The first time I remember seeing Fred was on the syndicated show D.C. Follies. I was a kid, and dug the political puppets. Nixon was my favorite.
I watch Best in Show and Mighty Wind every few years and he's wonderful in both. Really funny guy. RIP
RIP to one of my favourite comic actors. Last night, we watched This Is Spinal Tap for the umpteenth time, unaware of Mr. Willard’s death. It was only after the film had finished, when we checked our phones, that we heard the sad news.
That's when I first became aware of him as well... haven't seen the show since the 70s... it would be interesting to watch an episode... Edit: found a segment with Fred
A few days ago I checked to see if Fernwood Tonight was on DVD, but unfortunately, not But find I'm recognizing many of the movies other posters are mentioning. That phrase from post 74 - little subversive undertone - catches what I liked in the man. RIP
I can only imagine how much fun it must’ve been for those in the entertainment profession to get Fred involved in one of their shows and ask him to come up with something ridiculous, knowing that it would be hilarious every time. Then they probably asked him to do it again just for fun. Even when he was playing a complete idiot, you believed that he was the idiot. Thank you for the laughs Fred. RIP.
For those of you familiar with Whose Line Is It Anyway, Fred Willard hosted a show that the people who made Whose Line were involved with called Trust Us With Your Life. Some of the cast members from WLIIA were on it as well.
One of the funniest MF's ever to trod on the tundra. I can't watch a dog show anymore without hearing his hilariously inane commentary in my head. You will be missed Fred. RIP
It's not well publicized but pretty much the entire run of Real People is available to view on Amazon Prime. Well worth revisiting for the nostalgia factor alone...
just watched an episode on Prime... really weird to watch after 41 years... I was nostalgia tripping for sure, especially on the people's fashions, hair and the cars... the production values for a prime time show on one of the three major networks are pretty low even for that era, but it comes across as charming to me... ymmv... I'll probably even watch another one!
Sad news. Loved Fernwood and all the Chris Guest movies. Can anyone find those 'Bear World' or 'Bear Planet' bits narrated by Fred Willard? I saw it a couple times on some tv show, would love to see any of it again.
I'm envious that you got to be friends with him. Seemed incredibly down-to-earth, polite, all-around nice guy, with a charm and wit that is uncommon.
I don't believe Fernwood/America 2 Night has ever been available on home video, either VHS or DVD. Some episodes may have been included in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman collections, but I'm not sure about that.
I have the Ace Trucking Company's RCA Victor LP. I haven't played it in years. Members included Billy ("You Can Call Me Ray") Saluga and Patti Deutsch.
