Who's The Real Actor Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Danny is Based On?
The character is based on two famous comedians.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is probably one of the best period dramas Amazon has offered recently. Not only does it have a captivating plot, following an aspiring female comedian in New York of the mid-20th century, the show is also superbly written and raises important questions about feminism in history and today.
While most of the characters and storylines on the show are fictional, many of its aspects reflect very real events from the world of television in the 50s and 60s. In the most recent episode, a new character was introduced — comedic TV star Danny Stevens, played by Hank Azaria — and you may be wondering if Danny is based on a real person.
Before we get to that point, it's worth recalling the events of Episode 7, as it features a few characters who are reminiscent of some of the real media personalities of the time.
In the episode, Danny appears on Gordon Ford's talk show and, on Midge's advice, entertains the audience with jokes related to his own life, which leads to great success. He then offers the heroine a job as a writer on his own show, which infuriates Gordon, who thinks Danny is just flirting with Midge. The two men almost start a fight, but the conflict subsides, and Gordon raises Midge's salary to the level of male writers.
In fact, the argument between the two stars is reminiscent of the long-standing animosity between comedian Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. One of the most frequent guests on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Hope is remembered for his banter with the host. Despite all the smiles on camera, the two didn't like each other, and Carson unflatteringly said that Hope could only rely on his own writers.
At the same time, Danny's personality most likely references showman Danny Thomas. The character's fictional series is called The Danny Stevens Show, while Thomas had a similarly titled sitcom, The Danny Thomas Show (the original name is Make Room for Daddy).
Both fictional and real-life sitcoms tell the story of a fictionalized version of Dannies navigating their careers while dealing with family issues. Danny Stevens' relationship with his wife on the show is also very similar to the dynamic Thomas had with his second wife.
The next episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will arrive on Amazon Prime Video on May 19, 2023.