eNewsletter
For National Humor Month, you should consider listening to the podcast Office Ladies. It is hosted by two actors who are in The Office, Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin). In the podcast, Jenna and Angela discuss every episode of the show. They discuss the nuts and bolts as well as describing the process of creating them. Their conversations are informal and they frequently tease other, which is funny to listen to. They tell amusing stories both about the making of the show and their daily lives which listeners will enjoy hearing.
The first episode is an introduction of the podcast and discussion of The Pilot. Though the characters Pam and Angela in The Office are ice cold towards each other, actors Jenna Fischer and Angela Fischer are best friends. This relationship helps them feed off each other’s energy. Together, they recall stories about acting in the show and talk about little known facts of The Office. Interestingly, Angela auditioned as Pam. She knew actors Oscar Nunez, Kate Flannery, and Brian Bumgartner before they were on the show through her acting with improv clubs. If you ever wondered who came up with the haircut for Dwight Schrute, it was in fact the actor that played him (Rainn Wilson). These stories will amuse fans of the show and the general audience alike.
Episode Two is a discussion of the episode Diversity Day. Jenna and Angela are in agreement that parts of it are cringy. In the episode, Michael Scott (Scott Carell) tries to conduct a diversity seminar at the office. Parts of it are based on a diversity seminar that a writer associate of the show experienced in the work place. This includes the part where the employees of Dunder Mifflin place note cards of different ethnic groups on their heads and they have to guess which one they represent. Angela and Jenna talk about how they had to keep the note cards taped to their heads from 7 AM to 5 PM when filming this episode. They describe how acting out certain ridiculous scenes caused actors to break character and laugh hysterically. These absurdities will probably cause you to laugh, too.
Rainn Wilson makes a guest appearance in episode three titled Heath Care. In the episode, Dwight (played by Rainn) is put in charge of choosing a cheap insurance policy to save Dunder Mifflin money. In it, Dwight gives one his most memorable quotes of the show which is: “Through concentration, I can raise and lower my cholesterol at will.” Other funny parts of the episode include Dwight reading aloud made up diseases, such as “hot dog fingers.” The idea for “hot dog fingers” was given by Rainn’s friend when he was on set when the episode was being filmed. Though actors broke character while this was read out loud, it was kept in the episode. Even those who have not seen The Office can appreciate the humor in this episode.
Office Ladies serves as a both a companion to The Office and as a comedy podcast. The chemistry of Kinsey and Fischer allows for meaningful and humorous conversations. It is safe to say that Angela Kinsey is the complete opposite of Angela Martin. Guests such as Rainn Wilson add to the hilarity. If you are looking for a podcast that will make you laugh, I recommend listening to the Office Ladies.
Office Ladies can be listened to on the podcast website or found on podcast apps such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and many more.
Michael Walsh
Adult Services-Will Branch