Black Tie (30 Rock)
Encyclopedia
"Black Tie" is the twelfth episode of the first season
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
. It was directed by Don Scardino
, and written by Kay Cannon
and series creator Tina Fey
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
(NBC) in the United States on February 1, 2007. Guest stars in this episode include Kevin Brown
, Grizz Chapman
, Will Forte
, April Lee Hernández
, Paul Reubens
, and Isabella Rossellini
.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
(Tina Fey
) attends a foreign prince's (Reubens) birthday party with her boss Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
) and meets Jack's ex-wife (Rossellini). At the same time, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) tries to convince Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) to cheat on his wife at a wild party while NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) encourages him not to.
"Black Tie" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
system, the episode was watched by 5.7 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
(Tina Fey
) is invited by her boss, Jack Donaghy
(Alec Baldwin
), to accompany him to a birthday party for his friend, Prince Gerhardt Habsburg
, in which she accepts. Liz fears the invitation is a date, but Jack denies this when asked. Later, Liz runs into her friend Jenna Maroney
(Jane Krakowski
) at the party. While the two talk, Prince Gerhardt (Paul Reubens
) makes his entrance. He has a physical disability with many disfigurements and illnesses due to "centuries of inbreeding
." Meanwhile, Jack is shocked to see his ex-wife Bianca (Isabella Rossellini
) enter the room. When she comes over to say hello, Jack introduces Liz as his live-in girlfriend. She likes Liz and tells Jack not to let her get away.
At the same time, Prince Gerhardt spots Jenna and sends his messenger, Tomas (Will Forte
), over to invite her to dine with him. Eager to become a modern-day Grace Kelly
, she talks herself into doing it, despite his problems. Later, Bianca tells Liz that she dislikes the idea that Liz can make Jack truly happy. Liz tells Jack that Bianca is still not over him and to prove it, she goes to her and tells her the two are engaged. At hearing this, Bianca reacts violently and attacks Liz. Later, Prince Gerhardt decides he can now die happy, after he and Jenna discussed their relationship, and drinks some champagne, which he cannot digest. He dies because "he cannot metabolize the grapes." As a result, the party comes to a conclusion. Jack walks Liz up to her apartment. Before he leaves, he leans in to take off the necklace he lent her, which she mistakes for an attempted kiss. Jack acts semi-repulsed by the idea, and tells Liz to give it up.
Finally, at the 30 Rock studios, after overhearing Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
) impersonating Elmo
from Sesame Street
while Pete was encouraging his son to do better with his potty training, Tracy Jordan
(Tracy Morgan
) compares Pete's relationship with his wife to that of Samson
and Delilah
. While working late at night in his office, Tracy enters with Grizz (Grizz Chapman
) and Dot Com (Kevin Brown
) and a couple of other people, which turns into a party. Pete is still working, while Tracy's entourage enjoy themselves. Tracy encourages Pete to loosen up, and asks one of the women, Vicki (April Lee Hernández
), to look after him. Pete finally loosens up and begins to give in to Vicki's temptations, but NBC page
Kenneth Parcell
(Jack McBrayer
) sets him straight, telling him to recall the day that he got married.
, and written by Kay Cannon
and series creator Tina Fey
. This was Cannon and Fey's first script collaboration, later co-writing the episodes "Somebody to Love
", "Christmas Special
", and "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
", for season two
, season three
, and season four
, respectively. "Black Tie" originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 1, 2007 as the twelfth episode of the show's first season
and overall of the series.
