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Congrats……to Timothy Van Patten for today’s Emmy nomination in the “Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series” category for the “Eldorado” episode of “Boardwalk Empire.” Van Patten, of course, played Max Keller in episodes 322- MASTER NINJA I and 324- MASTER NINJA II before going on to a stellar directing career.
28 Replies to “Congrats…”Commenting at Satellite News
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He’s such a talented seagull! Well done, sir!
All part of the Van Patten conspiracy….
you guys really don’t like him at all, do you? it’s just a comedy show, you nerds, not a guide to who sucks and who doesn’t.
Awesome! I think I speak for all of us when I say…
Conblablllulabhtionbs Timbh! Waybee to gohbh!
He might ought go ahead and put another shelf in the van for that award!
“Master Ninja” cracks aside, Timothy Van Patten has actually had quite an interesting and varied career. Everyone should check out the multi-part interview that he gave to the Archive of American Television in 2009. He even (briefly) mentioned “The Master”, the TV series that was edited together to create the “Master Ninja” movies. From what I can remember of his recollections of “The Master”, it was a job that he took mostly for the money, but he didn’t think that the writing was what it should have been or that he was particularly good in it. Despite the “prominence” that the MST3K treatment gave it, I really got the impression that Van Patten regards “The Master” as a minor footnote between more important projects. He started directing shortly after “The Master” came to an end, and from his description, he had to fight hard and pay his dues for many years to establish himself as a director. I’m glad to see that he’s enjoyed so much success.
I was so mad when he was made the bionic boy. I’d disliked him since Apple’s Way, and I’m sure I’m mixing up my Van Patten spawn but fate cast me as Janis Ian when it came to competition with the Tiger Beat brigade.
Or, to put it more gracefully:
Last year’s Razzie awards had a “Razzie Redeemed” category for five traditional walking-punchline actors who turned around and actually made a good movie this year. (FTR, the winner was Ben Affleck for directing “Gone Girl”, just narrowly beating out Jennifer Aniston for “Cake” and Keanu Reeves for “John Wick”.)
And that from a site even less mature and disciplined in its appreciation of overexposed pop-culture-gag actors than other comics we could mention…
Even though the Master Ninja episodes were CC/Joel-era, don’t fall into the Cult of Name trap:
Yes, as an actor, Tim may have been a charmless mushmouth, maybe that’s why that career didn’t quite work out–What would you like him to have done, quit? Find another line of work where we don’t have to watch him onscreen? He seems to have done so, and as Jay points out, hasn’t done too badly either. At least we know a few more hamsters will be safe from being exploited for van dashboards. Do we keep hanging one albatross around his neck just because a few MSTies are overly in love with a running gag, regardless of where, why or how long it was running?
Oh, and FWIW, Joe Don Baker wasn’t that bad in “The Living Daylights”, either.
What about EricJ’s running gag of being an obnoxious hater?
I’m just glad that he’s doing well in his chosen profession. There are many people who can’t make that claim.
I haven’t got the foggiest notion what you people are talking about. My post was not intended to be disparaging in any way, and anyone who took it that way needs to look at his or her own preconceptions, not my motives. I offered him entirely sincere congratulations, and then explained why he is worthy of being singled out, among the many nominees, on this site. That’s it. We genuinely admire his fine directing career for which he has won numerous awards already. And frankly I’m a bit surprised that that wouldn’t be the default way everybody would take it. Sheesh.
Speaking as an actor myself, I’ve done roles that my friends still give me crap about. And I, in turn, give them crap about stuff they’ve done. We do low paying theater to get our artistic ya-yas out & we do TV, commercials & films to make money. Sometimes you do something both artistically satisfieing & lucrative. That’s when you remember why you stay in this incredibly stupid business.
Mr. Van Patten spent time as an actor, learned the ins & outs of a set, & is now directing some of the best shows on TV (besides Boardwalk Empire he also directed several episodes of The Sopranos & Deadwood, & presumably countless episodes of shows I just don’t happen to watch).
In other words, he has had a career that many of us in this crazy business we call “show”, envy.
So to all of you who think people are being too mean, you should really just relax.
I’m willing to bet Master Van Patten neither knows nor cares what we’re saying about him.
He’s far to busy making money at something he loves doing.
We should all be so lucky.
Another Mst alum who’s gone on to do some great things. Maybe not as successful as Shawn Levy (Zombie Nightmare) or Don Scardino (Squirm), but well done. I, for one, am glad to see them succeed. Sure beats starring in crappy movies.
I’m surprised that he hasn’t made the leap to feature films, or at least tried one. Plenty of other HBO directors have, but he seems to be the channel’s most prolific director.
Hikeeba!
I also don’t get why the comments were seen as indicative of hatred towards Van Patten. The original post was pretty straightforward, and the first few comments were (at worst) a little light ribbing.
