Famous and Gravy

This person died in 2020 at age 93. He was the only child of a noted Beat poet. He won his first professional acting job in the 1940s, when he was cast in the live radio program “The Lone Ranger”. On several occasions he recounted a period of months he spent in Paris in the 1950s working as a “mec” – or pimp – for a legal prostitute. His association with the Actors Studio began in 1992. He was a knowledgeable interviewer who focused on craft while avoiding gossip. Beyond his globally successful Bravo TV program, he was as well known for being relentlessly lampooned by Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live”. Today’s dead celebrity is James Lipton. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 18 “Darling’s Critic” (Roger Ebert).  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for James Lipton Will Ferrell impersonates James Lipton on SNL James Lipton shotguns a beer on Conan Lipton as Warden Gentles on “Arrested Development” Why Bradley Cooper was James Lipton’s most memorable interview Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2023 at age 70. A turning point in his career came shortly after a disappointing and unsuccessful audition for “Saturday Night Live” in 1980. He once said “Today, it’s a lot more difficult to stand out. You know, if you want to be weird, good luck.” He had scores of acting credits, including roles on “Murphy Brown,” “The Blacklist” and many other television series and in movies like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Blow”. He was in a feature film directed by Tim Burton in 1985, after which he created a highly successful, live action Saturday morning kid’s series, both in character as his quirky alter-ego. The film followed him on a “Big Adventure” while the series took you inside a magical Playhouse. Today’s dead celebrity is Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 80 “Super Funkhouser” (Bob Einstein) and Episode 26 “Wild Thing” (Maurice Sendak) Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Paul Reubens “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” official film trailer Opening sequence for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” TV series Flight of the Navigator CGI Spaceship with Paul’s voice Cheech and Chong “I’m sorry” scene with Paul A conversation with Paul Reubens at SXSW The origins of Pee-wee Herman article in ‘The New Yorker’ Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2010 at age 84. His elder brother was deputy prime minister of Canada. Before his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aerial gunner during World War II. He had a matinee-idol profile, and was often cast as a serious and  earnest hero throughout much of his film career. His big break came in 1980 when he played a clueless doctor in the low-budget, disaster-movie parody “Airplane!” His line that became a catchphrase was “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.” His subsequent comedic acting successes included the very non-serious and highly successful movie trilogy “The Naked Gun” as well as the “Police Squad!” television series. Today’s dead celebrity is Leslie Nielsen.  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 61 Dame Detective (Angela Lansbury) and Episode 16 Quintessential Quizmaster (Alex Trebek). LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Leslie Nielsen “Don’t call me Shirley” clip from Airplane! Arctic location of Nielsen’s log cabin home Leslie Nielsen’s SNL Monologue in 1989 ESPN’s satirical obituary for Enrico Palazzo  Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2009 at age 57. His father was an engineer and a rodeo cowboy. He was a student athlete, and his dancing career was hampered by a severe football injury. In the 1970s he moved from Houston to New York to study dance, becoming a member of Eliot Feld Ballet. He was determined not to be typecast, and said in a 1989 interview, “The only plan I have is that every time people think they have me pegged, I’m going to come out of left field and do something unexpected.” The coming-of-age film “Dirty Dancing” established him as a romantic leading man. His other starring roles include “Roadhouse”, “Ghost”, and “Point Break”. Today’s dead celebrity biography is Patrick Swayze. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 57 Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry) and Episode 51 Goofball Stud (Bill Paxton). LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Patrick Swayze Dead or Alive quiz game SNL Chippendales sketch with Swayze and Chris Farley “Nobody wins a fight” and “Pain don’t hurt” scene from Roadhouse Barbara Walters interview with Patrick in 2009 How Patrick Swayze Convinced Whoopi Goldberg to be in ‘Ghost’ article Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died 2023 at age 83. In 2013, after demonstrating a proficiency in German, she became a citizen of Switzerland. In 1987, she appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside David Bowie. She is credited with helping Mick Jagger learn to dance. In 1988, She held a concert for 180,000 people in Rio de Janeiro, breaking the record for the largest paying audience for a solo artist. Her first marriage provided much of the material for the 1993 film “What’s Love Got to Do With It”, starring Angela Bassett.  Her parade of solo hit songs include the classics “Private Dancer” and “The Best”. Today’s dead celebrity is Tina Turner. Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like 084 Vocal Bedrock (Johnny Cash) and Episode 033 October Error (Bill Buckner) LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Tina Turner Pepsi commercial starring Tina and David Bowie Tina Turner’s solo performance of ‘Proud Mary’ Photo of Tina, Keith Richards, and David Bowie in NYC 1983 “Australians Smash Nutbush World Record” Tina’s schoolhouse at West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center Dead or Alive quiz game Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Famous & Gravy official website See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.