Paul Buchman
Paul Buchman was born and raised in New York City. He attended NYU Film School and, in 1980, was named the school's "Most Promising Filmmaker." He is now a successful documentarian, specializing in films for such cable networks as the Explorer Channel and PBS. Paul has two sisters, Debbie and Sharon, who both have kids. His mother Sylvia, and his father, Burt, continue to live in the city, in the apartment where he was raised. Paul's best friend since childhood is his cousin Ira. Paul married Jamie Stemple in 1992, and they reside in Greenwich Village with their dog, Murray. The Buchmans eagerly anticipate becoming parents this May.
FACTS
- Called "Paulie" by his cousin Ira.
- His Director's Guild bio states that he won a National Endowment for the Arts grant.
- Wears glasses.
- At the end of each day, puts the pennies from his pockets in a bowl.
- His first rent-controlled apartment is sublet to Kramer of "Seinfeld."
- His wedding ring has the date of his marriage to Jamie inscribed on it; he has lost the ring twice, one time in a hot dog vendor's cart.
- Gave Jamie a cotton candy machine for their second anniversary.
- He thinks he looks like a young Ronald Coleman. Jamie thinks he's more Gregory Peck-ish. A guy overhearing them felt Paul bore a closer resemblance to Charles Laughton.
CHILDHOOD
- He was conceived on his parents' kitchen table after they saw "Gigi".
- His family's tradition was to begin Thanksgiving dinner around 1 PM.
- He loved his mother's "mushed" potatoes.
- As a child, his sisters practiced putting makeup on him.
- While playing in Little League, his Father came on to the field to walk him from first to second base.
- He was a wrestler in junior high.
- He has had "a thing" about Halloween ever since high school, when the Escrobo brothers didn't respect his Superman costume.
- Had a girlfriend in high school named Abby.
- As a teen, he "stole" Lance Brockwell's girl, Patty Mary, who later married Lance.
- Has a cousin named Marsha.
- Both of Paul's sisters went to school out of state.
LIKES
- Loves The Beatles.
- Prefers the window seat on airplanes.
- Loves "The Three Stooges."
- Loves fireplaces.
- Plays racquetball with Ira.
- Prefers his shoes to have laces.
- Loves the circus.
- Plays piano.
NOT SO MUCH LIKES
- Uneasy with starting a cheese tray.
- Gets head freeze from ice cream.
- Can't steal - not a thief.
- Doesn't play tennis or golf.
- Indian curry makes his hair sweat.
- Hates department stores.
- Never wears cologne (except when seeing Lynne Stoddard).
- Doesn't like to ride backwards on trains.
EXPRESSIONS
- "never gonna happen, my friend"
- "are you kidding me"
- "this is what I'm thinking"
- "not so much"
BUCHMAN FILMOGRAPHY
- After several nominations for the Silver Sprocket Award, Paul finally won for his Explorer Channel plantlife documentary, "Weed."
- Got his first nomination for a film school project on the garment industry, "A Day in the Life of a Button."
- His film on the first Iraqi-born janitor to work at the Pentagon lost to "The Trouble with Barnacles;" but Paul won the door prize, a professional tea brewer.
- "New York at Night," one hour, made for Cinegroup.
- "A Day at the Zoo," made for Family Network.
- "Vacky - Peanut Vendor," on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Yankee Stadium.
- "I Still Love New York" campaign (for Jamie's client, Al, Director of Tourism).
- "Apollo Cafe," profiling the fastest short-order cook in the city.
- "Slumlords."
- "Titanic."
- A documentary on dogsled racing in the Yukon
- TV ad featuring Murray ("Yum Yum Gum")
- "It's Morning in Central Park" Ad, for the "Brockwell for Mayor" campaign
- A videotape on how to get dates.
- A grant-funded history of television, narrated by Alan Brady.
- An industrial film on airline seatbelts.
- "Panda Mating Habits," a panda documentary shot in the Central Park Zoo.
- Attempted to produce a documentary entitled, "Wind," for Yoko Ono.
