THE STORIES!
KEVIN POLLAK SAVES “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE!”
In 1999, my first year with the The Mark & Brian Show,’ part of my job was to produce the Christmas Show and a live radio theater adaptation of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
This version of the film classic was to be a live radio production taking place at the Museum Of Broadcasting in Beverly Hills one week before the Christmas Show and I was stressed. The cast included Claudia Christian, Jess Harnell, Joe Mantegna, Dana Delany, Michael York, Judd Nelson, Garry Marshall, Mark & Brian.
The afternoon before the broadcast I got a call from Michael York’s publicist telling me that Michael had the flu and would not be able to play the two roles he had in the show. I was literally speechless, sitting in silence for what seemed an eternity, trying to think up a solution. The show was less than twenty-four hours away and we had a huge hole to fill!
Once I came out of my daze I called Brian only to get his answering machine. Mark was next on my list, so I woke him from his daily nap and laid out the situation. He told me to stand by while he made a call. Ten minutes later he told me that Kevin Pollak, a frequent guest and friend of the show, would come to the rescue and that I should messenger Kevin a script.
The next morning there I was directing some great actors, giving the live audience and radio listeners a very entertaining adaptation of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’