My Digital Pal Who's Fun To Be With: Ken Levine

Welcome to I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.

Seriously, why are you here? 

This blog is such a mix bag, I really have no idea. 

TV? Movies? Music? Politics? Doctor Who? Comics? Kimberly Guilfoyle? 

You might think that with a blog called "I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You", you might've come here assuming this is a BDSM site. No, it is not. Unless you count the Kimberly Guilfoyle posts. 

Why are you here? Whatever the answer is to that question, I will assume you are completely disappointed and immediately regret coming here.

Which brings me to this semi-regular feature I call...

My Digital Pal Who Is Fun To Be With




My Digital Pal Who's Fun To Be With is where I point out other things on the internet that I find to be fun, interesting and exceedingly more entertaining than whatever it is I do here.

Today, My Digital Pal Who's Fun To Be With directs you to here:  By Ken Levine. 

Ken Levine is a writer, director and producer in the television and film industry, and an author. 

Here are some of the TV shows Levine has worked on as a writer and a director:

M*A*S*H
Cheers
Frasier
The Simpsons
Wings
Everybody Loves Raymond
Becker 
Dharma and Greg

Working with partner David Isaacs, Ken's first episode of M*A*S*H was the classic "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", an episode that finds Hawkeye temporarily blinded after an accident. From that episode, Levine and Isaacs were on staff as story editors, overseeing a series of clever and innovative episodes that I find to be the best seasons of M*A*S*H. 

Before becoming a writer, Ken Levine worked as a radio DJ. 

After becoming a writer, Ken has indulged his passion for sports broadcasting as a radio and TV play-by-play commentator for Major League Baseball, working with the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres. From 2008 to 2010, he co-hosted the KABC Dodger Talk radio call-in program after every Los Angeles Dodgers game, as well as the station's weekly Sunday Night Sports Final program. 

Recently, Ken has focused on writing short plays for several play festivals which was keeping him quite busy until the pandemic shut down live theater. 

Ken's varied experiences as a writer, director, radio DJ, baseball announcer and author provides the content for both his blog, By Ken Levine,  and his weekly podcast, Hollywood & Levine.  

On his blog, Ken has a weekly feature each Friday called Friday Questions where he turns things over to his fans. A recent FQ validated my existence.

In a recent blog post, Ken was talking about the experience of doing re-writes on a script and he mentioned on M*A*S*H, he and David would work on re-writes right on the set, specifically the mess tent set. 

Mentioning the mess tent prompted me to ask a question about the mess tent set on M*A*S*H. And low and behold, Ken selected my inquiry for a recent FQ. 

Not only did Ken Levine use my question but as you can see from the graphic above, my inquiry also prompted a reply from actor Jeff Maxwell. 

Anyway, Ken Levine has lived an interesting life with a fascinating career which makes what he does on his blog and his podcast far more interesting than anything I do over here.

Which makes Ken Levine "My Digital Pal Who Is Fun To be With".  

Thank you for reading and once more, I am sorry for, well, everything.

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BONUS: On Friday, June 26, 2020, I wrote a "Your Digital Pal Who's Fun To Be With" post about Mark Evanier.  

Friday, December 18th is the 20th anniversary of his blog, News From Me.  

Mark suggests dropping by the blog on Friday for something special. "But don't get your hopes up." 

Don't get your hopes up? Hey, Mark! Stop stealing my material.  

Don't get your hopes up is the mission statement for I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You.