This One HURTS. Harry Anderson Dies

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Most people who know me well know that the last episodic TV series I watched was Night Court. Needless to say, the news of that show's star, Harry Anderson, dying this morning was a sucker punch and a half to me. Anderson was also, for decades, the only actor I'd ever met. He did a comedy/magic show tour while Night Court was on hiatus in 1986, and I drove up to Cleveland (the closest place to me that he was appearing) to see both shows. Afterward, I got to meet him and get his autograph. There are a few shows that you simply do not want to get into a "trivia game" against me about, and one of them is Night Court. Here are a few tidbits about Harry: 1. He was dyslexic. Severely so. When home computers were an expensive novelty in the late 80s/early 90s he bought a Mac and some software to help him overcome his dyslexia. 2. He really was a Mel Tormé fan. So much so that he hosted a New Year's Eve event on TV with Tormé once. He also delivered a eulogy at Tormé's funeral. 3. He was TALL. The reason that he didn't appear to be tall is that the other men in the cast were also tall. The "short guy" is Charles Robinson (Mac), who is "only" 6'2", and Richard Moll (Bull) is 6'8" (so everyone looks short standing next to him). Reinhold Wegee said that one of the ultimate pieces of trivia about the show is that it had the tallest male cast in history! 4. Anderson had a significant role in helping New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He owned a comedy club/magic store in the French Quarter at the time, and his club became a meeting place after the waters began to recede. (And a side note: he was mugged one night as he left the club, which was the "final straw" in his decision to leave New Orleans for Asheville, North Carolina.) He said he wasn't an actor as much as a "hustler" playing himself in front of the camera, but I do beg to differ. He did two made-for-TV remake films in his career: The Absent-Minded Professor, and Harvey. In either you'll see a gentle soul come through...definitely nothing to make you forget the originals (especially in the case of Harvey), but plenty of evidence to show that he had considerable acting skills. Additionally, he was the star of Dave's World, based (very) loosely on columnist Dave Barry. He also appeared on Cheers, Saturday Night Live, and even had his own Showtime special in the mid-80s. A sad farewell to Harry Anderson, who was just 65. Harry explaining a magic trick: