David Rambo

[CSI Files]

The ninth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has seen quite a few changes, starting with the death of Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) and leading up to the departure of lead William Petersen, as well as the addition of two new characters to the cast. Supervising Producer David Rambo took the time to discuss the big changes at CSI with CSI Files' Kristine Huntley as well as to delve into the story behind his latest episode, "Young Man With a Horn", which delves into a good deal of Las Vegas history.

CSI Files: Your latest episode, "Young Man with a Horn" married the rich history of Las Vegas with a very contemporary mystery.

David Rambo: Thanks! I'm very proud of it. The director was great--Jeff Hunt. He was our camera operator for many seasons and then he got his first episode as a director, which I believe was "Bite Me". And I was on the set with him for that because Josh Berman was creating his first pilot for Fox at the time so I was the writer on the set. ["Young Man With a Horn"] was the first one he got to do that I wrote. It was a great collaboration.

CSI Files: In our last interview, you mentioned you'd been researching it for two years.

Rambo: Actually a little more than two years. When I started working on "Kiss Kiss Bye Bye" in 2006, I got some research on the history of Las Vegas in the 50s and 60s. I realized even though my parents had gone there and I read about it and I watched the original Oceans 11, which I love, there was a lot of old Vegas I didn't know about. I didn't really know the whole Howard Hughes story and the whole Kansas City Mob Story of the founders, which was great to learn. And as I was learning it, guess what--Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda) was learning it, too. And in some of this research, I kept coming across references to this casino called The Moulin Rouge, the first integrated casino in Las Vegas. And the more research I did, I realized how really horribly segregated Las Vegas was. They called it "The Mississippi of the West," proudly at the time.

And this incredible club had opened. I think the showroom was called Club Rouge, and it was an instant hit, sort of what Greg talked about in the episode for our Chateau Rouge. Within three weeks, most of the audience was white; it was a club that was built in the black neighborhood, just north of Freemont Street. The club was filled with so many famous people and all the headliners on the strip, the white headliners, wanted to see the shows. They had Pearl Bailey and The Platters; the house band was The Benny Carter Orchestra, one of the great orchestras. They all came after their shows on the Strip, and of course the tourists followed. It's one thing to be in the audience watching Frank Sinatra on the stage, but if you followed him to the Moulin Rouge, you could sit at the next table. And the great thing was a source of pride to so many African American people in the whole country. Its opening made the cover of Life magazine in 1955.

But the part that intrigued me as a dramatist and a screenwriter was, six months after it opened, it closed. It shut down immediately. People went home from work one night and they came in the next day and there were padlocks on the gate. This fabulous showroom sat completely untouched for thirty-five years. I thought, that's great [because when people went in later] they discovered a moment in time. The Moulin Rouge also played a role in the Civil Rights movement; meetings were held there between the NAACP and most of the Strip hotel bosses.

CSI Files: I was wondering about that detail, the hotel only being open for six months, and whether that had been lifted from reality.

Rambo: Absolutely. It was only six months. I tracked down one of the young women who danced there in '55 and she still lives in Vegas and is very forthcoming. She took me to dinner at a Vegas steakhouse and talked a lot about the old days, who came in and what it was like to be a young girl at an exciting, beautiful time. And even though it closed so quickly, people look back on it with such affection. It was almost twenty years [after that] before the lines on Vegas shows were integrated, when they had black and white girls dancing next to one another. So it really was an anomaly.

CSI Files: Why did the Moulin Rouge close?

Rambo: It closed because at the time there were only seven or eight hotels on the Strip, so if you take a hundred people out of each of them at midnight to go down to the Moulin Rouge, that's hurting business. Vegas has always only been about the dollar as Catherine says at the end in that scene with Grissom. So that's what did it. They got together and forced the two white guys that owned it to close it. The two guys who owned it were not Vegas regulars. There's a theory that the mob left them alone because they were running the club in the black area, [which] they thought no one would go to.

I took [the story] to [Executive Producer] Carol Mendelsohn, [and] she said, "It's great, work out a story." It took me a while to get the right story because our show isn't Cold Case; it had to be a contemporary story. So we took the reality singing contest. It's all about who wants to be famous--who wanted to be famous then and who wants to be famous now. Vegas is always trafficking that, so it seemed a natural fit.

CSI Files: Did you enjoy spoofing American Idol?

Rambo: We had so much fun creating the character who was the host and producer of the show. It was a lot of fun. American Idol is such a huge hit.

CSI Files: Are you a fan of the show? There seemed to be a lot of inside references!

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To read the full interviews, please click here.

[vegaslights]

It's great seeing a new interview with David! Great job, Kristine. You do a fantastic job.

[speedystokesgirl]

Yeah, great job Kristine. I'm actually shocked that Nick was mentioned and I'm glad you asked Rambo about Nick and how he feels about Warrick.

I also like how he said that Grissom and Sara need to get over themselves. I couldn't agree more.

Also, that the scene with him and Catherine WASN'T about Sara. I didn't think it was either.

I also love how WP says that he and Lady Heather just may of slept together.

It also sounds like that maybe there will not be a happy ending for GSR. Maybe Grissom realizes there's more out there and him and Sara just don't belong with each other. They both have way too many issues they need to deal with first.

[myfuturecsi]

Great interview Kristine! You seem to make sure all the characters got a mention right down to our beloved Lab Rats!

Thanks for asking about Nick and his grief again. Maybe if we keep after TPTB they'll show us Nick after a shift in a personal moment of sadness for his fallen friend. I agree with Rambo that it's not necessary to see Nick fall apart on the job-but a moment alone away from the lab would be nice.

The compliments for George's and Paul's acting were nice to read.

Well it's nice to see that Rambo actually is thinking more about Nick then before and for all the characters including Brass. And it was ni

Just hope the compliments translate into a good story arc for this season.

I get the impression Rambo is ready to move on from GSR and extend his creativity to the other characters. He is a talented writer and it would be nice to see him put his talent into all the other characters. I think that is what made me so mad at him because I could see what a wonderful story teller he was and I just wanted that for my favourite character Nick and for my other-closely tied favourite-Brass.

I was never sure what to make of 'up the ante', so I'm glad Rambo cleared that up for me. That line always confused me-but that's so Grissom-that guy likes to talk in riddles

Hee hee..Lady H and Grissom-interesting! Very interesting. I thought they may have done something in Lady Heather's Box, but in Leave Out All The Rest-not really.

But I could be wrong!

[beaujolais]

Wow, a writer who actually mentions Paul Guilfoyle in an interview. That has to be a first!

Great interview!

[kaylyne]

I'm pleased to hear that Liz Vassey should be getting more in-depth scenes. They really need to expand Wendy's character.

[happyharper13]

Wow. That was just so incredibly interesting to read. Great job Kristine, and amazing job to Mr. Rambo! A very insightful look into the show. Thanks so much!

[Elsie]

Great interview, Kristine. That was a really interesting read.

[Faylinn]

Great interview, Kristine - Rambo had a lot of interesting things to say about the show.

It's great to hear a writer's thoughts on the various characters and storylines - it's also nice to hear about the amount of work they put into creating each episode. However I may feel about the end result (be it a show like CSI or a movie or anything), I've come to really appreciate the amount of work that goes on just to create it.

I thought this quote was particularly true IMO:

I can tell you this: a lot of people are saying without Grissom, it won't be CSI. They're wrong: it won't be Grissom's CSI, but it is an exciting CSI.

I enjoy all of the characters on the show - it sucked to lose Sara last season, and Warrick's death was horrible. It's going to be bad to lose Grissom, but at the same time I feel like it's time to mix things up. We as viewers had a great run with these characters - I think it's really been a long time since we had to be willing to commit long-term to a new character on this show. It's like we got set in our ways and don't want to deal with change.

I like Riley so far and her interaction with Greg (which I hope stays non-romantic - it seems like every TV show I watch these days feels the need to shove any new female character into a romantic relationship with an existing male character), and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for Langston (and I hope he and Nick have a bit of a student/teacher relationship, which should be interesting given that Langston is older but Nick has more experience in this field).

Speaking of Nick - I see what he's saying about Nick not breaking down over Warrick's death at work, but I really feel like there should be some sort of scene to acknowledge the loss. Him randomly tossing off a line about being with Warrick the last time he went to the hood wasn't really satisfying to me as a viewer after knowing the two of them had a deep and complex friendship over the years.

