John Lithgow Goes Back To High School For “Art Happens Here” On PBS
“I wanted to be an artist back then,” says acting legend John Lithgow as he tells Stephen about his experience going back to high school for the new special “Art Happens Here,” which airs next Friday on PBS!
#Colbert #JohnLithgow #ArtHappensHere
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Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology and more. Featuring bandleader Louis Cato and “THE LATE SHOW band,” the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater. Stephen Colbert took over as host, executive producer and writer of THE LATE SHOW on Sept. 8, 2015.
I was an extra in a movie with John Lithgow. I sat next to him in the scene and he had an art pad as a prop. I asked him about it and he took the time to show me the pictures he had drawn. What a nice person.
I think I might've begged him to give me a signed and dated sketch. Heck, I would've settled for an autographed stick figure.
he does come off as a caring dad. glad someone confirms that he's a "real person".
I'm glad to hear he is as gracious as he seems. I met Don Knots and he refused to give me his autograph. He was my hero. I was 12 and he never got any rest on the set of " The Return of the Apple Dumpling Gang" again. We knew what room he was in and knocked on his door and ran, over and over. He should have given me the autograph. Lol He crushed my image and the respect I had for him. Everyone else gave me their autograph, but I went there for his. I would love to be able to sit with John Lithgow. Such an amazing actor and comedian. Definitely would love to have John's autograph.
@GrandmaBev64 Sorry to hear that about Don. I loved Don to as a kid. Maybe he was just having an off day, or perhaps his testicles were black ⚫️ ⚫️ lol.
Which film?
Music teacher here. Thank you John Lithgow! Bring back arts education!
My father, who passed away during the COVID pandemic, dedicated the years following his retirement from electronics engineering to teaching music and restoring hundreds of discarded instruments for students and children in schools. I have had many emails from people who tell me how profoundly my father changed their lives. Thank You for being a music teacher.
The full time art teacher and full time music teacher must come back, such important people, elements of the school experience.
It truly is. Art and music are a form of self expression, and they wonder what's wrong with kids today. Give them what they need to self express. They need guidance to get there.
Those teachers were the ones most likely to connect to the kids who didn't quite fit in or too shy to do more than watch other students. ❤ The arts are vilified over sports, both are needed.
@@tamaramccarthy8811 You are so right!!
💜💜💜💜
Kids figure out who they are by 20? Damn I'm 42 and still figuring it out 😂
Om my god, same.
I’m 52 and I’m right there with you friend 😅
I have to refigure about every 15 yrs or so.
😅
I’m there too at 40, it’s ok😉a little scary sometimes but ok.
Love the idea of Arts being made important in education again - from kindergarten til the end - exposure is sooooo important ❤❤
Absolutely, in every sense, 'art' is what makes humans, 'human'.
Do we want our children's minds to bloom like flowers? Of course we do!
The art classes in high school literally saved my life. It gave me something to stick around for.
Same
There were days during high school when the only reason I had the fortitude to get up and go was because it was a day when I had art class. Thank heavens for Dan Stillman, best teacher I ever had. ❤️
God bless Dan Stillman! Truly, good teachers are among the most valuable individuals in our society. My journey to becoming an animation artist was shaped by teachers whom I continue to hold in deep affection and esteem.
Bring back the arts! The arts in school made all the difference to me. Visual, writing, theater, music.
I'm 60 next week still working out what I want to do when I grow up
I'm 68 tomorrow, and I wanna be a FIREMAN! 😁
Thank you for promoting the arts in education❤
My beloved Grandpa worked the mines since childhood. It was a dream and aspiration come true for him when my father went to university and became an electronics engineer. I had it so easy! I went from the military right into college where I became an animation artist. I Thank God and my forefathers for letting me be an artist
This music teacher THANKS YOU Mr. Lithgow!!!! ❤️
Kate, thanks for doing what you do!!
