Richard Lewis : Comedian reactions, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and asking Don Rickles to meet Frank Sinatra

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:12.160
Callaroga Shark Media. I'm Johnny Mack. This is a bonus episode remembering Richard

2
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.800
Lewis. The normal daily comedy news
is in the feed. A normal episode

3
00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:20.920
came out earlier today. Born Richard
Philip Lewis June twenty ninth, nineteen forty

4
00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:24.640
seven. Born in Brooklyn, Raised
in Englewood, New Jersey. Richard Lewis

5
00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:29.359
graduated from Ohio State University before joining
the comedy scene in New York and LA

6
00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:34.159
in the seventies. There he worked
with stars like Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer,

7
00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:38.200
and Elaine Boosler, swiftly becoming a
favorite on late night TV, including

8
00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:43.840
Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Self deprecating
Razor sharp, honest about his struggles with

9
00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:49.439
addiction and neuroses, Richard Lewis possessed
a unique comedic style that resonated with audiences,

10
00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:54.079
similar to his good friend Larry David. Richard made his acting debut in

11
00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:58.240
nineteen seventy nine on NBC's Diary of
a Young Comic. He's got a lot

12
00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:02.119
of time on the era of David
Letterman that I and the era of Howard

13
00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:06.280
Stern that I loved. I'll be
curious to see if Howard does anything with

14
00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:11.239
Richard late period, Howard has kind
of distanced himself from a lot of the

15
00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:14.159
guests of the past, Gubert Gunfried, for example, But we'll see.

16
00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.560
By the mid nineteen eighties, Richard
Lewis was being cited as part of a

17
00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:22.439
group of self reflective comics that included
Richard Pryor, George Corolan, and Lily

18
00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:26.560
Tomlin Journey. Gunderson is the executive
director of the National Comedy Center. In

19
00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:30.319
a statement, Journey said his work
exemplified and anticipated the deeply personal, raw,

20
00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:34.400
introspective, and yes, neurotic tone
that has come to color so much

21
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.239
contemporary comedy. HBO appearances in nineteen
eighty eight, nineteen ninety and nineteen ninety

22
00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:44.200
seven, a sitcom alongside Jamie Lee
Curtis called Anything but Love, one called

23
00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:47.439
Hiller and Dealer with Kevin Neil and
I Don't Remember That, and also at

24
00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:51.040
Don Rickles one I'll talk about in
the second half of the pod. Richard

25
00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:55.760
Lewis estimated he had about twenty thousand
pages of jokes on his computer early in

26
00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:59.400
his career. He scribbled them on
legal pads. When he appeared at Carnegie

27
00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:01.840
Hall in nineteen nine, he appeared
on stage with six feet of yellow sheets

28
00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:06.400
taped together on the floor for reference. Wait, did Jerry Seinfeld rip that

29
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.960
off? Jerry kind of did that, and oh, we'll dive into that

30
00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:14.280
a different day. Film roles include
roles in leaving Las Vegas in nineteen ninety

31
00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:16.719
five, Robin Hood, men in
tights, drunks, and of course,

32
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:22.080
the notable run on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Dean eric Post reported that Richard was

33
00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:27.000
feeling quite well amid a battle with
Parkinson's disease just a few weeks ago.

34
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:30.120
He said, I'm getting through it
fine. I have some occasional walking difficulties

35
00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:31.719
with Parkinson's the last couple of years. It's not majorure. I'm getting through

36
00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.560
it fine so far. But I
didn't want to go spend five or six

37
00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:38.800
hours mingling with so many people just
asking for trouble. That's why he wasn't

38
00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:43.199
at the Curb Your Enthusiasm launch party. I just wrapped a couple weeks ago,

39
00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:45.639
season twelve of Curb, and it
was an amazing season. I'm so

40
00:02:45.719 --> 00:02:46.919
grateful to be part of that show. But you know, the last three

41
00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:51.479
and a half years, I've had
sort of a rocky time Larry David Has

42
00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:54.240
said Richard had that rare combination of
being the funniest person and also the sweetest.

43
00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:57.840
But today he made me sob and
for that I'll never forgive him.

44
00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.280
Cheryl Hines said, when I was
young, I had the biggest crush shun

45
00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:02.520
Richard Lewis. He was the funniest
person on stage on the most handsome comedian.

