My favorite of his comedy bits was where he pointed out that Mick Jagger moved like a "rooster on acid". Once seen, you can never unsee that. I thought he was a great comedian, and I didn't really see any of the shows that he was on. But I can't blame any stand up comic for taking acting work - a steady paycheck, and a strong union, as opposed to scrambling to make a living from day to day working comedy clubs. RIP.
If you can find it - definitely worth watching. It's intetesting to see the Munch character in full flow rather than the somewhat truncated version you get later in L&O. And it's a great show anyhow (at least up until the last season...)
Mr. Richard Jay Belzer 1944 – 2023. The "Belz' Smirk" will remain being worth its weight in Gold. Rest In Peace, Belz’.
He definitely shrunk on SVU, but in the first season he's somewhat his regular self. There's even one or two episodes where he's the center of attention.
It is on YouTube if you search for it, but a word of warning: it is freaky. Belzer's bouncing back and going to commercial on auto-pilot is pretty remarkable, though.
Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw on a car years ago: "****you, you ****ing ****". And RIP to Mr. Belzer, whose last words will be immortalized. Somebody mentioned his Mick Jagger impression.
R.I.P - He will always be my favorite TV Cop. Here's a free link to his NY Time obit. Richard Belzer, Detective Munch on ‘Law & Order: S.V.U.,’ Dies at 78 Wow, what a tough upbringing and life. These bits were interesting as well: "In 1990, he found financial stability in a characteristically absurd and brutal fashion. Five years earlier, Hulk Hogan, demonstrating a wrestling move on Mr. Belzer on TV, knocked out the comic and dropped him headfirst to the ground. An out-of-court settlement enabled Mr. Belzer and Ms. McBride to buy a home in France, which they called variously the Hulk Hogan Estate and Chez Hogan." "In 1975, he began working as a warm-up comic for the “Saturday Night Live” audience, but his friend Lorne Michaels did not invite him to join the cast. Mr. Belzer accused Mr. Michaels of breaking a promise to him — a charge Mr. Michaels did not comment on to People."
One of the greatest talkshow guests in history. Always funny, witty, fast on his feet, but very sharp whenever I'd see him on Letterman or Leno or on the old Howard Stern Radio Show.
Found the clip! Not SNL, but I had the timeframe right (1978). "Like a Rolling Gallstone" begins around 0:40.
The Groove Tube is so awful. Could never stand the amateurishness. He was excellent with the National Lampoon.
One of my personal favorite moments from Hot Properties was when Belz had James Darren as a guest. Belz asked him about his teen idol days and the talk turned to Darren's hit record "Goodbye Cruel World." They joked about it and Belz was ragging on it's hokiness. Darren maintained that he was thankful to have had a hit. Belz asked "Maybe you'd like to sing a few bars?" To Belz's shock, James Darren got up and performed the entire song. The show had a pretty small, but good band. It may have been planned, but Belz's subsequent reaction (shock and amusement) sure seemed genuine. Belzer's book, How To Be A Stand Up Comic, was a favorite. His show and TV appearances were must see TV for me and my friends in our formative years. "Right, babe" or "Yeah, babe" said in our most smug and dismissive tone were repeated ad infinitum. I didn't follow his acting much after Homicide, but his Stern appearances were legendary and his podcast work and later books proved he never lost his edge. Glad he was around through a large part of the ride with/for me. A true loss. Bye, Belz. Thanks for the laughs.
R.I.P. I never watched the Law & Order shows, but I did catch his stand-up routine a few times when he would warm up for bands at The Bottom Line in NYC. First time I heard a comedian use the F word.
Regarding The Groove Tube, in their book on the history of Saturday Night Live, Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad included a chapter on movies, television shows, radio shows and theater productions that were precursors to the show, in one way or another. It's a short history, but they include The Groove Tube. It's an interesting story of you're into this kind of thing.
Ken Shapiro was a visionary and Lorne definitely had Ken's concept in mind when he started Saturday Night. No coincidence that Chevy and Belz were Channel One cast members
The Howard Stern Show got a lot worse once they stopped having talented comics like Belzer and Gilbert Gottfried on as guests.
RIP. Homicide life on the streets was one of the best shows on network television and the Belz was always fun on Howard.