- "Buchman" a documentary on his own family's history, inspired by his Uncle Phil. It was accepted into the North American Documentary Film Festival.
- A 15-minute cinema verite` film on his own homelife.
- A home video of his and Jamie's bedroom life (never viewed, believed lost).
- Locations for other projects include Times Square on New Year's Eve, and Chicago.
PEOPLE FROM PAUL'S PAST
JAY SELBY (Tommy Hinkley)
- Paul's first-season best friend.
- Single, worked for his father.
- Doesn't cook.
- Lisa Stemple paid him $50 to be her date on Thanksgiving.
LYNNE STODDARD (Sarah Patridge)
- Was in college with Paul in 1975.
- Now a Junior Partner at the Sweeney-Fuller law firm.
- Paul's love for her inspired him to write an entire book of poems, but she was in love with Ken, a grad student.
HOWIE BALINGER (Steve Buscemi)
- Classmate of Paul's who dropped out of school after an unfortunate incident with Paul.
- Works as a subway system token clerk.
- Is shopping his script, "Tunnel of Hate," to producers.
YOKO ONO
- Wrote Paul a fan letter and invited the Buchmans to a cocktail party.
- Later collaborated with Paul on a project to "film the wind."
AVERY
- The President of Cinegroup, production team behind "New York at Night"
VACKY (Phil Leeds)
- World's oldest peanut vendor.
EDDIE "WARREN" MERMELMAN (Steven Wright)
- Paul's editor-cameraman.
- a "peripheral visionary" - sees into future, just way off to the side.
LOU BONAPARTE (Larry Miller)
- Paul's producer from Cinegroup. Just promoted from accountant, after 11 years with the firm.
- Directed "Damn Yankees" in Montclair, New Jersey.
- Not married; Jamie once "fixed him up" with Fran.
- Composed a song about candy corn.
- Is fond of the "thumbs up" gesture.
- Valedictorian at Amherst Business College, where he was a member of the tumbling team.
CONNIE BLOOM (Meagen Fay)
- Worked at Paul's office.
- One of her cats "felt isolated."
IKE (Art Evans)
- Paul's former film editor.
- Had worked with Alfred "Hitch" Hitchcock and Orson Welles.
STACEY (Kerri Green)
- Paul's first-season assistant.
REMY (Marva Hicks)
- An assistant at Buchman Films.
FRED STADLER (Jerry Lewis)
- The Billionaire; hired Paul to make a film on his life.
- Speaks several languages, plays the kazoo, presented Paul with Ringo Starr's drum set, gave Jamie a Da Vinci painting.
HOLLIS (David Strickland)
- Paul's boss at the Explorer Channel.
- Both he and Paul were fired over Paul's film "Weed," before it won the Silver Sprocket Award.
ZIGGY KLARIK (Ed Asner)
- Lisa's fiance's dad, who invested in one of Paul's films, then confiscated it.
UNCLE PHIL (Mel Brooks)
- A Brooklyn resident and retiree, and the main repository of the Buchman family history.
SHEILA KLEINMAN (Mo Gaffney)
- Therapist to the Buchmans and the Devanows; charges the Buchmans a higher rate.
Jamie Buchman
Jamie Stemple was born at 2:01 am, with a full head of hair, in New Haven, Connecticut, to proud parents Gus and Theresa Stemple. After a rosy childhood that she shared with her sister Lisa (with whom she shares a psychic bond), she went on to attend Yale University. At Yale, she had seven boyfriends, but never decided on a major. At 18, she wrote a short story, entitled "New Haven," about her college experiences. On moving to New York, she took a job at Farrer-Gantz Public Relations, eventually rising to the position of Regional Vice President. After leaving Farrer-Gantz to continue her education, Jamie started her own public relations firm, which was eventually consolidated into City Hall's press department, under Director of Communications Lance Brockwell. When Brockwell set his sights on the Mayor's mansion, he selected Jamie as his campaign manager. In December of 1989, Jamie met Paul Buchman, and the couple were married in 1992. Paul and Jamie are currently expecting their first child on.