I was at a Broadway show in NYC a long time ago with my son, his girlfriend and dear friends. I saw John Lithgow in the audience with his children. My son dared me to go talk to him; I had told my son how much I enjoyed John's artistry as an actor. So, I did... walked over and told John how much I loved him as an actor. He was very gracious and thanked me. John had on the most beautiful long black quilted coat... I have always enjoyed that memory. ♡D
I met him through work one day at universal studios. I tried not to act like a rabid fan but i could not help but tell him how much he cracked me up laughing On 3rd Rock. He went into character and claimed he wasn't john Lithgow but the alien character he played in the show. He is a very kind person. and super funny
I have had a crush on Mr. Lithgow since I was a teenager...Im 45 and he still makes my heart pound in my chest.
He is such a nice man. I was an extra in a film with him and sat next to him as he held an art pad. He eagerly showed me his works.
He is a wonderful actor and a warm, kind human being. I totally forgive him for scaring the crap out of me in Raising Cain.
Intelligence is really sexy 😅
@@Liz-nu5drHim and DePalma's direction made that movie a classic imo. That performance and his one in Dexter were iconic scary guys.
Me too! Starting with Roberta Muldoon!
Thank you Mr. Lithgow for your support for teachers
John Lithgow, you are so right! God bless you for your efforts to keep education in the arts alive in public schools!!
I absolutely adored John in all of his works. None more so than 3rd Rock. If i had ever had a bad day at work or generally feeling down. watching 3rd Rock would give me the lift i needed. If laughter is the best medicine, John was the best cure.
Currently introducing my 19yo daughter to 3rd Rock, which is fun 😊
Yes!!! Third Rock!!!! Yes!!!!
Great show and cast!
OBSCENELY FUNNY show every episode was a laugh riot 😂🤣😆😁
Where to view it now?
John Lithgow is in my top 10 actors of all time.
The whole shcool system needs to be reformed. It was literally made by the Rockefellers to create workers and not thinkers. We need smaller classess, more focus on teaching our children how to think, and no grades to judge them.
Yep! Exactly. Stand up America and shout this everywhere.
But but but, who then will drive to my house with must have them NOW #4 coffee filters at 4:00 am? /s
Such an amazing actor with such amazing range. I'm so glad i got to grow up watching his movies.
My kids went to school in Shakopee, MN. Their schools were filled with superb art teacher. The high school had two choral music teachers. Make Americans Artists!
I know who Jon Lithgow is, I love his work, but as famous as he is for his many several roles, he is not John Lithgow the actor on any of them, he creates the role and it grabs you as someone who truly is believably that character, and you love that character, this is a true actor talent not always achieved by just anyone, Mr. Lithgow is a special soul to the world of the passion of acting.
This man has done what all actors should do if possible and take on as many varied roles as any actor I’ve seen. He performs them marvelously. I look forward to every movie or show he’s in.
Creativity enables openmindedness, kindness, boldness and self-actualization - rather than the conformity, closemindedness, competitiveness and ignorance that the US public AND private education system brainwash students minds with. Schooling was designed to contain and control not to liberate and inspire, which is why authentic, meaningful and enjoyable learning rarely happens in most schools.
Two of my very favorite men right there 🎉❤ much love
Great actor, charming man. He's right - there needs to be more support for art and music.
Art, music AND Physical Education need to be brought back!
As only John Lithgow could, excellent comedian, actor and theatre extrordinaire. ❤
Love that he’s promoting the arts in school. It’s something every kid can be involved with. Sports is great for the athletic kids but the less coordinated feel left out and sometimes are made fun of. Bring back art and music!
My first experience of John Lithgow was as a child in the 1990's watching Harry and the Henderson's 😅
The World According to Garp was mine.
Just have to love John Lithgow, has just a terrific perspective on life.
Would love to see John Lithgow and John Malkovich in a movie together
Can you add Frasier?
Being John Lithgovich
Thank you John Lithgow, you are absolutely on point. Art and creative expression are a portal to understanding ourselves in this crazy world. Thank you!
Hate to break it to you John, you are an artist
We salute you Dick the High Commander !!
I agree with Mr. Lithgow! We MUST bring back the arts in our schools.
I wanted to be an artist. My dad said nope. Gotta have a career that puts food on the table. His only exposure to art was those starving artists sales. I ended up going to college for restaurant management. My creativity came out in the food that i made. Now that I’m 70 I’m painting and loving it!
