"30 Rock" Hiatus (2007)

Director:

Don Scardino

Writers:

Tina Fey (creator)
Tina Fey (written by)

TV Series:

"30 Rock" (2006)

Original Air Date:

26 April 2007 (Season 1, Episode 21)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Tracy goes AWOL before the final show to avoid the "Black Crusaders," but Kenneth reveals that he's actually staying with his cousin. Meanwhile, the pressure of his imminent wedding and a visit by his mother lands Jack in the hospital.

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | TV | TV Show | TV Network | Writer

Cast

Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Rachel Dratch	...	Dr. Beauvoir
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie
Chris Parnell	...	Dr. Leo Spaceman
Sean Hayes	...	Jesse Parcell
Elaine Stritch	...	Colleen Donaghy
Jason Sudeikis	...	Floyd
Emily Mortimer	...	Phoebe
Kevin Brown	...	Dot Com
Grizz Chapman	...	Grizz
Matt Dickinson	...	Jack's Assistant
Brittany Felton	...	Michelle
Hannah Flynn	...	Hannah
Lester Holt	...	Lester Holt
Portia	...	Admissions Nurse
Justin Smith	...	Black Crusader
Nikki E. Walker	...	Room Nurse

Directed by
Don Scardino

Writing credits
Tina Fey		(creator)
Tina Fey		(written by)

Produced by
JoAnn Alfano	....	executive producer
Brett Baer	....	co-executive producer
Jack Burditt	....	co-executive producer
Irene Burns	....	co-producer
Robert Carlock	....	executive producer
Jennifer Danielson	....	associate producer
Tina Fey	....	executive producer
Dave Finkel	....	co-executive producer
Matt Hubbard	....	co-producer
Marci Klein	....	executive producer
Jerry Kupfer	....	producer
Lorne Michaels	....	executive producer
David Miner	....	executive producer
Jeff Richmond	....	producer
John Riggi	....	co-executive producer
Diana Schmidt	....	co-producer
Andrew Singer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jeff Richmond

Cinematography by
Vanja Cernjul		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Doug Abel

Casting by
Jennifer McNamara

Production Design by
Teresa Mastropierro
Keith Raywood		(as Keith Ian Raywood)

Art Direction by
Nicholas Lundy		(as Nick Lundy)

Set Decoration by
Jennifer Greenberg

Costume Design by
Tom Broecker

Makeup Department
Guy Bayo	....	hair stylist
Richard F. Esposito	....	hair stylist (as Richard Esposito)
Jeong-Hwa Fonkalsrud	....	make-up
Annette Meeks	....	key makeup
Duane Moody	....	hair stylist
Clariss Morgan	....	key hair stylist
James Sarzotti	....	head makeup artist
Carla Antonino	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Brad Carpenter	....	post-production supervisor
Diana Schmidt	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert C. Albertell	....	first assistant director (as Robert Albertell)
Vanessa Hoffman	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Thomas Costabile	....	construction coordinator (as Tom Costabile)
Kevin Ladson	....	property master (as Kevin C. Ladson)
Sheila Bock	....	assistant set decorator (uncredited)
Anya Lebow	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Eric M. Metzger	....	props (uncredited)
Jeff Naparstek	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Eric Pastore	....	assistant on-set dresser (uncredited)
Garry Pastore	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)
James Pesce	....	leadman (uncredited)
William Valentin	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Selina van den Brink	....	art department coordinator (uncredited)
Greg Voth	....	graphic artist: props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Tony Pipitone	....	re-recording mixer
Griffin Richardson	....	sound mixer
Christopher Fondulas	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Bill Marino	....	sound re-recording mixer: dialogue (uncredited)
Dow McKeever	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Bryant Musgrove	....	boom operator (uncredited)
James David Redding III	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Murray	....	visual effects

Stunts
Jared Burke	....	stunt double: Jack McBrayer (uncredited)
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Agliata	....	camera operator
Matthew Clark	....	camera operator (as Matt Clark)
Tim Davies	....	rigging grip
Ray Flynn	....	rigging electric
Mark Schwentner	....	gaffer
Paul Wachter	....	key grip
Cesar Baptista	....	best boy rigging grip (uncredited)
Jonathan Beck	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Autumn Eakin	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Amy Albano Jachyra	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Thomas McGrath Woods	....	best boy grip (uncredited)
Christopher Piazza	....	film loader (uncredited)
Chris Rosen	....	electrician (uncredited)
R. Samul	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Katja Blichfeld	....	casting associate
Barbara McNamara	....	extras casting director
Rori Bergman	....	casting assistant (uncredited)
John Girod	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alethea McElroy	....	key costumer
Tim McKelvey	....	costume supervisor
Chris Ann Pappas	....	assistant costume designer
Marianne Denning	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Lisa Kisner	....	costume coordinator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Elizabeth Merrick	....	assistant editor
Alex Minnick	....	assistant editor
Bobbie Thomas	....	colorist
Andrea Scott	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)
Ellen Tam	....	post-production coordinator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tom Leavey	....	transportation captain
Bobby Marsh	....	transportation co-captain (as Robert Marsh)

