Famous and Gravy

This person died in 2011 at age 79. Her father was an art dealer who had been transferred to London from New York, and her mother had acted in the theater. She first appeared on screen at age 10, and was one of the world’s most famous film stars before she even completed her teens. Regarding her acting, she once said, “What I try to do is to give the maximum emotional effect with the minimum of visual movement.” Late in life she became a social activist – she helped establish the American Foundation for AIDS Research and helped raise money for it.  After her sixth (of eight) marriage ended, she checked into the Betty Ford Center. In addition to alcohol and drugs, she had a problem with overeating, and it became the butt of jokes by late night comedians especially Joan Rivers. Today’s dead celebrity is Elizabeth Taylor. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 68 “Sentient Princess” (Carrie Fisher) and Episode 71 “Defiant One” (Sidney Poitier)  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola. LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for Elizabeth Taylor Trailer for HBO Documentary ‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” Commercial for White Diamonds perfume Elizabeth Taylor in ‘The Flintstones’ movie Wondery’s “Even The Rich” Elizabeth Taylor series Elizabeth Taylor’s HIV/Aids Activism 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 2008 at  age 71. He grew up with his mother and his older brother on West 121st in Manhattan. He dropped out of high school and joined the Air Force, and while stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, worked as a radio disc jockey. During the course of his career, he overcame numerous personal trials – he was arrested several times, he weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack, and two open-heart surgeries. He was the first person ever to host Saturday Night Live. In 1978, the Supreme Court upheld an order prohibiting the words as “indecent” from his bit “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”. Today’s dead celebrity is George Carlin. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 40 “Eve’s Dropper” (Dick Clark) and Episode 29 “Zen Comedian" (Garry Shandling).  Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola. LINKS: Transcript of this episode New York Times Obituary for George Carlin Carlin’s “Dumb Americans” clip Trailer for Judd Apatow’s documentary about Carlin George Carlin Quotes to make you Laugh, Smile, and Think “Fresh Air” Interview with George Carlin 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 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.