille Ball
5:25Comedy legend and studio head of Desilu Wikipedia ↗
“Here was this, this surgeon of comedy, Lucy, you know, she could... do a comic bit, physical comedy gag, and do it 15 times in a row.”
Spencer Tracy
6:51American actor Wikipedia ↗
William Holden
6:51American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s Wikipedia ↗
Barbara Stanwyck
7:24American actress and dancer Wikipedia ↗
Fred MacMurray
11:48Star of My Three Sons Wikipedia ↗
“He was such a movie star that he didn't really want to do TV. So they arranged the schedule where he'd come in like one week, a month”
Robert Young
12:26Star of Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby, M.D. Wikipedia ↗
“you also did a pilot that didn't sell with Robert Young... Called Window on Main Street”
Jane Wyatt
13:51American actress Wikipedia ↗
Elinor Donahue
13:53Retired American actress known for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and… Wikipedia ↗
Billy Gray
13:55American actor, competitive motorcycle racer and inventor, known for his role as Bud Anderson on the… Wikipedia ↗
Lauren Chapin
13:56Five time Jr. Emmy award winning American actress who played the role of the youngest child "Kathy… Wikipedia ↗
Michael Landon
21:40Star of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven Wikipedia ↗
“And I said, what are you drinking Almaden for? I mean, you could have the finest wines in the world. And he looked at it and he said, I like it.”
Photo: Alan Light · CC BY 2.0
Dan Blocker
23:05American television actor and Korean War veteran, who played Hoss Cartwright in the NBC Western… Wikipedia ↗
Frank Sinatra
23:05American singer, conductor, and actor Wikipedia ↗
Lorne Greene
24:25Ben Cartwright on Bonanza Wikipedia ↗
“working with Lorne was, for me at that point in my life... like when you get put on Santa's lap”
James Drury
26:31American actor Wikipedia ↗
Lee J. Cobb
26:31American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage, as well as for his… Wikipedia ↗
Doug McClure
26:31American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s Wikipedia ↗
John McIntire
26:55American character actor who appeared in 65 theatrical films and many television series Wikipedia ↗
Ward Bond
26:55American character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series… Wikipedia ↗
Mel Blanc
29:56Legendary voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Wikipedia ↗
“he also did all of the Looney Tunes characters. He did Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and Porky Pig”
Jack Benny
30:20American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one… Wikipedia ↗
June Foray
31:14American voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animated characters as… Wikipedia ↗
Marvin Miller
31:23Announcer/actor who narrated The Millionaire Wikipedia ↗
“Marvin Miller was the millionaire.”
Jackie Gleason
32:32Herbert John Gleason , known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer… Wikipedia ↗
Bob Hope
32:32Lester Townes "Bob" Hope was a British-born American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a… Wikipedia ↗
Dick Van Dyke
32:32American actor, comedian, singer, dancer and writer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 2.0
Mel Brooks
32:39Comedy legend, producer and star of To Be or Not to Be Wikipedia ↗
“Mel Brooks walks onto the set and he's trying to give notes to Oscar winner Charles Durning and Oscar winner Anne Bancroft”
Photo: Angela George · CC BY-SA 3.0
John Belushi
32:39Saturday Night Live star and Bluto in Animal House Wikipedia ↗
“He was just cuddly, you know? ... he's the Cookie Monster meets Harpo Marx.”
John Candy
32:42Canadian actor and comedian best known for his work in Hollywood comedy films Wikipedia ↗
Chevy Chase
32:43Comedian talked out of Animal House in favor of Foul Play Wikipedia ↗
“So Landis talked Chevy out of doing Animal House.”
Photo: Jesse Chang · CC BY-SA 2.0
Leslie Nielsen
32:47Actor who went from dramatic leading man to comedy icon in Airplane! and Naked Gun Wikipedia ↗
“he said, yeah, I invest in cars, you know. And he was collecting Rolls Royces”
Photo: Alan Light · CC BY 2.0
Tom Tryon
34:03American actor and novelist Wikipedia ↗
Robert Loggia
34:08Salvatore "Robert" Loggia was an American actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: JohannFarley · CC BY-SA 3.0
Steven Spielberg
35:41Director of Jaws, Close Encounters and 1941 Wikipedia ↗
“he contacted me and invited me to come in. He said, I got two parts in this movie you can play, and you get your pick.”
Photo: Martin Kraft · CC BY-SA 4.0
Anne Bancroft
35:50Oscar winner and Mel Brooks' wife Wikipedia ↗
“And Anne looks at the guy, and she goes, Mel! ... show him, Mel”
Peter Dinklage
36:07Emmy-winning actor, Threshold cast member Wikipedia ↗
“If I shoot Carla, then do you think maybe Brent's gonna want a close-up? ... and Peter Dinklage doesn't get it.”
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Charles S. Dutton
36:11American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
Photo: John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com · CC BY-SA 2.0
Carla Gugino
36:11American actress Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Miguel Discart & Kiri Karma (Photos Vrac) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Rob Benedict
37:09American actor, writer and musician Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Miguel Discart & Kiri Karma · CC BY-SA 4.0
Thomas Schlamme
39:08Director/producer of The West Wing Wikipedia ↗
“My oldest friend who I grew up with in Houston was Tommy Schlamme.”
Photo: Dominick D · CC BY 2.0
Aaron Sorkin
40:20Creator and writer of The West Wing Wikipedia ↗
“he opens the door, and he says, hey, Tim... keep that uh. That was good.”
Photo: Dominick D · CC BY 2.0
Howard Hawks
43:23Director of His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby Wikipedia ↗
“Hawks would always say to his actors, that's great, do it twice as fast.”