No babesterb ebba wub an awarb by directing fob hibds cubendy.
It’s the Leonard Maltin factor–Once an actor or director gets running-gag mentioned by name, a certain half of the MSTie audience think it means the individual has been shamed for life for contributing to a “punished” movie, and to keep the sacred episode-quoting gag going is to keep rubbing salt into that old wound.
OTOH, you could have someone like Miles O’Keefe, who didn’t think his Ator gig was something to put on his resume’ either, and enjoyed MST3K’s ability to laugh along with one of his more embarrassing early money jobs.
Tim sounds like he’s in the second category, he’s moved on, done well and shrugged off his old jobs, and if that certain half of the audience imagines he must be in tears at our cruel heckling of it, or nerdily trying to protest how popular and misunderstood the show was while waiting for his agent to call up with another job (like Joe Estevez from Soultaker), sorry to disappoint.
Like Sampo tried to say, he’s a MST3K-movie vet made good, and nice to see he’s done something he IS good at.
I mean this in the kindest possible way, but Van Patten is a classic example of the “those who can’t do, teach” (except it’s “Those who can’t act, direct”).
And I am speaking from the heart, as someone who has tried to act and then directed many a production. It’s good to know your limitations and, better yet, find what you excel at and do it.
In Hollywood, of course, the old joke went that all actors want to direct, all directors want to write, and all writers want to act.
It’s just playful MSTie teasing. *Some* people are using their personal prejudices to create fanciful theories that it’s genuine hatred.
I thought we were just congratulating him MSTie style: silly but loving riffing.
His name may have been a joke in our little corner of the universe in the 90’s, but this man has done more than good, he’s done great. If he ever took notice of MST and his feeling’s were hurt he’s clearly been crying all the way to the bank and the awards shows. He’d have to be breathtakingly insecure to care what we think of a minor decades old project of his that he took largely to pay the bills. Actors gotta eat and most have to take whatever scripts they’re lucky enough to get.
He was also in things like Zone Troopers and Class of 1984. Solid b-movie work from the 80’s. Mr. Van Patton, I salute you with sincerity and respect. And could you maybe loan me some money? No? OK, just askin’.
Let’s not forget that Tim also worked with Lee Van Cleef which is actually pretty damn cool. Sure The Master wasn’t Ibsen, but it was no different than many other premises of beloved 1980s action shows. All it was missing was a Stephen J. Cannell or a Donald Bellasario to put a shine onto it. Make Max Keller a racecar driver (he does race motorcycles already), change it from a ninja to a judge, and make the premise seeking vengeance instead of seeking a daughter, add a better theme song and whammo! Hardcastle and McCormick emerges!
Hey guys, no making fun of people, that’s not what MST3K is all about
In seriousness I think a good weekend topic (if it hasn’t been done) would just be talking about the interesting careers various MST movie actors went onto. Well, besides Clint Eastwood and those way too obvious types.
I’m pretty sure they all just want to get laid.
@surburban white shut-in: “you guys really don’t like him at all, do you? it’s just a comedy show, you nerds, not a guide to who sucks and who doesn’t.”
Yes, we REALLY don’t like Timothy Van Patten to the point of laughing at him repeatedly in Master Ninja and taking the time to discuss his post career success here and on other MST3K forums. He is clearly the most unlikeable and most unsuccessful MST related actor of all time which was obviously the entire point of Sampo’s post, assuming of course you have cripplling reading comprehension skills and can conjure outrage and alternate reality situations out of thin air. Do you normally go around in life thinking to yourself, “Hey, I wonder how I can take the next sincere compliment someone gives to either I or someone else, grossly misinterpret it and then twist it into a bizarre opportunity to hop on a soapbox, name call and lecture the person who gave the compliment and everyone around them?” I mean really, you must be a delight in real life to deal with in a social context.
I for one would like to congratulate mad dog comedian Bobcat Goldthwait who also played Mr. Floppy on Unhappily Ever After for his prolific and successful post-comedy writing and directing career….
surburban white shut-in (who despite his name seems to get around quite a bit and isn’t opposed to suspending his shut-in status at a moment’s notice in order to flair his arms and yell at someone) comes along and loudly and incoherently proclaims: “You guys really don’t like Bobcat Goldthwait at all, do you?! Unhappily Ever After was just a comedy show, you nerds, not a guide to who sucks and who doesn’t!”
Please feel free to print a copy of the above and tape it on your face while you use your computer. Thank you and good day.
I think he was actually a pretty decent actor. Yeah, his character on Master Ninja was a complete doofus, but that was supposed to be the case and he did a good job of it.
I mean, the show was basically Shaggy and the Van from Scooby Doo with a ninja theme (ninja were big then)