Free Carl Reiner! Wherein We Talk to the Legend and Give Away Tickets.

By Robert Wilonsky Mon., Sep. 8 2008 at 3:51 PM

Categories: Arts, From the RTF Dept.

As we mentioned almost a month back, Carl Reiner and Martin Short will replace John Travolta tomorrow night at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where Travolta was scheduled to show for a Q&A as part of the Brinker International Forum benefiting the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. Of course, it's quite the improvement, as Reiner's is easily among the most storied stories in the history of the show business, once you take into account his associations with Sid Caesar and Mel Brooks, The Dick Van Dyke Show, the four films he directed starring Steve Martin (including, of course, The Jerk and All of Me) and his handful of books, including the autobiography My Anecdotal Life. For starters.

Reiner was generous enough to give us half an hour on Friday to discuss his life and his work -- barely enough time to sniff the surface, much less scratch it. The interview's available below, for those who'd like to spend some time with a comedy genius and his admittedly obsequious interrogator. Alas, there is a reward for those with the patience: a pair of tickets to tomorrow night's event. We've got four pair for those who e-mail me directly, so long as you listen to the interview and tell me what kind of movies Reiner and Mel Brooks like to watch together, yes, every single night. (Hint: The answer's near the end...ish.) Two tickets per winner, of course. Why, it's simple enough for a 2,000-year-old man. --Robert Wilonsky

The Unfair Park Interview: Carl Reiner

Update: To our four winners, mazel tov. To everyone else, thanks for playing. I will keep your names, should we secure more ducats for tomorrow night's event.

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