Don Williams
46:18American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame Wikipedia ↗
Toshiro Mifune
48:02Japanese actor and producer Wikipedia ↗
Brian De Palma
48:43Director of Carrie and Scarface Wikipedia ↗
“And he goes, oh, Brian De Palma's here.”
Photo: gdcgraphics · CC BY-SA 2.0
Doug Kenney
51:31American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film, who co-founded the magazine National… Wikipedia ↗
Ivan Reitman
55:03Canadian film director and producer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Jose Galvez, Los Angeles Times · CC BY 4.0
John Landis
55:06Director of Animal House Wikipedia ↗
“There was an infamous lunch where Landis was kind of counter-pitching Chevy.”
Photo: Pietro Luca Cassarino · CC BY-SA 4.0
Harpo Marx
56:38Arthur "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian, actor and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx… Wikipedia ↗
Stephen Furst
57:57American actor, director and producer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Lois Benton · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ernst Lubitsch
60:58German and American film director, producer, writer, and actor Wikipedia ↗
Robert Stack
60:58American actor and television host Wikipedia ↗
Charles Durning
62:14Oscar-nominated character actor in To Be or Not to Be Wikipedia ↗
“Charlie Durning and Anne are doing the scene, and Alan is directing them”
Clint Eastwood
65:40Actor-director, Magnum Force co-star Wikipedia ↗
“he goes, nah, no, I don't, you know, I like to say the words for the first time on camera.”
Ingmar Bergman
66:24Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Joost Evers / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Federico Fellini
66:29Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style that blends fantasy and baroque… Wikipedia ↗
Jean-Luc Godard
66:32French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gary Stevens · CC BY 2.0
Meryl Streep
68:37Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Ministry of culture, sports and Tourism- Lee J · CC BY-SA 4.0
Jeffrey Donovan
69:04American actor Wikipedia ↗
Angelina Jolie
69:06American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Saul Rubinek
70:56Canadian actor, director, producer, and playwright Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Keith McDuffee · CC BY 2.0
Mahershala Ali
71:34Oscar-winning actor of Moonlight and Green Book Wikipedia ↗
“here was one of the subordinate actors on Threat Matrix, Mahershala Ali... And I'm sitting in my car going, how the hell do I say his name?”
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sally Field
71:58Oscar winner, co-star of the Hitched pilot Wikipedia ↗
“they will hire Sally to be the wife and Tim to be the husband”
Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
Belinda Montgomery
72:17Canadian-American actress Wikipedia ↗
Richard Dreyfuss
73:31American actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: John Manard for Super Festivals/Galaxy Con · CC BY 2.0
Ted Bessell
74:50Actor from That Girl Wikipedia ↗
“she was sitting with Ted Bessel from That Girl... he said to Sally Field, and you tell them it's going to be called The Sally Field Show”
Margot Kidder
75:21Canadian and American actress and activist Wikipedia ↗
Dennis Quaid
75:43Actor who preceded Matheson in True West on stage Wikipedia ↗
“And Dennis Quaid said something that resonated for me. He said, you know, I always feel like theater, I feel like I'm being kept after school.”
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Daniel Stern
75:43American actor, artist, director, comedian, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Mingle Media TV · CC BY 2.0
Claude Akins
76:20American character actor Wikipedia ↗
Ernest Hemingway
77:05American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist Wikipedia ↗
Samantha Eggar
77:05Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar was an English actress Wikipedia ↗
Perry King
77:38American actor Wikipedia ↗
Alexander Scourby
77:48American film, television, and voice actor and narrator known for his deep and resonant voice and… Wikipedia ↗
Mitchell Ryan
78:03American actor and comedian Wikipedia ↗
David Bowie
79:00David Robert Jones , known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Adam Bielawski · CC BY-SA 3.0
Martha Stewart
79:23American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cybill Shepherd
79:27American actress, singer, and former model Wikipedia ↗
Photo: che (Please credit as Petr Novák, Wikipedia in · CC BY-SA 2.5
Bill Maher
79:28Comedian and talk show host Wikipedia ↗
“And Bill had such an attitude. And I just called him out. I called him out in makeup.”
Photo: Angela George · CC BY 3.0
Sam Kinison
79:34American stand-up comedian and actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: The World Famous Comedy Store · CC BY-SA 2.0
Jonathan Demme
83:10Oscar-winning director of The Silence of the Lambs Wikipedia ↗
“He was a press agent for UA or some part of the production of Yours, Mine, and Ours.”
Photo: Dan D'Errico / Montclair Film Festival · CC BY 2.0
Tony Roberts
84:30American actor known for his roles on stage and screen Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Greg2600 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Gary Goetzman
85:03Producer, Tom Hanks' partner at Playtone Wikipedia ↗
“Gary was always the producer, but Demi asked him to step back and let somebody else take producer credit”
George Raft
87:02Classic Hollywood tough-guy actor Wikipedia ↗
“say hello to everyone on the way up, because you're going to meet the same people on the way down”
Ronald Reagan
88:11American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 Wikipedia ↗
John F. Kennedy
88:35John Fitzgerald Kennedy , also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from… Wikipedia ↗
Nancy Reagan
89:03American actress who was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989 Wikipedia ↗
Cynthia Nixon
89:03Actress who played Nancy Reagan opposite Matheson Wikipedia ↗
“Cynthia Nixon played Nancy”
Photo: PhilipRomanoPhoto · CC BY 4.0
Arthur Hill
Canadian actor of film, stage, and television Wikipedia ↗
Konstantin Stanislavski
Seminal Russian and Soviet theatre practitioner Wikipedia ↗
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons.
Listen anywhere
Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Audible