Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Harrison Ford
Mon Jul 03 2023Description
Harrison Ford appears as a guest on the podcast, engaging in playful banter with the host. They discuss Harrison's early career, name considerations, missed opportunities, and humorous moments. The conversation also touches on Harrison's excitement for an upcoming Indiana Jones movie and his appreciation for being named alumna of the year at a college. The episode concludes with discussions about writing challenges, commencement details, and a heart attack incident during a previous episode. Throughout, there is a mix of humor, personal anecdotes, and insights into Harrison Ford's life and career.
Insights
Harrison Ford's Early Career
Harrison Ford started his career doing TV Westerns before transitioning to film. He primarily made a living as a carpenter while pursuing acting.
Name Considerations
There was a suggestion early in Harrison Ford's career to change his name, but he stuck with Harrison Ford. 'Kurt Affair' was jokingly suggested as an alternate name.
Missed Opportunities and Apologies
The host reflects on missed opportunities and apologizes to Harrison Ford for recreating a traumatic elevator moment on air. A surprise guest claiming to be Jerry Tchaikovsky appears and admits to missing his bet in life.
Humorous Conversations and Collaborations
Harrison Ford engages in playful banter with the host throughout the episode. They discuss their past collaborations and joke about working together as magician's assistants.
Excitement for Indiana Jones Movie
The speaker expresses excitement for an upcoming Indiana Jones movie and plans to watch it in theaters with their family. They believe watching it in a theater is the best way to experience it.
Appreciation and Commencement Speech
The host expresses appreciation for having the guest on the show, who jokes about throwing the host out of their property. The guest talks about giving a speech at a college commencement.
Writing Challenges and Commencement Details
The speaker refuses to help with writing due to a writer's guild strike. They discuss the challenges of writing a two-minute speech for a commencement and share their experience speaking at a previous commencement.
Heart Attack Incident
During a previous episode, a person had a heart attack while discussing the Bronte sisters. Medical help was delayed due to someone blocking the aisle.
Chapters
- Introduction
- Playful Banter and Collaborations
- Early Career and Name Considerations
- Missed Opportunities and Apologies
- Magician's Assistants and Impersonations
- Excitement for Indiana Jones Movie
- Humorous Conversation and Appreciation
- Appreciation and Commencement Speech
- Writing Challenges and Commencement Details
- Heart Attack and Congratulations
Introduction
00:02 - 06:39
- Harrison Ford was a guest on the podcast.
- There was concern about the host's behavior, but he handled himself well.
- The host and Harrison Ford consider themselves friends.
- They did not exchange numbers because they will always be hanging out together.
- The host admits to being unprofessional and realizes he is the problem.
- The conversation veers into fishing and the host's father being a microbiologist.
Playful Banter and Collaborations
06:14 - 13:20
- Harrison Ford, a renowned actor, appears as a guest on the podcast.
- The host and Harrison engage in playful banter throughout the episode.
- Harrison is known for his humor and funny appearances on late-night shows.
- Conan O'Brien expresses his admiration for Harrison's comedic talent.
- They discuss their past collaborations on Conan's show.
- Conan reveals that his name, Conan, is an old Gaelic name of Irish origin.
- Harrison shares that he is part Irish and German-Jewish.
- There was a suggestion early in Harrison's career to change his name, but he stuck with Harrison Ford.
- Harrison recalls the time when he was asked to come up with an alternate name and jokingly suggests 'Kurt Affair'.
Early Career and Name Considerations
12:56 - 20:05
- Kurt Affair was a name considered but didn't stick
- Harrison Ford did an episode of Gunsmoke and FBI
- Actors had to do their time on TV Westerns before moving on
- Harrison Ford primarily made a living as a carpenter while acting
- He went from Columbia Pictures to a contract at Universal for $250 a week
- Jerry Tukovsky suggested dropping Harrison Ford because he had no future
Missed Opportunities and Apologies
19:37 - 27:03
- The speaker recalls a conversation with Jerry Tchaikovsky about his contract and being dropped from a project.
- The speaker reflects on the missed opportunity to take $250 instead of being dropped from the project.
- The host shares a memory of encountering Harrison Ford for the first time and feeling nervous.
