Famous and Gravy

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 episodeNew York Times Obituary for George CarlinCarlin’s “Dumb Americans” clipTrailer for Judd Apatow’s documentary about CarlinGeorge Carlin Quotes to make you Laugh, Smile, and Think“Fresh Air” Interview with George CarlinDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, ThreadsFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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 episodeNew York Times Obituary for James LiptonWill Ferrell impersonates James Lipton on SNLJames Lipton shotguns a beer on ConanLipton as Warden Gentles on “Arrested Development”Why Bradley Cooper was James Lipton’s most memorable interviewDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, ThreadsFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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 episodeNew York Times Obituary for Paul Reubens“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” official film trailerOpening sequence for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” TV seriesFlight of the Navigator CGI Spaceship with Paul’s voiceCheech and Chong “I’m sorry” scene with PaulA conversation with Paul Reubens at SXSWThe origins of Pee-wee Herman article in ‘The New Yorker’Dead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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.comIf 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 episodeNew York Times Obituary for Leslie Nielsen“Don’t call me Shirley” clip from Airplane!Arctic location of Nielsen’s log cabin homeLeslie Nielsen’s SNL Monologue in 1989ESPN’s satirical obituary for Enrico Palazzo Dead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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.comIf 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 episodeNew York Times Obituary for Patrick SwayzeDead or Alive quiz gameSNL Chippendales sketch with Swayze and Chris Farley“Nobody wins a fight” and “Pain don’t hurt” scene from RoadhouseBarbara Walters interview with Patrick in 2009How Patrick Swayze Convinced Whoopi Goldberg to be in ‘Ghost’ articleFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like 084 Vocal Bedrock (Johnny Cash) and Episode 033 October Error (Bill Buckner)LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Tina TurnerPepsi commercial starring Tina and David BowieTina 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 CenterDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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 2022 at age 93. In 1976, she became known as the “million-dollar baby” because of a contract with ABC that made her the highest-paid journalist, male or female, in television history. She was married three times, and between marriages she dated many prominent and powerful people, among them Senator John Warner and Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan. She drove a motorcycle with Sylvester Stallone, danced the mambo with Patrick Swayze, and rode a patrol boat with Fidel Castro across the Bay of Pigs. In 2007, she tried to intervene in a vitriolic spat between Rosie O’Donnell and Donald J. Trump.  She was perhaps best known for asking intimate interview questions, and as creator of the television “The View”. Today’s dead celebrity is Barbara Walters.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.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 47 “Proud Mary” (Mary Tyler Moore), and Episode 42 “Game Changer” (John Madden)LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Barbara WaltersGilda Radner’s SNL ImpressionCheri Oteri’s SNL ImpressionBarbara Interviews Fidel CastroBarbara’s last day on ‘The View’Dead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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 2004 at age 82. His big break came in 1967 when, at age 44 and relatively unknown, he won a spot on "The Ed Sullivan Show". At one point he quit show business for over a dozen years and worked as an aluminum salesman and house painter. On stage he portrayed a hapless, self-deprecating Everyman slapped around by life and searching for acceptance. He opened his own comedy club in New York, which gave early breaks to comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey. His first comedy album, "No Respect", won a Grammy Award in 1981. He starred in the classic comedy movies “Caddyshack” and “Back to School”. Today’s dead celebrity is Rodney Dangerfield.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.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 63 “America's Mustache” (Burt Reynolds), and Episode 58 “Best in Show” (Fred Willard)LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Rodney DangerfieldTop Rodney Dangerfield jokes superclipMichael Bolton impersonates RodneyRodney Dangerfield Institute at LA Community CollegeRodney’s Triple Lindy in “Back to School”Dead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee 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 2003 at age 71, He is considered a pioneer of rock 'n' roll, and in 1992 he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after he had also been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the early 2000s, a video of his won six nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. He fought a long battle against addiction. His voice, which projected the fateful gravity of a country patriarch, and his signature look, which suggested a cowboy undertaker, led him to be known as “The Man in Black”. Today’s dead celebrity is Johnny Cash.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.comIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 50 “Golden Rose” (Betty White), Episode 36 “Singing Mailman” (John Prine), and episode 41 “Viva Bojangles” (Jerry Jeff Walker).LINKS:Transcript of this episodeNew York Times Obituary for Johnny CashJohnny Cash’s video for “Hurt” Homer Simpson meets Johnny Cash’s Space CoyotePhoto of Johnny Cash jamming with Stephen King“How Rick Rubin revitalized Johnny Cash’s career” video clipDead or Alive quiz gameFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterFamous & Gravy official websiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re back, and we’re sharing the exciting news that Famous & Gravy is now part of Wondery! Amit and Michael also discuss some of the behind-the-scenes work they’ve been doing to better the show in the runup to this exciting announcement. New Famous & Gravy episodes will start releasing again every other Wednesday, and also will now be available one week early and ad-free on Wondery+. LINKS:List of Wondery showsFamous & Gravy official websiteFamous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, TwitterDead or Alive quiz gameSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.