This episode featured guest appearances by actors Paul Reubens
and Isabella Rossellini
. Fey wrote the role of Prince Gerhardt Hapsburg specifically for Reubens, and he did not have to audition. Fey, in regards to Reubens, said: "We were thrilled beyond belief to get him to do [the role]." Kevin Lasit, the show's prop master, built Gerhardt's wheelchair and puppet legs. Fey said that Lasit "really outdid himself", and noted that Reubens was kneeling in the wheelchair in the seat built over the top of him. In addition, Reubens wore prosthetic teeth and a wig to accommodate his character's look. According to Fey, in the DVD commentary for this episode, the show shot an alternate ending—at Reubens request—in which Gerhardt does not die, "but ultimately it felt better stakes for the story if he'd die", in which Will Forte
's character says, "The Habsburg line has ended. You can pick up your gift bags at the coat check." In "Black Tie", Rosellini played Bianca, the ex-wife of Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy. Rosellini would make a second appearance in the February 8, 2007, episode "Up All Night
". Comedian actor Will Forte, who played the messenger of Prince Gerhardt, has appeared in the main cast of Saturday Night Live
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy
series which airs on NBC in the United States. Fey was the head writer
on SNL from 1999 until 2006.
In the beginning of the episode, Liz and Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
) are exchanging Yo Mamma Jokes. According to Fey, Liz's joke, "What's the difference between your mama and a washing machine? When I drop a load in the washing machine, it doesn't follow me around for a week", was "pretty dirty", and was surprised that the show was able to get away with the joke.
system, "Black Tie" was watched by 5.7 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.9 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 2.9 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was an increase from the previous episode, "The Head and the Hair
", which was watched by 5.0 million American viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics.
IGN
contributor Robert Canning called it a "fantastic episode" and rated it 8 out of 10. He enjoyed all the subplots, and the performances by Paul Reubens and Isabella Rossellini. Julia Ward of AOL
's TV Squad wrote that Reubens and Rossellini were "pretty inspired choices", and said that "Tracy as the devil, Kenneth as the angel" gag—in which Tracy was encouraging Pete to cheat on his wife while Kenneth told him not to—was also "inspired". TV Guide
' s Matt Mitovich was favorable to the guest appearances of Reubens, Rossellini, and Will Forte, but said that Reubens's role "served up a memorable majesty on a very strong, very laugh-out-loud funny installment" of this episode. Mitovich was impressed with how "Black Tie" handled Liz's "date" with Jack, citing that lesser shows would have "gone there" in the final scene, "and really jacked up the 'tension' between its two leads, but Tina Fey and her crack writing staff didn't. They kept it 99.44 percent light, meaning we now won't ... be wondering, 'What if...?'" In regards to the episode itself, Mitovich said it was an "awesome episode, an immeasurably enjoyable, laugh-inducing series." Seattle Post-Intelligencer
contributor Melanie McFarland said that Reubens was "perfectly cast as such a freak", though in regards to Rossellini's appearance "[s]he glides in playing the class act we're used to, but when Rossellini dissolves into a shocking mess, she yields one of the series' most absurd scenes yet."
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
of the American television comedy series 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
. It was directed by Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, and written by Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and series creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
(NBC) in the United States on February 1, 2007. Guest stars in this episode include Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
, Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
, Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
, April Lee Hernández
April Lee Hernández
April Lee Hernandez is an American film and television actress. She has also been credited as April L. Hernandez and April Hernandez Castillo.-Biography:...
, Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
, and Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
.
In the episode, Liz Lemon
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) attends a foreign prince's (Reubens) birthday party with her boss Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
) and meets Jack's ex-wife (Rossellini). At the same time, Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) tries to convince Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) to cheat on his wife at a wild party while NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) encourages him not to.
"Black Tie" received generally positive reception from television critics. According to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, the episode was watched by 5.7 million households during its original broadcast, and received a 2.9 rating/7 share among viewers in the 18–49 demographic.
Plot
Liz LemonLiz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis "Liz" Lemon is the main character of the American television series 30 Rock. She is portrayed by Tina Fey, who is also the creator of the series and its showrunner.-Personal history:...
(Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
) is invited by her boss, Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy
John Francis "Jack" Donaghy is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He is the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric and later Kabletown....
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
), to accompany him to a birthday party for his friend, Prince Gerhardt Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
, in which she accepts. Liz fears the invitation is a date, but Jack denies this when asked. Later, Liz runs into her friend Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney
Jenna Maroney is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, played by Jane Krakowski.-Fictional biography:Jenna was born Ystrepa Grokovitz on February 24, 1969 and grew up in Bakersfield...
(Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
) at the party. While the two talk, Prince Gerhardt (Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
) makes his entrance. He has a physical disability with many disfigurements and illnesses due to "centuries of inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
." Meanwhile, Jack is shocked to see his ex-wife Bianca (Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
) enter the room. When she comes over to say hello, Jack introduces Liz as his live-in girlfriend. She likes Liz and tells Jack not to let her get away.
At the same time, Prince Gerhardt spots Jenna and sends his messenger, Tomas (Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
), over to invite her to dine with him. Eager to become a modern-day Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, she talks herself into doing it, despite his problems. Later, Bianca tells Liz that she dislikes the idea that Liz can make Jack truly happy. Liz tells Jack that Bianca is still not over him and to prove it, she goes to her and tells her the two are engaged. At hearing this, Bianca reacts violently and attacks Liz. Later, Prince Gerhardt decides he can now die happy, after he and Jenna discussed their relationship, and drinks some champagne, which he cannot digest. He dies because "he cannot metabolize the grapes." As a result, the party comes to a conclusion. Jack walks Liz up to her apartment. Before he leaves, he leans in to take off the necklace he lent her, which she mistakes for an attempted kiss. Jack acts semi-repulsed by the idea, and tells Liz to give it up.
Finally, at the 30 Rock studios, after overhearing Pete Hornberger (Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit
Scott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
) impersonating Elmo
Elmo
Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice...
from Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
while Pete was encouraging his son to do better with his potty training, Tracy Jordan
Tracy Jordan
Ogbert Jordan, better known by his stage name, Tracy, is a fictional character on the American television series 30 Rock, based on and played by Tracy Morgan.-Brief overview:...
(Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
) compares Pete's relationship with his wife to that of Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
and Delilah
Delilah
Delilah appears only in the Hebrew bible Book of Judges 16, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall...
. While working late at night in his office, Tracy enters with Grizz (Grizz Chapman
Grizz Chapman
Grizzwald "Grizz" Chapman is an American television actor best known for his recurring role as Grizz on the NBC series 30 Rock. A June 2007 interview with rollingout.com lists Chapman's height as 6'10". In his commentary for the episode "Tracy Does Conan," Tracy Morgan revealed that they met when...
) and Dot Com (Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown (actor)
Kevin 'Dot Com' Brown is an American comedian, film and television actor, best known for his role on the series 30 Rock as "Dot Com".Brown also appeared as the lead in Marq Overton's one-man play Die Laughing in 2008 at the Diversity Players of Harlem and as an actor and executive producer of the...
) and a couple of other people, which turns into a party. Pete is still working, while Tracy's entourage enjoy themselves. Tracy encourages Pete to loosen up, and asks one of the women, Vicki (April Lee Hernández
April Lee Hernández
April Lee Hernandez is an American film and television actress. She has also been credited as April L. Hernandez and April Hernandez Castillo.-Biography:...
), to look after him. Pete finally loosens up and begins to give in to Vicki's temptations, but NBC page
NBC page
An NBC page is a person usually in his or her early twenties working in various departments of the NBC television network during a one-year period as a training ground for careers in television broadcasting and entertainment...
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Parcell
Kenneth Ellen Parcell is a fictional character in the comedy television series 30 Rock. He is portrayed by actor Jack McBrayer and first appeared on television in the 30 Rock episode "Pilot" on October 10, 2006...
(Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
) sets him straight, telling him to recall the day that he got married.
Production
"Black Tie" was directed by Don ScardinoDon Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, and written by Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon
Kay Cannon is an American television writer and actress who is best known for her work as an Emmy nominated writer and producer for the NBC series 30 Rock.-Biography:...
and series creator Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
. This was Cannon and Fey's first script collaboration, later co-writing the episodes "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (30 Rock)
"Somebody to Love" is the sixth episode of the second season of 30 Rock, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Kay Cannon and the series' creator, Tina Fey, and was directed by Beth McCarthy. The episode first aired on November 15, 2007 on the NBC network in the United States...
", "Christmas Special
Christmas Special (30 Rock)
"Christmas Special" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by executive story editor Kay Cannon, and series' creator, executive producer and lead actress Tina Fey. The director of this episode was series producer Don Scardino...
