Remembering Howard Storm

We are sad to learn that director Howard Storm has passed away at the age of 94. Storm began his career as an actor and comedian before moving into directing, working on shows including Mork & Mindy, Rhoda, Laverne & Shirley, and many more.

Below are some excerpts from his 2008 interview:

On how he came to direct Mork & Mindy, and on working with Robin Williams and Pam Dawber:

“What happened was that Rollins and Joffe, who were my managers, at that point had a group of guys who were working with them out here. And Charlie was here -- Charlie Joffe was here, and they were offered Mork & Mindy for Robin [Williams]. They were managing Robin at that time. And I guess they thought of me because I was a stand-up comic, I was an actor, I was an improvisational actor, and so they felt I would have, you know, the sense of Robin.

The thing that was amazing to me is that after second or third day, I knew that this kid was a genius. I mean, I just -- it was amazing. They'd already guaranteed 22 shows for him. Because he came off of Happy Days. … When they did [Happy Days], the reaction to Robin was so overwhelming that ABC got thousands and thousands of phone calls and letters talking about this guy on the show. So, they decided to do a show called Mork & Mindy, ask Garry Marshall to do it, and they put it together. 

The trick I found with Robin was that you could not sit on him. You could not stop him. You had to let him rehearse and do everything he wanted to do and get it out of his system, and then you could start to peel away. … So I started to peel away with Robin and I think, no, I know -- that the beauty of that show was Pam Dawber. Because Pam, to me, was the foundation. She was the power. Because without her, Robin had no one to play off of, and it was very difficult for her because she never knew where Robin was going. So, I thought she was amazing, you know, and was never given the credit she deserved. Because I think had they had a lesser actress, a lesser performer, they would have been in trouble. Because Robin had to be able to do what he did and needed someone that could ground him, and she was there all the time. You know, just waited and waited and waited, waited, then, bang, fed him the next line.”

On advice for aspiring comedy directors:

"Well, I can tell them what someone told me when I was starting, and it was Jay Sandrich, who was a wonderful director. And when I went to him and said, ‘Is there anything you can tell me?’ He said, ‘Yeah, get comfortable shoes.’ … because you're on your feet a lot, you know. And the other thing I learned, and I would pass this on, is take responsibility. If something goes wrong and you are responsible for it, accept it, you know. If you have a disagreement with one of the people on the show and you were wrong, say so. You know.  Make it clear that -- I'm sorry, it was my mistake, you're right.

You really have to trust yourself to know why something's funny and go with it. I mean, sometimes you'll get in a disagreement with somebody because you asked for a particular kind of prop … and the prop guy brings you a prop you didn't want. And you say, ‘No, no, no, I've got to have a glass that's taller than this’ or whatever. …You never want to embarrass that person. The director's in charge there. You know, at least in sitcoms when I was doing ones. And if you're in charge, unless the exec producer is there, and then he's in charge. But while you're on a set rehearsing, you're in charge and you've got to allow people to function. You've got to allow people to do their work. And, here's the answer: I would tell a young director to be sure and thank everybody for their good work and tell them what good work they've done so that they feel good and the next time you do that show, they'll be happy to work with you. Make sure to -- before you leave that set at night, you know, when it's all over, thank everybody and thank them for their good work, you know. And tell them that without them you couldn't do it, which is a fact.”

On his proudest career achievement:

“I guess directing Mork & Mindy was the most exciting time of my career. And I'm also shocked at all the things I did. I mean, it just happened. You know what I mean? It wasn't like, I'll do this and then this. It just happened… it was amazing to me that it was happening. I still, til this day think I'm a very lucky guy. You know, to have had the career I've had, to me, is just amazing.”

Watch Howard Storm’s full interview and read his obituary in The Hollywood Reporter.