Other crew
Donna Cipriani	....	production accountant
Claire Cowperthwaite	....	script supervisor
Chris George	....	location manager
Vanessa Macedo	....	production secretary
William Sell	....	production office coordinator (as Bill Sell)
Matthew Bernstein	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Amyjoy Clark	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)
J. John Corbett	....	title designer (uncredited)
Blake Drummond	....	assistant production coordinator (uncredited)
John Henry	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Stephen Lippross	....	first assistant production accountant (uncredited)
Derek Peterson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Michael Sgalambro	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Christina Walker	....	set production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Broadway Video
• Little Stranger (as little stranger, inc.)
• NBC Universal Television

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (2007) (USA) (TV)
• TNT Serie (2009) (Germany) (TV)
• Viasat3 (2009) (Hungary) (TV)

Other Companies

• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment

Runtime:

22 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Silvercup Studios - 4222 22nd Street, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Broadway Video

Trivia:

Colleen Donaghy refers to Liz as "Shark Eyes" - earlier in the season Jack says that he likes Liz's "Black Shark's Eyes".

Quotes:

Liz Lemon:[to Kenneth] I will cut you open like a Tauntaun.

Movie Connections:

References RoboCop (1987)

Season 1: Punchy, fresh, inventive and very funny

I can still remember when 30 Rock came to the UK. It was grabbed up by channel 5 and I give them credit for that because, with hindsight, it was a hot property. However at the same time they also snapped up a similar show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It then proceeded to schedule them one after the other on the same night, with 30 Rock following and thus starting at close to 11pm. The next thing they did, or rather failed to do was really market them in such a way that the show got the attention it deserved. I never bothered watching it because, as I have read others saying, Studio 60 didn't really appeal to me as a show to start watching and, by association, I just didn't bother with 30 Rock.

In the US the show is now in its third season and a browse of DVD's made me think that a reduced price for the first season was perhaps worth a look given how many good things I have since heard about it. Funnily this echoes how I started watching The Wire (I picked up seasons 1 & 2 for cheap in an HMV sale) and I suppose I should have seen this as an omen. I say this because, like The Wire, 30 Rock is really, really good at what it sets out to do. Of course content and aim-wise the two shows are chalk and cheese but both now hold a special place in my heart. For a time, the word "sitcom" would have put me off from the very start but I think this is because I still think of lame BBC1 prime-time affairs, or the endless daytime TV filler sitcoms where the targets appear to be uniformity and blandness rather than laughter. 30 Rock could not be further from those because so much of it is set up purely for the purposes of comedy and it seems like the plots are built around this rather than the other way around.

The strength of it is the amount of characters that are already in place and can be called on as a part of the main narrative of each episode or simply be used for a few lines or scenes that are the funniest thing in the whole bit. Well, it is not so much the characters but rather how good the individual actors are and how sharp much of their dialogue is. Fey is the central point for much of the narrative but also gives herself plenty of laughs as well, mainly from her deadpan and slightly neurotic character. Morgan is the real hoot though. His character is clearly Martin Lawrence and he plays to that cliché really well, greatly helped by the writing, with plenty of erratic turns and twists. Krakowski surprised me with her comic touch and she plays well even if she never feels to the fore of any episode. Even more surprising though is Baldwin, with his gruff deadpan and biting remarks, he is the frequently the best thing in any given episode. As with everyone else, I love Kenneth and part of the reason is just how good McBrayer is at delivering it. In supporting roles the material is lesser but everyone is still reliable when called upon – I won't list them all since there isn't really anyone who is a weak link performance wise.

Season 1 of 30 Rock is a refreshing experience. It is very funny, very fresh and the short episodes make it punchy with it. The plot doesn't matter too much but is yet good enough to provide a frame to prevent any episode just feeling like a sketch show rather than a sitcom. Well worth checking out and I'm very glad I did, the only downside of catching it on DVD being how quickly I ripped through it all.