My very artistic Korean 6th grade student was told by her dad to stop wasting her time on art. At parent conference I complimented her talent and listed all the careers she could go into with that skill. 20 years later, she's a designer in Seoul. Glad you have painting!
The arts are essential to the well being of students. So many find their unique voice in art, music, dance, and drama. Art tells truth.
I was a huge fan of "Dexter", in season 4 along comes John Lithgow, he was brilliant in his role as nemesis Arthur Mitchell.
Shop classes too! They need to use their hands and their bodies and do weird things while they are developing to figure themselves out.
3rd rock from the sun is still amazing 👏
I happen to be watching 3rd Rock from the Sun right now so this interview was a surprise 😂
That was my only good years in H.S. - Art Class. With a very good teacher - Mr. Sarvis
What art does to us: It teaches us to evaluate: What have we got? What can we make of it? And doing art together is learning to appreciate that everyone sees the ressources, the world and his/her abilities in a totally different way and that it is exiting to mutually discover those ways. Compare this with the opinion that far too many people have: "I know the only truth how the world works!"
Arts education and foreign language classes disappeared once politicians started demanding standardized testing. When test scores started dropping they brought in remedial classes to no avail. They wouldn't listen to educators who understand child development. The Arts and FL classes are using math and language skills that stimulate other parts of the brain. Cursive handwriting stimulates the learning centers of the brain, but they got rid of that, too.
Yep
This man is such an amazing actor - with no more than the change of expression on his face in one minute you want to hug him and the next he becomes absolutely evil.
Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey is his alma mater. The school is really into arts and music in a major way. The great Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers, Frazier, Jumanji, and so forth) went there. John Popper (from Blues Traveler) went there. By the way, it's a public school, not a private school.
Whoa. How did you guys land this Charles Grodin interview from beyond the grave? 😁
😂
Love, love, love John Lithgow❤
lithgow is a freaking treasure. this is one of the best interviews i've seen in a while. i could listen to the guy talk for hours.
Lithgow is a distant relative of mine. I absolutely adore this guy. My one criticism of him is his selection of roles. He’s a phenomenal actor who, IMHO, is underrated because he’s accepted a whole host of poor roles. He’s phenomenal. Love him.
Great interview.
4:05... So sad, John. Besides dedicated music, art, shop and even the last dregs of home economics, we had dedicated choir teachers! So by 8th grade I was going to Florida state choir contests... That I kept up when we moved to Chicago- where they light the train tracks on fire to unfreeze them in winter. Soon I was going to Illinois state choir championships. Now I ake theatre and movie props. now and then I bust out a little opera or the Chichester Psalms (in Hebrew) and freak everyone out.
I was born in 1955, and I remember first through sixth grade we had an hour a day for art, and seventh through ninth grade we had an entire period for art… I learned a lot.
❤John Lithgow
"Test Results"!!!! too funny!
Another music teacher for John Lithgow! Thank you for shining a light on the imperative for arts education.
I worked with John when he first conceived the idea for this show. He asked my input. I am very proud that I had just a little connection to this PBS special.
John Lithgow has always been a consistently good guy. Thank you Dr Lizardo.
Still will love him forever as John Bigboote in Buckaroo Bonzai.
Lord (John) Whorfin. John Bigbooté however was flawlessly executed by none other than the also legendary, Christopher Lloyd
Enjoyed him in Garp & Terms, but became a big fan with Buckaroo Banzai.
Yes he was great. I fondly remember the movie from my youth. I thought that it was wonderful! The fact that the movie bombed at the box office shows how distorted life in America has become. I think it helps to explain why our politics is so weird and corrupt these days. Such a shame that America is crashing. On the bright side, America has had a wonderful 250 year run as a beacon for the world. But perhaps it is some other country’s turn to lead the world.
John Lithgow is simply GORGEOUS!!!
"Are my test results back" and thinking how she 'folded' the testicle had me laughing for weeks jajajajajajajajajaja
Comedy gold 🤣🤣🤣
I live in Princeton and went to the same high school as John. I wish I knew he was in town! What a legend!
