Robin Williams, Dead at 63

Image from source, LA Times

Few celebrity deaths hit me with any oomph. Michael Jackson. Gilda Radner. Madeline Kahn. And now, Robin Williams. I heard the news on my drive home from work, and it had apparently just broken. My mouth hung open for close to a minute, as I drove. "Suspected suicide." I just. . .some people aren't supposed to end.

I was the perfect age for the character of Mork, when he was introduced on Happy Days. 12 years old, and--like every other kid in America--a fan of both that show and Laverne & Shirley. Williams' zany character took off instantly, and helped turn the already burgeoning ABC TV schedule into a juggernaut. For a pop culture fan like me, it just put me deeper in. He was so funny and bizarre in the role, it somehow felt both safe and dangerous. I think Williams was often like that. Inconceivably, network meddling killed Mork & Mindy, after its very first season, but it took three years to die. Cast and timeslot changes caused a huge amount of viewer loss. I never left, but the audience eventually did. It's a shame too, because when Williams' hero, Jonathan Winters joined the show as his son, there were some classic moments.

Image from source, LA Times

I continued to be a fan of Williams, though not to the degree I did as a kid. I've always enjoyed his brand of humor, and thought he was a great actor. I just wasn't a fan of some of the roles he picked. Still, whenever he's pop up on Letterman or elsewhere, he was just a hoot to watch. Then, when he returned to television, with The Crazy Ones (a terrible title, unfortunately), I had to watch. To be fair, it had something to do with costars Sarah Michelle Gellar and James Wolk, but Williams' part was part of the draw. I watched every episode. It gelled into a wonderful ensemble, and it's really sad that it didn't make it. I've got to wonder if his spirits wouldn't have been better. . .or better enough. . .had the show been renewed instead of cancelled this spring. RIP, Robin.

[Excerpt]

Robin Williams dies in apparent suicide; actor, comic was 63

Robin Williams, a comic and sitcom star in the 1970s who became an Oscar-winning dramatic actor, died Monday at 63 in Marin County. The Marin County Sheriff's Office said he appears to have committed suicide. The news of the beloved actor’s death rocked the nation. Channels broke into their usual programming to make the announcement, and within minutes, Williams dominated online trending topics. Even President Obama noted his passing. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

 

Robin Williams' Moving Tribute to Jonathan Winters

Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters and Pam Dawber,
the cast of Mork & Mindy from NYT

Robin Williams often spoke of his admiration of Jonathan Winters, and got to work with him on the last season of Mork & Mindy. Winters was Williams' comic inspiration, so I expected that he'd have something to say about the comedy legend's passing a few days ago. And he didn't disappoint.

[Excerpt]

A Madman, but Angelic

. . ."Jonathan’s improvs on “Mork & Mindy” were legendary. People on the Paramount lot would pack the soundstage on the nights we filmed him. He once did a World War I parody in which he portrayed upper-class English generals, Cockney infantrymen, a Scottish sergeant no one could understand and a Zulu who was in the wrong war. The bit went on so long that all three cameras ran out of film. Sometimes I would join in, but I felt like a kazoo player sitting in with Coltrane. . ."

Read it at: New York Times

Jonathan Winters Dead at 87

Image from source, Washington Post

Part of getting older is seeing the icons of your youth pass away. And there have been plenty. But Jonathan Winters--much like the recently passed Phyllis Diller--were really the icons of my parents' youth. It's always sad when someone you like passes, but it's also nice to see them make it to a ripe old age.

Jonathan Winters was one of those comics who stood out from the rest, with a much looser, loopier, more improvisational style from most comics. He did have regular characters like the best known being a little old lady named Maude Frickert. But even they were mostly improvised, often with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. As a kid, I remember him mostly for his variety show appearances (which were many), the boozy Dean Martin Roasts and later as Mearth, the adult baby on Mork & Mindy. He came to be on that show in its last year because he was star Robin Williams' comedy hero. [Story continues below]



In reading up to write this post, I happened upon a couple of things I didn't know. For one, Winters was born in Dayton, Ohio and spent his early career around Ohio, notably a run on WBNS-TV in Columbus, my home town. And the other thing? Well, as I indicated at the beginning, Winters is one of the stars of bygone years. To many of us, he's one of those guys who have just always been "old." But you know how old he was when he played Mearth, who was born an old man? 56. Not so old. I'm glad he got 30 more years. RIP, Mr. Winters!

[Excerpt]


Jonathan Winters, comedian behind memorable characters for late-night TV

Jonathan Winters, the rotund, rubber-faced, squinty-eyed master of impressions and improvisational comedy who became a staple of late-night television for decades and was a mentor to Robin Williams and an inspiration for performers as varied as Steve Martin, Jim Carrey and Jimmy Kimmel, died April 11 at his home in Montecito, Calif. He was 87. . .

Read more at: Washington Post