My interpretation of his comments about Grissom and Sara is that we won't really know whether Grissom goes to join her or not when he leaves - and maybe it's better that way. It's not really a 'happy ending where all the loose ends are tied up' kind of show, and since we know Grissom may return in the future, it would be kind of pointless to give him an 'and they lived happily ever after' sendoff right now.

Ok, I'm rambling so I'll shut up now. Once again, great interview! It's always fun to read these and to get an inside view at the franchise.

[Hadapurpura]

Originally Posted by Faylinn

Speaking of Nick - I see what he's saying about Nick not breaking down over Warrick's death at work, but I really feel like there should be some sort of scene to acknowledge the loss. Him randomly tossing off a line about being with Warrick the last time he went to the hood wasn't really satisfying to me as a viewer after knowing the two of them had a deep and complex friendship over the years.

ITA. Somebody said it was great to see DR aknowledge Nick more than before, I hope that aknowledgement isn't limited to interviews, I hope we see more of him from now on. And yes, he's the one who "does the job" and the cases need to be solved, but we need to get a glimpse of the character's lives and feelings as well, and they seem unnaturally unaffected by Warrick's death, at least from this perspective.

My interpretation of his comments about Grissom and Sara is that we won't really know whether Grissom goes to join her or not when he leaves - and maybe it's better that way. It's not really a 'happy ending where all the loose ends are tied up' kind of show, and since we know Grissom may return in the future, it would be kind of pointless to give him an 'and they lived happily ever after' sendoff right now.

I beg to differ. Maybe I'm the only one, but when they got Grissom and Sara together I thought "I hope they just let them be happy and together like that" because (apart from the fact that I'm GSR) the angst is unnecesary and they could and should just have moved on to the next storyline, like "ok, case closed. Who's next?" and move the spotlight towards other characters and/or other aspects of Grissom's and Sara's lives. I think Grissom and Sara should get their happy ending once and for all because anymore angst or "suspense" would be like beating a dead horse. Grissom may be back, but as a guest star and not as a regular, and it would be too tiring to be thinking "so, did they or didn't they?" because that's kinda the whole point of him leaving, and at that point we're supposed to be thinking about Lawrence Fishbourne and that other girl and stuff.

The answer from the Butterflied question looks odd in the sense that it literally looks like it was the answer to another question.

It was great to read about the story of YMWaH, and I agree with DR that Lilly needs to appear more.

Thanks a lot, Kristine!

[Desertwind]

Great interview Kristine, thanks David Rambo is an amazing writer and a wonderful person, he rocks. He's e-mailed me 3 seperate times, and I was so honored and thrilled. That he takes the time to respond to his mega fans, so awesome. I just got the new CSI magazine and he came in #1 best writer on CSI is says "Another neck-and-neck category, BUTTERFLIED writer David Rambo takes top honors here. We reckon' his beautiful handling of the bee proposal in "THE CASE OF THE CROSS DRESSING CARP" might have earned him and extra brownie point or two". His camraderie with Petersen amazing, and all his thoughts on the cast. He sure loves his job! I so admire him. Also, the two runners up in this particular poll are #2 Sarah Goldfinger,#3 Carol Mendelsohn and it also states in this magazine Sara will be a key factor in Grissom leaving Las Vegas well big duh

[myfuturecsi]

Originally Posted by Desertwind

Great interview Kristine, thanks David Rambo is an amazing writer and a wonderful person, he rocks. He's e-mailed me 3 seperate times, and I was so honored and thrilled. That he takes the time to respond to his mega fans, so awesome. I just got the new CSI magazine and he came in #1 best writer on CSI is says "Another neck-and-neck category, BUTTERFLIED writer David Rambo takes top honors here. We reckon' his beautiful handling of the bee proposal in "THE CASE OF THE CROSS DRESSING CARP" might have earned him and extra brownie point or two". His camraderie with Petersen amazing, and all his thoughts on the cast. He sure loves his job! I so admire him. Also, the two runners up in this particular poll are #2 Sarah Goldfinger,#3 Carol Mendelsohn and it also states in this magazine Sara will be a key factor in Grissom leaving Las Vegas well big duh

Probably because his name is most recognized, desertwind, we really don't know the other writers other then those at the top and that includes Goldfinger and Mendelsohn.

Besides, that magazine didn't ask me and whole list of other people, did they?