That was a funny joke, and I was told amazingly
Loved art in high school, great teacher, ended up following my dream, have been a painter for 50 years, a glorious life even during the lean times. Best wishes to Mr. Lithgow!!
I just remembered when the great commander directed a school production which was a highlight of 30 Rock..
It was only recently that I learned that the Lightgows were immigrants in the Dominican Republic. John’s father and grandfather were born there.
John Lithgow is a national treasure ❤
You can always tell the professional actors they treat the crew well
Man Lithgow is awesome!
Yes, JOHN!!! Independent decision making is what is developed in visual art, creative writing, improv theatre, music creation , etc, in school! As an artist, arts educator pre-school thru college, special needs, adults and seniors I have seen the power of the arts! We need the arts to return to school.
Sure do Love you John Lithgow…..you are amazing and right on about kids these days…..thank you!
Can't get enough John Lithgow. I first saw him in 3rd Rock From The Sun, and his acting was superb.
So pleased he is doing the series! So incredibly important.
met him through work one day at universal studios. I tried not to act like a rabid fan but i could not help but tell him how much he cracked me up laughing On 3rd Rock. He went into character and claimed he wasn't john Lithgow but the alien character he played in the show. He is a very kind person. and super funny
My test results are as blue as that joke. ⚫⚫
Gold
When AI can paint my shed, I'll be on board. 'till then, go 'way, ya boddah me.
What a beautiful engaging interview! Thank you ❤
I've been a John Lithgow fan since The World According to Garp, but he (and Alfred Molina) absolutely broke my heart in Love Is Strange.
Thank you for this conversation
Love John Lithgow! Young people can be idiots.
I became a fan of John Lithgow upon watching him in, "The World According to Garp," and two years later he shows up in "Buckaroo Banzai" and "Footloose" in the same year - in one role an escaped madman alien and the other a preacher, and I was hooked. Everything he's in is improved by him being there. @3:00 There's a bit on the Graham Norton show where Rowan Atkinson talks about someone 'sort of' recognizing him but just thinks he's the "spitting image of Mr Bean!" and can't be convinced otherwise.
I finally got a chance to do a great job when I was 50. That’s when I became a TV/film set painter. Many of us are retiring. Study art, volunteer to learn,then get trained on set, join the union to have a wonderful career. Oh yes --also -make a lot of money.
John Lithgow is a national treasure and the man can play anything! I love that joke and can't wait to tell to an old physicist buddy in Texas!
Fascinating interview...hes a legend🎭
He's such a lovely guy and great actor! Loved s1 of the old man.
omfg.. I spit a mouthful of water and pulled a muscle listening to that hilarious joke!!
One of my dear friends has a classically trained Fine Arts degree and was working in the Detroit school district area...until the funding was cut several years ago. She is doing well as a professional cosplayer and twitch broadcaster but she would agree with Mr Lithgow's perspective. The arts are the key to your own imagination and they need to return.
Best joke ever!! Thanks John Lithgow.
The arts provide self-actualization!
Brilliant...talented...lovable. I became a fan instantly when I first saw him in "Twilight Zone: the Movie." I stayed in my seat in the theater just to catch his name in the credits. "This guy's great!" I thought. If you've never seen it, you should. He puts the original Shatner performance to shame.
Thanks for sharing an important conversation 👏❤️😊
A true great promoter of the Arts
Had no idea it's been removed from school. All through elementary school in the 70s i guess we were lucky to have music class every day of those first five years. With you choosing band or not in 5th. But every year of the four previous we played instruments and sang some great rock songs of the early 70s. Was the best part of my early education. And I played trumpet through HS. I can tell there isn't anyone teaching Civics anymore either. It was such a huge part of my education, it would've been boring without it.
I went to a public performing and creative art school. I credit my arts education with my success as an entrepreneur and business professional.
Thanks John. I read the beginning of that joke the other day but the page it was on didn't have the ending and I was too busy to look it up and forgot about it! Your "Rudy" is epic. Wish there was more of it!
I agree with Mr. Lithgow 100%, bring back the arts education ALL of it!
What are the greatest actors, ever.
This Is Your Very Best Episode Ever🎉APPLAUSE ❤ Absolutely Epic.))