Sunday, October 29, 2006
I Killed Dick Shawn:
I liked Dick Shawn. I thought he was one the funniest and smartest comics of his age. But my actions/words were pretty much responsible for his demise.
Why the big confession? What does this have to do with animation? Yesterday I unknowingly fought 2 1/2 hours of traffic hell to get to Jerry Beck`s Smokin` Toons screening at AFI.
The screening was great but a little short so Jerry ended with the last reel of a 1977 Buffalo Bob failed comeback feature (just acquired by Mark Kausler) made up of lots of Magoo cartoons and B.B. in the same awful shirt singing 30s songs. Very sad. And there he is, Dick Shawn the man I killed, on a psychedelic flashing lighted stage being goofy for the aging second banana of a puppet that is sadly MIA for this film.
I first met Dick Shawn in 1975 or 1976 when he was putting together his one-man show, the Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World. Steve Rothman, my best friend from 8th grade and my college roommate, brought Dick to Florida State so Dick could put his show together far from the Great White Sharks of the Great White Way.
I next met Dick when his play was running off Broadway. Steve and I went out to eat with Dick after his successful performance. Dick stood in the drizzle and signed autographics they pay the bills before going out for food.
Dick was a Southern Gentleman. In the middle of Steve`s dinner show biz speal Dick looked over and saw that I was being left out of the conversation. He stopped in mid sentence and went into a hippy crazed stream of consciences verbal give-and-take with me that left Steve in the dust. When we were finished crossing the stream of consciences Dick picked up his conversation with Steve at the mid sentence where he had left off. I was impressed.
In early April 1987 my wife and I went to the Pasadena Playhouse, that Steve Rothman had just restored, to see Dick headline back-to-back one-man shows with another, lesser comic. Ruth and I had the best seats in the house and Dick was in great from trying to lead an audience sing along of Gilbert and Sullivan.
After the first show we all went back stage. Ruth and I were taking Steve and his then wife Alma Martinez (Under Fire, Born in East LA) out to celebrate Alma`s birthday. Dick said maybe he would come along but backed out went we told him where we were going. Never`d get back in time for the second show, maybe next time?
I told Dick that he did a great job of answering my question. At the end of his performance (the one just finished) Dick had done something that no stand up in his right mind would dare to do. Are there any questions from the audience?
What is the meaning of life I boomed out across the theatre. Dick responded I know that one, just a minute. I`ve got the answer and I`m not even going to charge you for it. The meaning of life is . . . . (and Dick fakes a heart attack and falls down dead on the stage)
April 17th 1987, two weeks later, Dick Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego with the same stage crew and stage manager when he had a massive heart attack on stage and fell over again seeming to be dead. There was a Doctor in the second row who thought it was part of the act as did the stage manager who came out on stage and then left and then came back. Dick lay there and died while people laughed which is somehow fitting. And my words and his response to my words killed him. Maybe next time? ¶ 9:10 AM
I liked Dick Shawn. I thought he was one the funniest and smartest comics of his age. But my actions/words were pretty much responsible for his demise.
Why the big confession? What does this have to do with animation? Yesterday I unknowingly fought 2 1/2 hours of traffic hell to get to Jerry Beck`s Smokin` Toons screening at AFI.
The screening was great but a little short so Jerry ended with the last reel of a 1977 Buffalo Bob failed comeback feature (just acquired by Mark Kausler) made up of lots of Magoo cartoons and B.B. in the same awful shirt singing 30s songs. Very sad. And there he is, Dick Shawn the man I killed, on a psychedelic flashing lighted stage being goofy for the aging second banana of a puppet that is sadly MIA for this film.
I first met Dick Shawn in 1975 or 1976 when he was putting together his one-man show, the Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World. Steve Rothman, my best friend from 8th grade and my college roommate, brought Dick to Florida State so Dick could put his show together far from the Great White Sharks of the Great White Way.
I next met Dick when his play was running off Broadway. Steve and I went out to eat with Dick after his successful performance. Dick stood in the drizzle and signed autographics they pay the bills before going out for food.
Dick was a Southern Gentleman. In the middle of Steve`s dinner show biz speal Dick looked over and saw that I was being left out of the conversation. He stopped in mid sentence and went into a hippy crazed stream of consciences verbal give-and-take with me that left Steve in the dust. When we were finished crossing the stream of consciences Dick picked up his conversation with Steve at the mid sentence where he had left off. I was impressed.
In early April 1987 my wife and I went to the Pasadena Playhouse, that Steve Rothman had just restored, to see Dick headline back-to-back one-man shows with another, lesser comic. Ruth and I had the best seats in the house and Dick was in great from trying to lead an audience sing along of Gilbert and Sullivan.
After the first show we all went back stage. Ruth and I were taking Steve and his then wife Alma Martinez (Under Fire, Born in East LA) out to celebrate Alma`s birthday. Dick said maybe he would come along but backed out went we told him where we were going. Never`d get back in time for the second show, maybe next time?
I told Dick that he did a great job of answering my question. At the end of his performance (the one just finished) Dick had done something that no stand up in his right mind would dare to do. Are there any questions from the audience?
What is the meaning of life I boomed out across the theatre. Dick responded I know that one, just a minute. I`ve got the answer and I`m not even going to charge you for it. The meaning of life is . . . . (and Dick fakes a heart attack and falls down dead on the stage)
April 17th 1987, two weeks later, Dick Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego with the same stage crew and stage manager when he had a massive heart attack on stage and fell over again seeming to be dead. There was a Doctor in the second row who thought it was part of the act as did the stage manager who came out on stage and then left and then came back. Dick lay there and died while people laughed which is somehow fitting. And my words and his response to my words killed him. Maybe next time? ¶ 9:10 AM
