RIP - Jay Thomas
 

69 yo is pretty young


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Damn, that sucks.

Guess we know what Howard will open with on Monday morning.

RIP and f*** cancer.

What a great story.

LMAO

RIP

Yeah, was listening to the Stern stream and went to reddit to see if people were bitching about his old fogey-ism* like I was, and the page with filled with this news instead.

spoilered because not relevant to condolences

This.

He seemed like a likable actor, but I wasn't a fan of his character on Cheers. I was pretty happy when he got written out.

So was Rhea Pearlman. LMAO

I finally gave up on current Stern shows a few years ago.

All I listen to is old clips on YouTube anymore.

I was wondering if he was the guy who got canned for saying rude things about her. Apparently so?

Yep.

From IMDb:

Jay Thomas was a DJ at an LA radio station when he auditioned for the role of hockey star Eddie LeBec. He won the role, and was brought back in several episodes in order to give Carla a story arc; Eddie and Carla eventually were married on the show. However, since he was not a 'regular' on the series he kept working at the radio station. One day he took a call on the air asking him what it was like to work on 'Cheers', and Thomas made several unflattering remarks about Rhea Perlman and having to kiss her. Perlman happened to be listening to the show, and a few episodes later the 'Zamboni incident' killed off the Eddie LeBec character. Thomas confronted the cast in the "200th Anniversary Special" episode about the way his character was killed off. This scene is cut from the reruns.

I'd love to see that confrontation. I'm not sure how Jay has a beef. You mess with the bull, you get the horns.

https://media.giphy.com/media/8N5tQZ2X4byNi/giphy.gif

I don't know - of all the women who were on that show, he definitely drew the short straw getting stuck with Carla. Ick.

That really stinks.

Well, yeah. But you're not supposed to say that.

Well, I can say it. The ugly bitch can't get me fired. :D

Rhea Pearlman and Danny DeVito are a fascinating couple. I wouldn't call either one hideous, but they're perfect for each other, like how people start to look like their pets after a while.

I enjoy both of them as actors, but I swear sometimes I have to shake my head and verify I'm not looking at a caricature. Both so short and stout, her with the frizz, him with the bug eyes. Like something out of R.Crumb.

I'm a Devito fan, but he'll never surpass his early work on Taxi.

His character did create a fantastic episode though when they had his funeral. That's a great episode. Death Takes a Holiday on Ice is what I think it was called.

Get Shorty

He was crazy, insane good.

I don't recall seeing that, but he was at the top of his game in Romancing the Stone around the time that Taxi was on. I should rewatch Romancing the Stone to see if it aged well.

Somehow, he really works on Always Sunny. Of course, the rest of the cast is outstanding as well.

I've never seen the show It's Always Sunny but for me, Get Shorty was the height of the Louie DePalma type of absurdity.

I like Always Sunny, and he's good in his role, but he's almost too good as a creep.

The child beauty pageant may be his career piece de resistance, though. That was a television classic.

This thread is incredibly disappointing to me... :(

I know a waste of human space by this exact moniker/name/salutation, however you want to phrase it...

I really wished that tool had actually croaked :)

Oh well...

Have you ever seen Other People's Money? I thought he did some good work in there.

Believe me, if it's absurdity you're looking for, Always Sunny is DeVito unleashed.

He wasn't even in the design of the original show, but he saw it and loved it so much they wrote him in as the brother/sister's rich amoral dad. It really is a great character. And Always Sunny is a great show, . . it's kind of Seinfeld with no filter on weed/vodka.

Won't even give you the story behind these gifs. Just a taste of what's to be beheld.

spoilered because not relevant to condolences

They had a nice tribute to him on Sirius channel 94, where his show was on. Mentioned his roots in North Carolina and New York.

I listened to his show semi regularly and had no idea he was even sick.

RIP, Jay Thomas. And, as always, **** cancer.

I've always felt I should watch more of sunny but between porn, football, porn, golf, porn, porn, and porn, seems I never have time.

The nice thing is, you'll probably know right away if you like it or not. It's one of the few comedies that set it's tone right out of the gate.
The stories became more convoluted, the jokes become more intricate and nuanced over time, and certainly some episodes are highlights while some are not as great. But what you see right off is the spirit of the show.
OTOH, if you like the humor. It's not like you get a season or two in and realize 'well, they've done all they can do with this premise' It's as fresh and inventive today as ever. Some of the funniest moments ever are in the last season or two as well.

Long story short, I recognize it's not for everyone. But if you catch a little of it and think it is for you, there's a treasure trove of quality content waiting.