Tracey Ullman Takes on New York | |
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Written by |
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Directed by | Don Scardino |
Starring | |
Composers | |
Country of origin | United States |
Production | |
Executive producer | Allan McKeown |
Producer | David Wimbury |
Cinematography | Constantine Makris |
Editor | Michael Hunt |
Running time | 50 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | HBO |
Release | October 9, 1993 |
Related | |
Tracey Ullman Takes on New York is an HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman. The show was Ullman's first project for network; it led to the creation of the sketch comedy series Tracey Takes On...
Visiting Wisconsin couple Penny and Gordon Johnson get separated in the Big Apple. After actress Linda Granger is hit by a bus, Penny takes over her role in Finian's Rainbow playing on Broadway.
Fashion magazine editor, Janie Pillsworth is reunited with the parents she disowned thanks to a colleague who is vying for her job.
Harry and Fern Rosenthal welcome their daughter's future in-laws to the city. Fern becomes jealous and suspicious of her future son-in-law's mother.
After ending her eponymous Fox show in 1990, Ullman chose to take a break from television and concentrate on motherhood, having given birth to her second child in 1991. That same year, her husband, independent British television producer, Allan McKeown placed a bid a television franchise in the South of England. Along with his bid he included a potential television programming lineup which included a Tracey Ullman special. [1] When his bid was successful, Ullman created the ITV comedy special, Tracey Ullman: A Class Act , which lampooned the British class system. [2] After its success, the American cable network HBO became interested in her doing a special for them. The one caveat was that the show focus on an "American" subject. [3] Ullman chose New York. The special entitled Tracey Ullman Takes on New York was filmed on location in Manhattan over a period of three weeks. [4] Three new characters were created for her to portray, along with Janie Pillsworth, and Janie's mother, Jacqueline; both characters were created and appeared in the previous British Class Act special. Weeks after the special's broadcast, HBO aired A Class Act on November 23, 1993, the special that initially sparked their interest. [5] After the success of both specials, HBO became interested in Ullman doing a "takes on" series. Ullman and her husband agreed, and the pair set up production in Los Angeles in 1995 to begin work on Tracey Takes On... . [6]
The special is split into three acts with one bit (Linda Granger being hit by a bus) shown from the point-of-view of two different characters: Penny Johnson and Fern Rosenthal (who causes the accident).
The special received generally favorable reviews from critics. Tony Scott of Variety wrote, "Ullman lends depth and insight to all her characterizations ... Ullman and the first-class cast surrounding her, the superior writing and direction give TV comedy a much-needed lift." [7]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s)/Nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
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1994 | American Comedy Awards | Funniest Female Performer in a TV Special (Leading or Supporting) Network, Cable or Syndication | Tracey Ullman | Won | [8] |
CableACE Awards | Performance in a Comedy Special | Tracey Ullman | Won | [9] | |
Writing an Entertainment Special | Dick Clement, Marc Flanagan, Ian La Frenais, Stephen Nathan, Tony Sheehan | Nominated | [9] | ||
Directing a Comedy Special | Don Scardino | Nominated | [9] | ||
Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety | Don Scardino | Nominated | [10] | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program | Jane Ruhm | Won | [11] | |
Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program | Tracey Ullman | Won | [11] | ||
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Variety or Music Program | Don Scardino | Nominated | [11] | ||
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special - Multi-Camera Production | Michael Hunt | Nominated | [11] | ||
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special | Sally Sutton (Ms. Ullman's makeup), Bari Dreiband-Burman (makeup effects design), Thomas R. Burman (makeup effects design) | Nominated | [11] | ||
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program | Dick Clement, Marc Flanagan, Ian La Frenais, Stephen Nathan, Tony Sheehan | Nominated | [11] | ||
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special | Allan McKeown (executive producer), Marc Flanagan (supervising producer), David Wimbury (producer), John H. Starke (line producer) | Nominated | [11] | ||
1995 | Writers Guild of America | Variety - Musical, Award, Tribute, Special Event | Tony Sheehan, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Stephen Nathan, Marc Flanagan | Won | [12] |
The special acts as a bonus feature on the DVD set Tracey Takes On... Complete Season 1. [13] It became available on Hulu in the United States in 2012.
Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Critics have lauded her ability to shift seamlessly in and out of character and accents, with many dubbing her the "female Peter Sellers". Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows A Kick Up the Eighties and Three of a Kind. After a brief singing career, she appeared as Candice Valentine in Girls on Top with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American actress. Known for her voice role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, Kavner first attracted notice for her role as Brenda Morgenstern, the younger sister of Valerie Harper's title character in the sitcom Rhoda, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also voices other characters for The Simpsons, including Marge's mother, Jacqueline Bouvier, sisters Patty and Selma Bouvier, and half-step-great-aunt Eunice Bouvier.
The Tracey Ullman Show is an American television sketch comedy variety show starring Tracey Ullman. It debuted on Fox on April 5, 1987, as the network's second original primetime series to air following Married... with Children, and ran for four seasons and 81 episodes, until May 26, 1990. The show was produced by Gracie Films. The show blended sketch comedy with musical numbers and dance routines, choreographed by Paula Abdul, along with animated shorts. The format was conceived by creator and executive producer James L. Brooks, who was looking to showcase the show's multitalented star. Brooks likened the show to producing three pilots a week. Ullman was the first British woman to be offered her own television sketch show in the United States.
Tracey Takes On... is an American sketch comedy series starring Tracey Ullman. The show ran for four seasons on HBO and was commissioned following the success of the 1993 comedy special Tracey Ullman Takes on New York. Each episode focuses on a specific subject, in which Ullman and her cast of characters comment or experience through a series of sketches and monologues.
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Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales is a 2003 HBO television special starring Tracey Ullman in a spin-off from her sketch comedy series Tracey Takes On...
Tracey Ullman: Live and Exposed is an HBO comedy special starring Tracey Ullman. The stage show documents Ullman's rise to fame with reenactments of her childhood as well as her career as a performer. Many of her television characters also appear, along with their origin stories. The characters are performed with no makeup and little costuming.
Tracey Ullman: A Class Act is an ITV sketch comedy television special starring Tracey Ullman, along with Michael Palin, playing a variety of original characters.
Anna Thomson is an American actress known professionally as Anna Levine. She was also credited as Anna Levine Thompson and Anna Thomson.
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Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines is American talk show and reality television series hosted by Tracey Ullman. The show focuses on fashion and individual style. Each episode consists of makeovers and celebrity guests. Celebrities reveal what's in their wardrobe and present childhood mementos. The show was inspired by Ullman's online fashion boutique Purple Skirt. The series was originally set to air on 13 September 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks the show was bumped to September 20.
Tracey Ullman's Show is a British sketch comedy television series starring Tracey Ullman. Tracey Ullman's Show premiered on BBC One on 11 January 2016. The programme marks her first project for the broadcaster in over thirty years, and her first original project for British television in twenty-two years.
Tracey Breaks the News is a British topical comedy programme starring Tracey Ullman. It premiered on BBC One on 27 October 2017 following a one-off special that aired on 23 June.
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the British comedy series Tracey Breaks the News starring comedian Tracey Ullman. The series was commissioned by the BBC for BBC One. It is thematically inspired by the aftermath 2017 United Kingdom general election, as well as the one year anniversary of the Brexit vote, and was recorded shortly thereafter. The special is a reformatted version of Tracey Ullman's Show. "Tracey Breaks the News" is the second special Ullman has done for British television; her first since 1993's Tracey Ullman: A Class Act, and her fifth overall. The show aired on 23 June.
Allan McKeown Presents Ltd is a television, film, and theatre production company that was created and founded in 2007 by British television and stage producer Allan McKeown, the late husband of actress Tracey Ullman. It has produced projects for American, British, and Indian television.
Tracey Ullman is a British-American actress who has had an extensive career in television, film, and theatre. She has worked in both comedy and drama. Her sketch comedy television programmes have won her numerous awards in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She began her stage career in the mid-1970s starring in various West End musicals and dramas. Her first television appearance came in 1980 playing Lisa Mackenzie in the British drama series Mackenzie. In 1981, the BBC cast her in two ensemble comedy sketch shows; A Kick Up the Eighties, and Three of a Kind. In 1983, Ullman launched a brief but successful pop singing career, garnering several chart hits and making several appearances on Top of the Pops. In 1985, she was cast in the ITV sitcom Girls on Top alongside Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, and Ruby Wax.