Platypus Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Platypus Man | |
|---|---|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Richard Jeni |
| Starring | Richard Jeni Ron Orbach Denise Miller David Dundara |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30:00 (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | UPN |
| Original run | January 23, 1995 – July 10, 1995 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The television series Platypus Man is a short-lived American sitcom on UPN in 1995. [1] The television series was based on an HBO hour-long special titled "Platypus Man" filmed in 1992.
In the early 1990s, stand-up comedian Richard Jeni developed a comedy routine where he watched a National Geographic special on platypus. In the routine, Jeni went on to describe how he found himself relating to the TV show, and the concept of a "platypus man" was expanded to become the theme behind Jeni's 1992 HBO comedy special.
The set design for the special was created by Norm Dodge and included a checkered tile floor, a backdrop with painted-on palm trees, a refrigerator and microwave at one end of the stage (provided by Aronson Furniture, for a comedic bit entitled "Bill the Belching Gourmet"), and a black sofa at the other end of the stage. This design was reproduced in clay for the opening sequence of "Platypus Man," in which art director Rick Toone of D&K Group/Claymagic used the process of claymation to introduce the show with the help of a duck-billed clay version of Richard Jeni and footage from the platypus exhibit at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The live-action portions of the opening sequence were shot inside and outside of Jeni's house in the Hollywood Hills (in the bedroom, bathroom, hallway, driveway, balcony and pool area) and on the streets of West Hollywood, California. The song "Platypus Man" that opened and closed the special was created with the combined efforts of Scott May, Richard Jeni and fellow comedian Rondelle Sheridan, and sung in a blues-like voice by Jeni.
The HBO special "Platypus Man" was taped in 1992 at the Park West Theater in Chicago, Illinois and covered topics such as news ("the bad news"), sports (including Jeni's classic "NFL Football Referee" routine), politics, music and sex. Executive producers on the project were Richard Jeni and Michael Rotenberg, it was produced by Tom Bull and Sandy Chandley, and post-production was handled by Steve Sharp and Juniper Recording Studios. "Platypus Man" was nominated for a CableACE Award for director/editor Keith Truesdell, in the category of "Directing a Comedy Special"; the CableACE Awards aired on January 16, 1994.
For the television series Platypus Man, Richard Jeni played a character named "Richard Jeni," host of a cooking show called Cooking with the Platypus Man. Ron Orbach played Lou, executive producer of his cooking show and his best friend since childhood. Denise Miller played Paige, his sportswriter neighbor. David Dundara played Tommy, his bartending younger brother.
Platypus Man premiered January 23, 1995. The concept of a "Platypus Man" (a solitary male, like the male platypus), the concept of a "cooking show for guys" and the scenes involving the main character's social life were drawn from Jeni's stand-up routines. [2] It lasted one season, with a total of thirteen episodes.
The show, paired with Pig Sty and followed by drama Live Shot, comprised the first night of programming ever shown on UPN.
[edit] References
- ^ Carter, Bill (October 6, 1994). A New Network Hopes To Lure Fox Viewers. New York Times
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (January 30, 1995). Television Review; 2 New Sitcoms, 1 New Network. New York Times
