I always wanted to make an impression.Auto Focus · 2002 — Chapter 1 of 16 · 1'51" · B1
Lenny Pitches Bob a Sitcom, Explained: a career-killer
A pushy agent tries to sell Bob on a new series he swears is the part of a lifetime. The catch: "It's set in a German prison camp," and it's a comedy, complete with a laugh track. Bob's verdict lands hard: "This sounds like it could be a career-killer."
What happens
Lenny barges in with a hot tip from a breakfast with CBS: a TV series, and they want Bob for the lead. Bob is chasing a film, not a show, so Lenny begs him to keep an open mind. Then comes the pitch, a comedy set in a German prisoner-of-war camp, and Bob starts to balk.
Listen for
Humor mea career-killerkeep an open mindthe cutup
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Phrase of the scene
a career-killer
something that ruins a career
莱尼刚把战俘营喜剧说成 CBS 的一流项目，鲍勃一句话给整件事定性：接这部戏等于自毁前程。
Turning down that promotion turned out to be a career-killer.
Also in this scene
- Humor me
go along with me for now, even if it seems pointless
- keep an open mind
先别急着下结论，保持开放态度
- the cutup
爱出洋相、总在逗大家笑的人
Everything marked in this scene
18 notes across 36 lines
You know the type.There's one in every class... the cutup.There's one in every class... the cutup.I'm a likeable guy.I'm emceeing a lunch in an hour.go along with me for now, even if it seems pointless
Humor me.Your ears would have been burning.I had breakfast with the boys from CBS. I got something very interesting for you.This could be what you're looking for.Come on! Listen to me for two seconds. Stop running, will you?I thought after Donna Reed fell apart, you were going to get me a Jack Lemmon-type role.A feature. It's a critical time for me.Just promise me you'll keep an open mind. You ready?It's set in a German prison camp. [chuckles]With a laugh track?Hey. This is first-class all the way, my friend.something that ruins a career
This sounds like it could be a career-killer.Lenny Pitches Bob a Sitcom, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a small tug-of-war between two people who want different things. Lenny needs a yes and sells hard, insisting Bob is "Lemmon and Benny combined" and begging him to "keep an open mind." Bob, who is quietly panicking about his career, hears only the risk, and the phrase he lands on — "career-killer" — tells you what he's really afraid of. The comedy comes from the gap between the sales pitch and the reality: a laugh-track sitcom set in a P.O.W. camp sounds absurd on its face. What neither man can see yet is that this absurd premise is exactly going to make Bob famous.
Theme
AmbitionBob's fear of a bad role shows how badly he wants a bigger career, while Lenny pushes him toward the job.
IdentityThe pitch offers Bob a new screen self, and his resistance is about who he is willing to become.
What you'll learn
- Use keep an open mind before a hard pitch
- Hear humor me as sit and listen
- Call a risky gig a career-killer
I always wanted to make an impression.Bob's opening line about himself: he's the kind of person who needs to be noticed, a habit that shapes everything.
You should have been at Nate 'n AI's this morning.A setup for gossip: he missed the breakfast where everyone was talking about him.
Your ears would have been burning.An idiom for being talked about behind your back — here the chatter was all praise.
Just promise me you'll keep an open mind. You ready?The agent's softener before the hard sell, asking for patience before revealing the strange pitch.
This sounds like it could be a career-killer.Bob's blunt verdict on the project, naming the fear that a wrong role could end everything.
A feature. It's a critical time for me.Bob insists he needs a film, not TV, and frames the moment as decisive for his future.
Questions about this scene
What show is the agent trying to sell Bob?
A comedy series set in a German prisoner-of-war camp, produced for CBS. It is the show that becomes Hogan's Heroes.
What does the agent say CBS wants Bob to do?
He says they want Bob for the lead role, and that he is like Lemmon and Benny combined. It is the pitch Bob spends the scene resisting.
What does Bob want instead of a TV series?
A feature film. He says it is a critical time and that he needs something big, like a Jack Lemmon-type role.
What does Bob think of the pitch?
He calls it a possible career-killer, especially once he hears it is a comedy set in a P.O.W. camp with a laugh track.
What does "Humor me" mean?
It means "just go along with me for a moment." The agent uses it to keep Bob from walking out before hearing the pitch.
Auto Focus · 16 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 2get the messageAnne Confronts Bob About the Magazines
Watching · Chapter 1a career-killerLenny Pitches Bob a Sitcom
Chapter 2get the messageAnne Confronts Bob About the Magazines
Chapter 3always been my thingBob Meets the VTR Salesman
Chapter 4copaceticBob and John's Party Night
Chapter 5light years ahead ofBob Crane's New Video Camera
Chapter 6clear enough for youBob Catches John on Tape
Chapter 7pull a stunt like thisThe Demo Fails Spectacularly
Chapter 8what went downJohn Carpenter Repairs Bob's VTR
Chapter 9go around onceBob's Wife Accepts an Open Marriage
Chapter 10dead airBob's Party and Career Blowup
Chapter 11Run it by meJohn's Wild Idea and Bob's Big Call
Chapter 12word gets aroundLenny Warns Bob About a Scandal
Chapter 13a complete professionalBob Goes Too Far on Live TV
Chapter 14get in circulationBob Asks His Agent for Work
Chapter 15take it for grantedBob Visits His Son
Chapter 16lower the boomBob and Carpenter's Falling OutChapter 1 of 16 · about 36 min to go