FACTS
- Paul first described her as "pushy and pretty with a sexy voice."
- Jamie keeps a diary on computer disk.
- Actually married Paul in a secret, dawn ceremony, on the street the day of their formal wedding.
- Nickname: "James"
- First subject studied when out of work: the Italian language.
- Steals from Paul's penny bowl to buy newspapers.
- A former smoker.
- Memorable fortune cookie: "Bad Luck Follows the Guilty."
- Gave Paul a Swiss Army Knife for their second wedding anniversary.
- Referred to as "Stella" in a book written by Lisa's therapist: "It was Stella's overprotectiveness that suffocated her ability to relate to others, and tethered her to a lifetime of insecurity and neurosis."
- Not yet reconciled to the split-up of her parents, after 37 years of marriage.
- Her ob-gyn, Doctor Joan Golfinos, is the significant other of Paul's sister, Debbie.
- Met Paul at a news stand; stole his copy of the New York Times.
CHILDHOOD
- A psychic bond with her sister allows Jamie to sometimes sense Lisa's experiences.
- Served as cheerleader and camp counselor.
- Neighbors: the Ruperts, Lucy Warner, and Jamie's lawn-mowing partner, Billy Slatter.
LIKES
- Studied the cello, and played in her high school orchestra.
- Plays racquetball occasionally.
- Fantasy career goals: to swim in the Olympics, and to dance with Baryshnikov.
- Fantasy Men include Bruce Springsteen, Andre Agassi, Tom Brokaw, and Yanick Noah.
DISLIKES
BACK TO SCHOOL
- Classes: Ethics, Psychology, Logic, Intermediate French.
OLD BOYFRIENDS
SHERWIN WILLIAMS (Rick Rossovich)
- The painter who later slept with Fran; went out with Jamie for a month in 1985.
ALAN TOFSKY (Eric Stoltz)
- Alan was Jamie's last significant other preceding Paul Buchman; they broke up about a year before Jamie and Paul met. A commercial graphics artist, Alan designed the cover for a Peter Gabriel album, and is now famous for his comic book inspired by Jamie, MegaVoid. Whether he or Jamie had the last word at their breakup is a matter of great contention between the former couple. Despite their uneasy relationship, they did manage to work together on an advertising campaign; Alan has been known to carry his own tea-bags and to refer to Paul as "Ken," or "Pete." It is unlikely that Alan was being referred to when Jamie, in an early episode, spoke about a commercial artist that she'd once slept with.
OLD BOYFRIENDS MENTIONED, NOT SEEN
TED
- A mama's boy.
- Fran introduced them.
- He dumped Jamie just before she met Paul.
HAP EVANS
- Engaged to Jamie for two months.
- He had the lead in "The Music Man" in high school, while Jamie played cello in the orchestra.
- When he dumped her she spent three weeks in a preparatory convent. Jamie is not Catholic.
- The last time she saw him before recently running into him (in the episode "Riding Backwards") was at a 1979 Thanksgiving dinner, where he flirted with Marsha Dixon.
STAN FRANKLIN
- A co-worker, later transferred to London.
- Two weeks before Jamie moved in with Paul while still only dating, she slept with him.
HASTEN
- Jamie still has his football jersey.
MONROE
- A poet living on Jane Street.
ARNOLD
JAMIE'S CAREER AT FARRER-GANTZ PUBLIC RELATIONS
- Started out as assistant to Fran, and took her position as Regional Vice President when Fran retired.
- Major accomplishment: landed the Computron account, a plum that Fran had pursued for three years.
- Loyal to the PR firm for eight years.
- Jamie's office was on 33rd floor.
- Co-workers called her "Dragon Lady" behind her back.
FARRER-GANTZ COHORTS & CLIENTS
JACK FARRER (Ken Jenkins), Jamie's boss.
- Regularly took all credit for her work.
- Authored the slogan, "Central America - Come Home to the Equator."
- His wife is built like Don Shula.
- His mistress ran the company's legal department.