- The host recounts an elevator encounter with Harrison Ford that left him terrified.
- The host apologizes to Harrison Ford for recreating the traumatic elevator moment on air.
- The speaker shares a story about receiving a note from Jerry Tchaikovsky years later at Warner Brothers.
- The host expresses appreciation for Harrison Ford's presence and forgiveness regarding Jerry Tchaikovsky.
- A surprise guest, claiming to be Jerry Tchaikovsky, appears and admits to missing his bet in life.
- The guest engages in humorous banter with the host and drinks water while eating small orange slices.
Magician's Assistants and Impersonations
26:34 - 34:09
- The host talks about having cameras for tax purposes and monetizing everything
- The host claims to own the likeness of the guest
- The host recalls a party where they approached the guest and talked about being the new Harrison Ford
- The guest denies the host's claim and asks where this alleged party took place
- They discuss a moment at the party involving a fan giving a Millennium Falcon made of Legos to the guest, which was then thrown and shattered
- The guest clarifies that it was a scripted bit and not an actual fan creation
- They joke about working together as magician's assistants and imitating each other's voices
- The guest remembers the name of someone who impersonated them in the past
Excitement for Indiana Jones Movie
33:43 - 41:03
- The speaker is excited about the upcoming Indiana Jones movie and plans to see it in theaters.
- They believe watching an Indiana Jones film in a theater is the best way to experience it.
- The speaker's son also loves the franchise and they plan to watch it together as a family.
- The speaker has already bought tickets for the movie.
- They discuss the different types of theater seats available, including ones where you can lie down and nap.
- The speaker hasn't been to a movie theater in a while but has seen movies on a big screen before.
- They mention attending the Cannes Film Festival and seeing pictures of themselves at premieres.
- The speaker expresses their desire to see the movie with an ordinary audience rather than fancy French people at Cannes.
Humorous Conversation and Appreciation
40:34 - 47:45
- The podcast features a conversation between Conan O'Brien and Harrison Ford.
- The conversation takes place in a large complex with many people present.
- Nick Crow is mentioned as a funny and brilliant comic and actor.
- Conan interrupts often, leading to comments that he should let others talk.
- There is some banter about what Harrison Ford and Conan are wearing.
- The conversation turns humorous with jokes about Harrison Ford's career being over and being replaced by Nick Crow.
- They discuss the table in the room and plan to go to Chipotle together after the podcast recording.
- They joke about taking their wives out for a meal and then going for a stroll along the ocean in Santa Monica.
- People turned up just to watch Harrison Ford walk through the door, showing his popularity.
Appreciation and Commencement Speech
47:17 - 53:29
- People turned up to watch the guest walk through the door
- The guest is considered funny in an original dry way
- The host expresses joy and appreciation for having the guest on the show
- The guest jokes about throwing the host out of his property
- The audience applauds and thanks the guest
- The host congratulates the guest for being named alumna of the year at a college
- The guest talks about giving a speech at the college commencement
- The host teases the guest about being a national speech champion
- The guest shares her first line for the commencement speech
Writing Challenges and Commencement Details
53:01 - 59:02
- There is a writer's guild strike, so the speaker refuses to help with writing.
- The speaker is asked to write a two-minute speech for a commencement.
- The speaker suggests borrowing from the Harvard Class Day speech or Dartmouth address, but it is not allowed.
- The speaker mentions that there is no such thing as a two-minute speech.
- The person being honored at the commencement has an impressive background and story to tell.
- The speaker believes that the person being honored will be an inspiration for others.
- The speaker talks about their own experience speaking at Mount Sac and how surprised they were by the number of people who love the person being honored.
- There is a discussion about Taylor Swift fans also being Conan O'Brien fans.
- The date of the commencement event is mentioned as June 9th.
Heart Attack and Congratulations
58:36 - 1:00:45
- A person had a heart attack while discussing the Bronte sisters.
- An actual doctor couldn't reach the person because someone was blocking the aisle.
- The doctor of the arts couldn't help either.
- Congratulations to Sonia and the students for their achievement.
- Advice to enjoy the moment and be proud of it.
- Podcast details and contact information provided.