Bob Broder was allergic to small talk. In his heyday as one of the industry’s top literary agents, he was known as “Darth Broder.” He loved skiing. He loved playing poker, making fig jam, and smoking cigars. And he truly loved his family and golden retrievers.
A memorial service Saturday at the Stephen J. Ross Theater on the Warner Bros. campus remembered Mr. Browder, where he spent the last dozen years of his career as business chief of Chuck Lorre Productions. Mr. Broder passed away on September 23rd at the age of 85. The gathering, which drew several hundred people, reflected not only longtime friends and family, but also executives and leaders from across the industry. A number of rival agents came to pay condolences.
Lorre, a prolific showrunner and co-creator of “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Dharma & Greg” and many other shows, appeared following a powerful opening eulogy by Wilshire Boulevard Temple Rabbi Stephen Z. Rader. With so many comedy writers on board, Broder’s memorial was far from a dark affair. It was also filled with revelations of personal information about a man who has never been accused of oversharing. (Who knew Bob Broder ran a snack bar on the beach in Santa Monica while attending law school at UCLA?). “He knew about money, and I knew about being funny,” said James Burrows, another longtime client.
In addition to Mr. Lorre and Mr. Burrows, other speakers include: Mr. Norman Kurland, long-time business partner of Broder Kurland Agency; brothers, Madeline Broder Kopple and Bill Broder; CAA’s Chris Silverman reflects the current generation of senior agents who learned the ropes at Broder Kurland. Eddie Gorodetsky, a writer and producer with a long association with Lorre, and a cigar buddy of Broder’s. Revata Bowers is the former director of the UCLA Early Education Center, where Broder served as director and chair. Tom Hoberman is a leading entertainment attorney and longtime friend. And finally, there’s the “Cheers” trio of longtime Broder customers, series co-creators Glen Charles and Les Charles, and star Ted Danson.
Below is Chuck Lorre’s full eulogy for Broder. His opening line was one of the loudest at the laugh-filled memorial service. That’s because it was true. “Bob would have saved me from this situation,” he deadpanned.
My name is Chuck Lorre. Bob Broder, aka Darth Border, has been my agent for 25 years, my business partner for 12 years, and, heck, he’s been my friend for six or seven months…not consecutively. Bob liked to tell people he worked for me, but we both know that’s not true. Mr. Broder worked for me in the same way that zookeepers work for monkeys.
Those who know me know that I am somewhat emotional in my actions. And I would say anger is my sweet spot and righteous indignation is my happy place. And I think we can all agree that Bob Broder was not that person. He was always calm, thoughtful, analytical and not to mention fiercely intelligent. As a result, every time we often disagreed about something, I was wrong. I was wrong so often that I realized I was wrong as the words came out of my mouth. When I looked at Bob, I could practically see him trying not to roll his eyes. To make matters worse, he always allowed me to rant and rant about the high-class injustices I was forced to undergo, like when I negotiated a new overall contract with Warner Brothers. He waited until I had finished throwing up and then slowly and patiently explained to me why it was wrong to refer to ration overhead as skimming.
One of my fondest memories is flipping over the Interest Participation Statement. He tried to calm me down by explaining how Warner Bros., Fox, and Disney, basically all the production companies, were playing a game of legally stealing money from their partners, and that it wasn’t his job to stop that game. It was his job to keep complaints down to a tolerable number. Or as he succinctly put it, Chuck. They’re going to fuck you. I’m going to make sure they bring lube. His words, not mine.
I still argue with Bob, but now the argument is here (pointing to Bob’s head) and the result is the same. I’m still wrong. that’s ok. Instead of getting upset, I learned to stop, breathe, and ask myself what Broder would do. And you know what he’s telling me? In fact, he’s been telling me for 25 years, not through lectures or pedantry, but the way he conducts himself, carries himself, and treats people in business. In a city where egos rule, he didn’t seem to have any egos. He was always the adult in the room creating a safe space for the children. And when I say kids, I mean, if he’s smoked enough pot, Jimmy Burroughs, sorry. sorry. It was right there.
Bob was loved by all who knew him. He was a highly successful literary agent, a good father, a loving husband, a trusted friend, a tough but fair production executive, a great skier, and a world-class poker player. The only thing he can’t do is talk. After finishing his phone errand, I’d say, “Hey, did you watch last night’s episode of Succession?” and his response would be, “Goodbye.” If I felt the need to chat, I had to call Peter Roth.
Someone recently asked me if I would be replacing Bob as head of the company. My answer was, why would you do that? He is here, and he is here (points to head and heart). thank you.
