Danny DeVito is giving us the backstage story we never knew we needed. On the“All the Smoke”podcast, the“Taxi”legend recalled the after-parties that followed tapings during the show’s 1978 to 1983 run, and the details are pure 1980s. Music until sunrise. A snack spread he summed up as“crudité and cocaine.”His take?“Basically it was the’80s. It was like, really crazy.”
The guest list might be the wildest part. Robin Williams, Michael Jackson and John Belushi all reportedly stopped by the scene, which turned a sitcom cast hangout into a full-blown Hollywood moment. And the rule for the cast was simple: everyone had to be back at work Monday at noon. As DeVito said,“That’s all we had to care about.”
Beyond the chaos, DeVito credits“Taxi”as the breakthrough that shaped his career, a run that earned him both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. These days he’s still stealing scenes as Frank Reynolds on“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”Consider this your official request for a part two of these stories.
Which classic TV show would you want a full behind-the-scenes tell-all from? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.