Burrows, the creator and director of sitcoms including "Taxi" and "Cheers," did manage to be funny as audience members peppered him with questions. Can a woman be a successful comedy writer? As long as she's funny. Should Ellen DeGeneres create a gay character on her sitcom Ellen? As long as its funny. Do political issues belong in comedy? As long as they're funny.P> Burrows is uniquely qualified to discuss what is funny. After graduation from Oberlin, Burrows earned a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. After a short stint at truck driving, Burrows went to New York to work with his father, the legendary Abe Burrows. The elder Burrows was a noted writer and director for the Broadway stage, responsible for hits such as Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. James Burrows worked as a stage manager for Breakfast at Tiffany's, a production not destined for fame.
Although Breakfast at Tiffany's was quickly judged a critical failure, Burrows did have the opportunity to acquaint himself with the star of the show, Mary Tyler Moore. Moore survived the onslaught of flying tomatoes to star in her eponymous sitcom, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." In 1974, she invited Burrows to try his hand at directing an episode.
"I was really nervous," Burrows said. "I got the script and it was just awful. In this sea of Danish, I get a bagel."
Burrows was able to milk a few laughs from moving Lou into Rhoda's apartment. "I invoked The Cherry Orchard," he said. "Everyone was shocked. So was I since I never read The Cherry Orchard."
Burrows success in directing "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" led to invitations to direct "Rhoda," "Phyllis," "The Bob Newhart Show," and "Laverne and Shirley," among other shows.
Burrows's successes in creating and directing "Cheers," "Taxi," "Friends," "NewsRadio," "Third Rock from the Sun" and "Frasier" led to an invitation to speak at Oberlin.
The conversation with James Burrows was the inaugural lecture in the Robert S. Danforth Lectureship series. President Nancy Dye said of Robert Danforth OC `47, "He had a keen sense of humor." In her introduction of Burrows, Dye remarked how appropriate it was to open the series with a speaker who had made millions of people laugh. "He laughs harder than anyone else," Dye said.
The Hall Auditorium stage was decorated with a bar and bar stools, and a wall hanging that appeared to be a cubist depiction of the cast of "Cheers". Burrows, perhaps puzzled by the mangled Cliff Clavin, remarked on the portrait as soon as he stepped on stage. "Oh my God," Burrows said, "That wasn't an art major was it?"
Burrows majored in Government at Oberlin, despite initial plans to concentrate in math. "I just couldn't understand the theory of math," Burrows said, "So I became a government major, as you can see."
Burrows professed that he was not among Oberlin's top students. "I could never study," he said. "I realized if I want to study I get a `B', and if I don't I can learn to co-exist with people."
Burrows repeatedly cited learning to coexist with people as the most important thing he learned while at Oberlin. "I love this place," he said. Although Burrows will not be on campus to participate in any focus groups, he chimed in with his thoughts on Oberlin's long-range planning process, "They don't have to do anything," he said. "They're imparting knowledge, insight and candor. They are doing a great job."
Learning to coexist with people is a theme that reoccurs in Burrows most popular sitcoms. Burrows famously confined the first season of Cheers to the bar, forcing a motley group of drunks to learn to coexist without the benefit of an Oberlin education.
"Great comedies are about losers," Burrows said.
According to Burrows, the premise for Cheers was not very inspired. Burrows and two Mormons who enjoyed sports and liked to drink created a show peopled by "characters you can easily identify with."
One questioner tried to push Burrows to further pinpoint a definition of humor. "I'm just a beginner," she said, "But the early episodes of "Friends" were awful, and when you came in, they started being funny. How do you make people funny?" A surprised Burrows responded, "I started `Friends'," sending the flustered questioner barreling into the microphone. "See?" Burrows said, "I just made you funny."
Burrows conceded that most of humor was found in a certain way of looking at things. "Things occur to me" he said. "It's a gift."
To an audience member who demanded to know how Burrows unique outlook differed from the Unabomber's unique outlook, Burrows said, "Surprise is the number one element. I think that worked for the Unabomber too."
Dye presented Burrows with an Oberlin director's chair, which he promised to take to the beach. Burrows, pressed for a one-liner, closed the lecture by lifting the paraphernalia high over his head and wishing the audience, "Chairs."
Everybody knows his name: Burrows OC'62 (photo by Peter Ment)
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