Carl Kurlander, who went from being director Joel Schumacher’s assistant to writing St. Elmo’s fire with him, wrote a look back on that film for Deadline as well as a tribute when the director passed away., Kurlander today shares memories about Louie Anderson, the comic and actor who died last Friday in Las Vegas at age 68. Kurlander co-authored The F Word: How to Survive Your Family with Louie Anderson and was a consultant on his The Louie Show on CBS. His other credits include St Elmo’s Fire, he has been a senior lecturer at the U of Pittsburgh and producer of Chasing Covid and other titles. Here he discusses the empathy Anderson showed to most everyone around him, and many career breaks he provided, actions informed by the slights and hardships he faced in his own life.
Louie Anderson is being mourned by millions. He’s a widely beloved figure.
Louie Anderson is being mourned by millions. He’s a widely beloved figure.
- 1/23/2022
- by Carl Kurlander
- Deadline Film + TV
This week marks the 35th anniversary of the release of St. Elmo’s Fire. For some, that milestone might rekindle thoughts of a certain formative time of their lives, and 80’s nostalgia. For others, it will bring to mind a film they loathe or a title song so ubiquitous they cannot seem to escape it. For the actors in the film, it would mark a turning point in their careers as well as the moment they were tarred with the unfair moniker, “The Brat Pack.” But for me, St. Elmo’s Fire was a life changing event, having co-written the film with director Joel Schumacher.
For those who have not seen it, or did and since have done their best to block it out, St. Elmo’s Fire is about first apartments, first jobs, first loves, and trying to hold onto friendships when all this collides with adulthood. When Joel and I first started writing it together,...
For those who have not seen it, or did and since have done their best to block it out, St. Elmo’s Fire is about first apartments, first jobs, first loves, and trying to hold onto friendships when all this collides with adulthood. When Joel and I first started writing it together,...
- 7/2/2020
- by Carl Kurlander
- Deadline Film + TV
Most who worked with director Joel Schumacher walked away feeling like they’d made a friend. He was generous in spirit, open and honest about his own success and flaws and disappointments. He had a strong eye for budding talent, an audacious visual sense, a past history he’d tell anyone about, one that almost killed him before he moved from being a window dresser to a successful filmmaker. Even journalists who interviewed him came away with a ton of great quotes and a feeling they were better for the experience. Carl Kurlander, who went from being Schumacher’s assistant to writing the zeitgeist hit St. Elmo’s Fire with him that launched his own career, paints a picture of what made Schumacher special.
I first met Joel Schumacher when I was right out of college, interning for the head of production at Universal who had requested I get lunch for...
I first met Joel Schumacher when I was right out of college, interning for the head of production at Universal who had requested I get lunch for...
- 6/23/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
NBC is developing a series adaptation of the 1980s film “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
The series is described as a modern adaptation of the film that showcases a group of close friends struggling with career, commitment and the responsibilities of adulthood. Released in 1985, the film starred many members of the so-called Brat Pack, including Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, and Demi Moore. Joel Schumacher directed and co-wrote the script with Carl Kurlander.
Josh Berman is attached to write and executive produce, with Chris King also executive producing. Sony Pictures Television and Osprey Productions will produce. Berman most recently co-created the ABC series “Notorious” and previously created the series “Drop Dead Diva,” “Vanished,” and “Killer Instinct.” He also co-created “The Mob Doctor.” His other credits include “CSI,” “Bones,” and “The Blacklist.”
News of the series development comes as the broadcast networks have largely moved away from ordering remakes...
The series is described as a modern adaptation of the film that showcases a group of close friends struggling with career, commitment and the responsibilities of adulthood. Released in 1985, the film starred many members of the so-called Brat Pack, including Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, and Demi Moore. Joel Schumacher directed and co-wrote the script with Carl Kurlander.
Josh Berman is attached to write and executive produce, with Chris King also executive producing. Sony Pictures Television and Osprey Productions will produce. Berman most recently co-created the ABC series “Notorious” and previously created the series “Drop Dead Diva,” “Vanished,” and “Killer Instinct.” He also co-created “The Mob Doctor.” His other credits include “CSI,” “Bones,” and “The Blacklist.”
News of the series development comes as the broadcast networks have largely moved away from ordering remakes...
- 8/14/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
It was a year of belly laughs, guffaws and giggles at the multiplex in 2018 as movies like “Incredibles 2,” “Deadpool 2” and “Crazy Rich Asians” proved that comedies are no joke at the box office, where they raked in more than $1 billion in North America.
That trio also delivered three of the most amusing scenes of the year, while several industry members also chose scenes from “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” “The Favourite,” “Game Night,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “A Simple Favor,” “Death of Stalin,” “A Simple Favor” and “Blockers” for this informal survey.
Participants include Sally Kirkland, nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for “Anna”; Carl Kurlander, who wrote “St. Elmo’s Fire”; Adele Lim, co-writer of the “Crazy Rich Asians” script; actress Stephanie Erb, whose credits include “Ray Donovan”; “Sully” screenwriter and “Elf” producer Todd Komarnicki; producer Jude S. Walko; publicist Andrew Cohen; and standup comedians Andy Au,...
That trio also delivered three of the most amusing scenes of the year, while several industry members also chose scenes from “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” “The Favourite,” “Game Night,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “A Simple Favor,” “Death of Stalin,” “A Simple Favor” and “Blockers” for this informal survey.
Participants include Sally Kirkland, nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for “Anna”; Carl Kurlander, who wrote “St. Elmo’s Fire”; Adele Lim, co-writer of the “Crazy Rich Asians” script; actress Stephanie Erb, whose credits include “Ray Donovan”; “Sully” screenwriter and “Elf” producer Todd Komarnicki; producer Jude S. Walko; publicist Andrew Cohen; and standup comedians Andy Au,...
- 12/22/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried by Susannah Gora I had quibbles and quarrels with John Hughes’ work, but there was never any question in my mind that his most heartfelt films about the pain and awkwardness of growing up (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink) spoke to teenagers everywhere. No one could have foreseen that those films and a handful of others (Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything..., and Joel Schumacher’s St. Elmo’s Fire, co-written by Carl Kurlander) would make a lasting impression and influence a generation of filmmakers and musicians—not to mention…...
- 2/17/2010
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
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