Sunday, May 29, 2011

Farewell, Bobby Wheeler.....

My memory is as deep as a well, and as shallow as a thimble.

And yet it wanders.

Back to 1981 or so, I believe, and an episode of TAXI.

If you've never seen TAXI, you are missing a comedy gem, in my opinion; a great ensemble cast, wonderful writing that that never (with some exceptions) depended upon one single character for material.

At least, not at first.

Andy Kaufman became a household name as Latka; catch phrase after catch phrase that are, in some cases, still being used today. They played to him a lot as things went on, so I tend to abuse my own statement.

Christopher Lloyd as Reverend Jim, who's slow delivery and occasional lapses into hyper-sanity were guffaw inducing.

But it was the other characters taking center stage that was so fascinating.

Alex (Judd Hirsch) going to Europe for the first time, with glorious dreams, but winding up doing nothing but solving a Rubik's Cube.

Elaine (Marilu Henner) having a terrible day and stating that there are no Princes or Castles or White Knights left in the world; only to find that Jim has built her a castle in her living room, out of the metal in his van.

Louie (Danny Devito) and his on-again off-again girlfriend Zena. And his Mother.

But the one that comes to mind today is Bobby Wheeler: struggling actor, talented, but always just out of the reach of success.

There was an episode where he reads a review by a pompous critic, and is so incensed that he writes a letter to the newspaper, but his better nature takes over, and he disposes of it.

And Louie takes it out of the trash and sends it to the paper, which makes Bobby both a hero to the theatre world, but an enemy of said critic. And the next night, the critic is attending Bobby's one man show on Charles Darwin.

He sweats through it, and that night the critic meet him, and lets him read the review. It's a beautiful review; the kind any actor would want to get. And through the conversation, you find that the critic is genuine; Bobby's performance was incredible, and it makes the critic believe in Off-Broadway theatre again.

And then, the critic tears it up.

A bad review, he explains, would make Bobby a martyr. A good review would make him a star. But no review at all....would make him disappear as if he'd never been.

It was a great episode, and it spoke loudly to a young man with dreams of being an actor himself.

Jeff Conaway, who played Bobby Wheeler in those Halcyon days, passed away yesterday at age 60, from a combination of pneumonia and sepsis. He ended his life as an on-again off-again drug user, famous in his infamy and alas, the very portrait of the modern Icarus.

He will be missed by the grown up young man who still has dreams of being an actor.

pacis exsisto vobis.

1 comment:

Steve Gans said...

I remember that episode! Great stuff. He was a small part of another great ensemble on Babylon 5, for my money the best sci-fi show ever. It was sad seeing him on Celeb Rehab a few years ago, he seemed like a decent guy honestly struggling as best he could against his demons.