Nick Davis
American writer and directorWikipedia
31
MENTIONS
9
EPISODES
8
PODCASTS
Search complete. 31 mentions across 9 episodes found for "Nick Davis".
Sep 29, 2026
Sammy YounanHOST
Sometimes a comedy revolution starts with a bunch of funny people in downtown Toronto in the 70s performing in a hippie musical about Jesus armed with the dangerous idea that comedy could become something much bigger than just like telling knock knock jokes.
Sammy YounanHOST
That's the serious premise of the comedy documentary You Had to Be There, directed by Nick Davis, co-written by Jane Mendelsohn, and executive produced by Judd Apatow.
Sammy YounanHOST
The official title is Deep Breath.
Sammy YounanHOST
You Had to Be There, how the Toronto Godspell ignited the comedy revolution, spread love and overalls, and created a community that changed the world, and then in brackets, in a Canadian kind of way.
Sammy YounanHOST
Still, You Had To Be There is a delightful documentary which traces the big beautiful bang comedy explosion of funny that we've enjoyed for decades, going back to that legendary 1972 production of Godspell in Toronto at the Royal Alexandria Theatre, Royal Alex Theatre.
Sammy YounanHOST
Communism on Paper, a 1972 Toronto staging of a hippie musical about the book of Matthew, shouldn't have altered the course of human laughter.
Sammy YounanHOST
But director Nick Davis's You Had to Be There, we're just going to go with the shorter title, confirmed that the Royal Alex Theatre was ground zero for divine comedy blessing.
Sammy YounanHOST
For 14 glorious, unsupervised months, you know how crazy it gets when the teacher leaves the classroom? This wasn't just a theatre run.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
welcome back to the pod shop nick davis thank you dan we are going to twist your arm in these next few minutes and ask you to share a passage from the companion publication to the launch of your wonderful new documentary um so perhaps you can help me uh tee that up for our listeners for those who might have missed the primary episode the first time around what say you young nick you're shining a light on god's spell
Nick DavisGUEST
Yes, and not just Godspell, but the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell.
Nick DavisGUEST
Godspell was a musical that opened off, off, off, off Broadway in 1971, was a wild hit, and was such a big hit that they did productions all over the world in the next few years.
13 MINS LATER
Daniel PaisnerHOST
We'll put up a link in our show notes so folks can find it.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
We'll offer links and suggestions on how people can catch the documentary at a theater near them or a home streaming device soon to be near them.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
Nick Davis, I can't thank you enough for hanging with us and for sharing this story.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
And I hope to talk to you again soon on these earwaves.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
Thank you, Dan.
Norm WilnerHOST
I'm Norm Wilner, I'm a critic, consultant, and programmer based in Toronto, and this is The Other Thing I Do.
Norm WilnerHOST
My guest this week is Nick Davis, an Emmy-winning documentarian whose film and television work includes Jack, The Last Kennedy Film, American Masters' Ted Williams, The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Netflix's comeback, 2004 Boston Red Sox, and the recent theatrical release, This Ordinary Thing.
Norm WilnerHOST
His latest is You Had to Be There.
Norm WilnerHOST
a movie about the legendary Toronto production of Godspell that literally changed the future of comedy, launching the careers of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Gilda Radner, and Paul Schaefer.
48 MINS LATER
Nick DavisGUEST
I'm so glad you, I mean, look, I picked three, right? I mean, they said, you know, pick three.
Nick DavisGUEST
And I picked three and I thought, I hope he picks you.
Norm WilnerHOST
My thanks to Nick Davis, whose new documentary, You Had to Be There, how the Toronto Godspell ignited the comedy revolution, spread love and overalls, and created a community that changed the world in a Canadian kind of way, is now playing in New York at Film Forum.
Norm WilnerHOST
It's opening across the rest of the U.S. and in Canada over the next couple of weeks, and in Toronto, it returns to TIFF on Friday, October 2nd.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
I'm your host, Daniel Paisner.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
And as we lean into our sixth season here at the Podcast Factory, we are pleased and proud to welcome my friend Nick Davis to the podwaves.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
Nick is a writer, producer and documentary filmmaker who's just out with a terrific new documentary revisiting the legendary harmonic convergence behind the 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell, which fairly launched the careers of such also legendary performers as Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Paul Schaefer, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas, Jane Eastwood and on and on.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
The film, with a mouthful of a title, You Had to Be There, How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love and Overalls, and Created a Community that Changed the World in a Canadian Kind of Way...
Daniel PaisnerHOST
The New York Times calls the film irresistible, Variety calls it exuberant and essential.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
Here at our As Told To offices, we call it a whole lot of fun, but also, and mostly, it is an impressive bit of storytelling.
Daniel PaisnerHOST
Not least because Nick Davis, working in collaboration with his wife and producing partner Jane Mendelsohn...
Daniel PaisnerHOST
the noted American novelist, didn't have any footage to work with to bring any of that irresistible exuberance across to their viewers.
Aisha HarrisHOST
Yeah, You Had to Be There.
Aisha HarrisHOST
It's, uh, Nick Davis's documentary about a 1972 Toronto production of the Stephen Schwartz musical Godspell, which became this incubator for some of the most beloved comedians of the last 50-plus years.
Glen WeldonHOST
Mm-hmm.
Aisha HarrisHOST
Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Paul Shaffer, Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin.
Bill BriouxHOST
The story has been told bit by bit in other documentaries, but never all in one place.
Bill BriouxHOST
Director Nick Davis has put it all together under a title.
Bill BriouxHOST
that would never fit a theater marquee.
Bill BriouxHOST
And here it is.
Bill BriouxHOST
Davis himself wrote and directed a couple of terrific sports documentaries, including a 30 for 30 series on the 1986 New York Mets.
Bill BriouxHOST
I really enjoyed our conversation and hope you will as well.
Bill BriouxHOST
Here he is, Nick Davis.
Bill BriouxHOST
Listen, congratulations on you had to be there.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
Several members of the ragtag cast of comics went on to become household names, including Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and the late Gilda Radner.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
ABC Audio spoke with director Nick Davis about filming the cast's reunion.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
They're all so warm and they're so friendly.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
you know, not
Jordan HoffmanHOST
And the director of this film is a man by the name of...
Jordan HoffmanHOST
Nick Davis.
Jordan HoffmanHOST
Nick Davis is Jewish or partially Jewish, I forget which, but he is the son of Peter Davis, who is a very respected documentary filmmaker.
Jordan HoffmanHOST
He made much more serious topic.
Jordan HoffmanHOST
He made a documentary called Hearts and Minds, which was, I think, one of the most important documentaries in the 1970s about the American involvement in the Vietnam War, and it had a lot of Atrocious stuff in there.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
Several members of the ragtag cast of comics went on to become household names, including Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and the late Gilda Radner.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
ABC Audio spoke with director Nick Davis about filming the cast's reunion.
Michelle FranzenCORRESPONDENT
They're all so
Nick DavisSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
warm and they're so friendly, you know, not just to each other.