", and "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter
"Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 75th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and series creator Tina Fey. The episode was directed by series producer Don Scardino...
", for season two
30 Rock (season 2)
The second season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, originally aired between October 4, 2007 and May 8, 2008 on NBC in the United States. 30 Rock takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series depicted as airing on NBC; the name refers to 30 Rockefeller...
, season three
30 Rock (season 3)
The third season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 22 episodes and began airing on October 30, 2008 on the NBC network in the United States...
, and season four
30 Rock (season 4)
The fourth season of 30 Rock, an American television comedy series, consists of 23 episodes and began airing on October 15, 2009, on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United States...
, respectively. "Black Tie" originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 1, 2007 as the twelfth episode of the show's first season
30 Rock (season 1)
The first season of the television comedy series 30 Rock originally aired between October 11, 2006 and April 26, 2007 on NBC in the United States...
and overall of the series.
This episode featured guest appearances by actors Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
and Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
. Fey wrote the role of Prince Gerhardt Hapsburg specifically for Reubens, and he did not have to audition. Fey, in regards to Reubens, said: "We were thrilled beyond belief to get him to do [the role]." Kevin Lasit, the show's prop master, built Gerhardt's wheelchair and puppet legs. Fey said that Lasit "really outdid himself", and noted that Reubens was kneeling in the wheelchair in the seat built over the top of him. In addition, Reubens wore prosthetic teeth and a wig to accommodate his character's look. According to Fey, in the DVD commentary for this episode, the show shot an alternate ending—at Reubens request—in which Gerhardt does not die, "but ultimately it felt better stakes for the story if he'd die", in which Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
's character says, "The Habsburg line has ended. You can pick up your gift bags at the coat check." In "Black Tie", Rosellini played Bianca, the ex-wife of Alec Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy. Rosellini would make a second appearance in the February 8, 2007, episode "Up All Night
Up All Night (30 Rock)
"Up All Night" is the thirteenth episode of NBC's first season of 30 Rock. It was written by the series' creator and executive producer Tina Fey, and was directed by Michael Engler. It first aired on February 8, 2007 in the United States...
". Comedian actor Will Forte, who played the messenger of Prince Gerhardt, has appeared in the main cast of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
(SNL), a weekly sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
series which airs on NBC in the United States. Fey was the head writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
on SNL from 1999 until 2006.
In the beginning of the episode, Liz and Josh Girard (Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross
Lonny Ross is a comedy actor and writer. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work as Josh Girard on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock...
) are exchanging Yo Mamma Jokes. According to Fey, Liz's joke, "What's the difference between your mama and a washing machine? When I drop a load in the washing machine, it doesn't follow me around for a week", was "pretty dirty", and was surprised that the show was able to get away with the joke.
Reception
According to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
system, "Black Tie" was watched by 5.7 million households in its original American broadcast. It earned a 2.9 rating/7 share in the 18–49 demographic, meaning that 2.9 percent of all people in that group, and 7 percent of all people from that group watching television at the time, watched the episode. This was an increase from the previous episode, "The Head and the Hair
The Head and the Hair
"The Head and The Hair" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by series creator Tina Fey and co-executive producer John Riggi. The director of this episode was Gail Mancuso. It originally aired on the National Broadcasting...
", which was watched by 5.0 million American viewers. Since airing, the episode has received generally positive reviews from television critics.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
contributor Robert Canning called it a "fantastic episode" and rated it 8 out of 10. He enjoyed all the subplots, and the performances by Paul Reubens and Isabella Rossellini. Julia Ward of AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's TV Squad wrote that Reubens and Rossellini were "pretty inspired choices", and said that "Tracy as the devil, Kenneth as the angel" gag—in which Tracy was encouraging Pete to cheat on his wife while Kenneth told him not to—was also "inspired". TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
contributor Melanie McFarland said that Reubens was "perfectly cast as such a freak", though in regards to Rossellini's appearance "[s]he glides in playing the class act we're used to, but when Rossellini dissolves into a shocking mess, she yields one of the series' most absurd scenes yet."
External links
- "Black Tie," at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...