MANNY GANTZ (Wayne Tippit), Chairman of Farrer-Gantz.
- Always tells 1950 Rose Bowl story he was in the marching band.
DIANE CALDWELL (Barbara Feldon), "Spy Girl."
- A client of Jamie's; starred in the television show "Spy Girl", which aired every Tuesday night for six years, beginning in 1968.
- Wore go-go boots and liked men in turtlenecks.
- Paul and Ira both wrote her fan letters when younger. She answered Ira's.
- Called Jamie "Karen".
- Slept with Ira.
AL (Dennis Lipscomb), Director of Tourism for New York
- A Farrer-Gantz client, who hired Paul to update the "I Love NY" campaign.
BURT BUCHMAN (Louis Zorich), Owner, Buchman's Sporting Goods
- Paul's dad was Jamie's first client when she started her own PR firm.
LANCE BROCKWELL (Alan Ruck), Mayoral Candidate.
- Originally hired Jamie and Fran to promote "A Guidebook to New York City Restrooms"
- When Paul accidentally photographed Lance receiving a payoff, Brockwell thought he was being blackmailed and promoted Jamie.
- Is on Prozac.
Mayoralty Campaign Assistants
- Troy (Patrick Bristow)
- Molly Norman (Kari Coleman)
Ira Buchman
Ira Buchman, Paul's first cousin, is a native of Sheepshead Bay, Long Island. A fun-loving guy who is always looking for an angle, Ira first appeared in the episode "Wedding Affair." A bandleader who plays lead saxophone, Ira has recorded many demos, and still harbors dreams of seeing a recording of his work released. Years ago, Ira started working for Paul's father, Burt, managing Buchman's Sporting Goods store; when Burt recently retired, he gave the store to Ira, who has adjusted quite well to his new responsibilities.
FACTS
- Jamie has described Ira as "ubiquitous."
- Ira gifted Jamie with a pair of pumps for her 30th birthday.
- He gave Paul and Jamie an "object d'art" clock for their first anniversary.
- He first slept with Fran in Atlantic City.
- Ira also slept with "Spy Girl" Diane Caldwell.
- He is a member of Gambler's Anonymous and has been known to slip.
- His SAT scores were lower than Paul's.
- He plays racquetball regularly.
GIRLFRIENDS AND WIVES
MARIANNE LOUSAGO (Cyndi Lauper)
- Ira's ex-wife, whom he hadn't seen in 20 years.
- Worked at A&P, and as a Casino Hostess in Atlantic City.
- Taught Paul how to kiss after he sent her a Valentine in 5th grade.
- Ira can't say no to her.
- Paul lost his learner's permit because of her.
MIMI (Maria Pitillo)
- Ira's date at the whaling musical hit, Moby!
FRAN DEVEROW (Leila Kenzle)
- An affair of convenience, mostly pursued by Fran between more "significant" others.
SOPHIA (Fabiana Udenio)
- The passionate daughter of Giuseppe the baker.
SUSANNAH (Anne Bobby)
- An old school friend of Jamie's, Ira first suspected she might be a thief.
- Ira threatened to commit suicide to make it up to her when his cat killed her bird.
Lisa Stemple
Jamie Buchman's long-suffering sister, Lisa Stemple, was born with no hair (her parents called her cue ball), and raised in New Haven, Connecticut. At 33, she is three years older than Jamie. She has numerous psychological issues, most of them stemming from her childhood. High school was the worst five years of her life, followed by three unremarkable years in college from which she emerged into the world with absolutely no useful skills. Subsequently, she drifted from job to job, and from mania to mania. The greatest component of Lisa's love/hate relationship with her sister is her extreme jealousy of Jamie's success in her love life and career; until her relationship with Sanford Klarik. She once went so far as to blame Jamie for all her problems in an interview with her psychiatrist that became a chapter of a book called "Manics." In recent months, her engagement to multimillionaire Klarik seemed to have changed her outlook as much as it has changed her luck.
FACTS
- As hostess of Jamie's bridal shower, she served soda and gum.
- Sobbed through Paul and Jamie's entire wedding ceremony.