My political science background taught me to be skeptical of polls. It's how parties and candidates decipher and strategize their next move, but they are not always scientific. Who was their sample audience? How did they pick them? And if asked, are they supportes of GSR? Most likely. Therefore GSR supporters will always pick David Rambo as number one.

But I like, like how Rambo says Grissom and Sara need to get over themselves and again, he raved at about George who deserves it after all the years of taking the backseat.

Here's to the new CSI!

[Desertwind]

HMM, I do know all the writers,[not personally] but who they all are, and I would hope so, as a 9 year fan, and owning most all of the episodes. He's popular because he gets back to his fans, and writes stellar episodes. And on the poll it's from the CSI magazine, so and I have no idea who they polled or who they ship.. this particular issue had no inclination towards any ship, just fascinating thngs about everyone> I think it was random. long articles about Luren Lee Smith , Laurence Fishburne, etc.

[candygirl1uk]

Well I liked reading the interview....

Interesting to see how far Nick is developed.

Good to see that the sister/brotherly thing with Greg and the new character will remain just that.

But what did he mean by saying something about a fish to fry? who will be the next love couple?

[myfuturecsi]

Originally Posted by candygirl1uk

Well I liked reading the interview....

Interesting to see how far Nick is developed.

Good to see that the sister/brotherly thing with Greg and the new character will remain just that.

But what did he mean by saying something about a fish to fry? who will be the next love couple?

I think he meant Grissom's departure. I don't think he meant a 'love' couple by any means. The first ten episodes leading up to Grissom's departure probably were on the front burners of all the writers.

And as far as I'm concerned, it's probably time CSI got away from the 'romance' factor and back to the cases. GSR ruined shipping for me as much as I like Nick/Mandy-they belong in fanfic world.

[Adzix]

i really liked that he mentioned Paul Guilfoyle. he's not been appreciated enough, imo. he and Marg will be the two last things that are going to keep the old CSI together the most. i'm pretty sure the next season will be leading up to Catherine's departure and her going for the Sam's business. Brass will be the last one to hold that old CSI feel to it, then. i don't mean that George, Eric and Robert don't have it, it's just that, imo, their characters aren't as colorful and memorable as Brass is. Greg has grown up a lot, and he's not that playful boy he was but a serious man just as much as Nick is.

so yeah, i don't think George's or Eric's exits would mean as much as Paul's. hopefully for CSI he'll stay as long as the show runs. i cannot imagine CSI without him. no Grissom, Sara, Catherine and Brass means a different show.

[myfuturecsi]

Originally Posted by Adzix

i really liked that he mentioned Paul Guilfoyle. he's not been appreciated enough, imo. he and Marg will be the two last things that are going to keep the old CSI together the most. i'm pretty sure the next season will be leading up to Catherine's departure and her going for the Sam's business. Brass will be the last one to hold that old CSI feel to it, then. i don't mean that George, Eric and Robert don't have it, it's just that, imo, their characters aren't as colorful and memorable as Brass is. Greg has grown up a lot, and he's not that playful boy he was but a serious man just as much as Nick is.

so yeah, i don't think George's or Eric's exits would mean as much as Paul's. hopefully for CSI he'll stay as long as the show runs. i cannot imagine CSI without him. no Grissom, Sara, Catherine and Brass means a different show.

I don't agree, I think they all bring something special to the show. You may not see that way, but as far as I can see, each of them add something unique. I don't think it's fair to pit one character against another and you may not be doing this, but that's how it comes across the screen to me.

[Adzix]

i did say they all do, but i think Brass would be a bigger blow to the show if he was gone (and everybody's exit from the main cast is already huge, i'm not denying that). but you can find a younger, handsome, likeable actor easier than somebody as original as Paul who is a little older and wants to be a part of a TV series for an unknown number of years. but that's just my opinion, like i said twice in my previous post, and i don't see anything unfair in expressing it.

[alienor]

Thanks for the article. I really enjoyed reading it, I learned a lot.

Happy New Years to the CSI Files team. Keep up the good work.

[lucas_csi]

Great interview Kristine. Thanks.
David is always fantastic :-)
I don't understand David Rambo's answer about Butterflied/Grissom/Sara.
Why Does he start talk about LH? It's like he answers other question.