- Gave Paul and Jamie a subscription to The New York Post for their first anniversary.
- Borrowed and broke Paul and Jamie's VCR.
- Does her laundry at Paul and Jamie's apartment.
- Takes advantage of the fact that she fits into Jamie's clothes.
- Lisa's apartment windows were once stolen.
- Career moves have included work as a model at a boat show, a job as assistant to Murray the dog during his show-biz career, and writing fortunes for cookies "on spec."
- Struck by pre-wedding jitters, almost ran off with Doug the handyman.
CHILDHOOD
- Broke toe in high school wearing thongs - 1976.
- When Lisa had her adenoids surgically removed, her Mom told her they were going to a taping of "The Match Game."
PSYCHOSES
- In therapy, and on Prozac.
- Lisa's current shrink is a woman "with some schnoz."
- The shrink's chapter about Lisa is "Chapter 26: Edna on the Road to Nowhere."
- Jamie is referred to as "Stella" in Lisa's shrink's book.
- Lisa has a "dormant" eating disorder.
- Frequently calls Jamie at 3 a.m.
- Hasn't started a fire since college.
- Always sleeps with a guy on the first date.
- Lisa's first-season shrink was a man.
LIKES
- Had a youthful preoccupation with clay, which fostered early sexual fantasies.
- Loves hot wax, gravy, duck sauce.
NOT SO MUCH LIKES
- Never wears makeup (except when seeing Michael).
- Resentful of her mother's large breasts, and once doused her brassieres in kerosene and ignited them.
Fran Devanow
Fran Devanow, 33 years old, was born on October 28th, and has a five-year-old son, Ryan, by her husband Mark. As Regional Vice President with Farrer-Gantz Public Relations, she recruited Jamie to the firm as her assistant. Around the time Jamie met Paul, Fran quit Farrer-Gantz in order to spend more time with her family, and Jamie was promoted to Fran's former position.
FACTS
- Fran's fax machine was given to her by Jamie, who stole it from Farrer-Gantz.
- As a student, Fran was the star of her gymnastics team.
- Fran proposed to Mark; their marriage lasted 10 years.
- Fran and Mark's pet name for each other: "Pookie."
- Slept with painter Sherwin Williams two weeks after Mark left her.
- Slept with New York Yankee Sloopy Dunbar.
- Wanted Ira to continue sleeping with her until one of them found something better.
- Gets along great with her mother, who she moved to Boca Raton.
- Fran's fantasy men include Mick Jagger, John Goodman, and Joe Namath.
- Fran's divorce papers arrived in the episode "It's a Wrap."
- Plays racquetball regularly.
- Fran and Mark once took a cruise to Puerto Vallarta.
- Fran throws an annual Valentine's Day party for her single friends.
- Her son, Ryan, is a budding violinist.
Murray Buchman
Murray is, in Paul Buchman's words, "a Flatbush pound collie shepherd." He is seven years old (forty-nine in dog years). Paul and Ira found him in Central Park when he was a very small puppy, upon which occasion Ira fed him a turkey sandwich. Murray wore a tag, and when Paul called the phone number on it, the owner asked if Paul wanted to keep the dog. Since Paul had just broken up with an old girlfriend, he welcomed the companionship. Paul met Jamie while walking Murray to the newsstand one night. He's no genius but he has a vibe ... a basic "Murrayness."
FACTS
- Has a white spot.
- From a litter of 14 puppies.
- Murray's former owner was Alfred Urbont, who referred to Murray as "Swifty," and still has Mona, Murray's Mom.
- Murray's vet is Dr. Arzupian. His walker is Nick.
- In The Murray Box: baby teeth, first collar, ball, Hard Rock Cafe shirt, Obedience School Certificate (indicating a flunk in "Sit"), tag.
- Has been lost, towed and kidnapped.
- Fathered a litter with the snooty Conways' prize showdog, Sophie.
- Dreams of an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
- Show-biz aspirations crushed when he bit his agent.
- Occasionally chases an imaginary mouse.
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