46
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:06.080
Then when I was cast on CURB, I got to work with him

47
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:08.879
and it was a dream come true. Susie Esmond called Richard an original,

48
00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:13.719
brilliant voice that cannot be replaced.
Ben Stiller said I never met a kinder,

49
00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.120
more empathetic comedy genius. He was
so funny and deep as a kid.

50
00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.439
I remember seeing him at the improv
and how nice he was to me

51
00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.599
and my sister. Over the years, he would always reach out with support

52
00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:24.680
and love or a kind word,
something out of blue. It always felt

53
00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:29.000
special to hear from him. Jamie
Lee Curtis, who co starred in the

54
00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:32.120
ABC sidcome Anything But Love with Richard, said, I remember exactly where I

55
00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:36.000
was when I saw a billboard of
him about a stand up special on Sunset

56
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.599
Boulevard when we were casting the ABC
pilot anything but love and asked the casting

57
00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:43.560
people to bring him in to audition
to play my best friend maybe boyfriend Marty

58
00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:46.639
Gold. I thought he was handsome. He made me laugh, which is

59
00:03:46.680 --> 00:03:51.000
the one thing a strong capable woman
can't really do for herself. Jeff Ross

60
00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.240
said, first time I saw Richard
Lewis perform was at Carnegie Hall in December

61
00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:57.039
of nineteen eighty nine. It was
just an aspiring comic in the crowd,

62
00:03:57.080 --> 00:04:00.759
and Richard's performance showed me that you
don't have to play guitar songs to be

63
00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.479
a rock star. Doug Benson said
his encouragement was the push I needed to

64
00:04:03.560 --> 00:04:08.280
keep going in a field that can
be not encouraging at all. Bill Burr

65
00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.520
said, rip to a true original, an absolutely fearless comedian who did and

66
00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:16.199
said what he wanted. Patton Oswalt
and Paula Poundstone just shared photos. Steve

67
00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:20.519
Martin tweeted, remember Richard Lewis.
Thanks. Eric Idol said so sad in

68
00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:24.000
the learned of the death of Richard
Lewis. He was such a lovely,

69
00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.160
funny guy. I wasn't ready for
this. Mel Brooks said, I'm so

70
00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:29.639
sorry to hear that we lost Richard
Lewis. I will miss him very much.

71
00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:30.560
He was so funny, and I
was so lucky to have him play

72
00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:33.759
Prince John and Robin Hood men in
tights, but I was even luckier to

73
00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:38.639
have him in my life. Adam
Carolla called Richard Lewis one of the greatest,

74
00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:41.879
most talented men I've ever met.
Dane Cook called him a champion.

75
00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:46.600
Michael McKean called him a very good
man. John Stewart said sleep well,

76
00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:50.759
Richard, and commented how some people
say that Stewart resembles Richard Lewis, and

77
00:04:50.759 --> 00:04:55.920
he said, I'll try to keep
good care of our face. Jimmy Kimmel

78
00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:59.839
had guessed Bob Odenkirk. Bob called
Richard Lewis a great, great stand up

79
00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:02.160
who was in touch with everybody.
Both odin Kirk and Kimmel said they had

80
00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:05.120
been texting with Lewis in recent days. Bob said, will always happen to

81
00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:09.040
thank for that very personal type of
comedy that he helped blaze the trail of

82
00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:13.639
Jimmy Fallon shared a clip where he
spoke about Richard. Hey, guys,

83
00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:16.120
had we had some sad news today. We just found out that Richard Lewis

84
00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:19.199
passed away. And he was a
good friend of the show, a great

85
00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:23.319
guest. I think he was one
of the greatest comedians to ever do it.

86
00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:26.439
If you get a chance, go
go on YouTube and watch some of

87
00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.040
this stuff. He was unbelievable.
I used to impersonate him all the time.

88
00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:34.439
He was a good friend, would
send me things. But his HBO

89
00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:39.839
specials, his whole character and walking
and I'm doomed. Do you ever see

90
00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:43.519
the HBO special I'm doomed. Yeah, he'd be a hypochondriac. He'd be

91
00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:46.160
just so upset that about everything this
specially did was great. That he went

92
00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:49.160
to the hospital because he had thought
he had a heart attack or something he

93
00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:53.160
didn't you know, And he's like, this is a terrible doctor. He's

94
00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:57.319
complaining and the nurse goes up,
Sorry, mister Lewis, someone's here to

95
00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:01.079
visit you. Your biggest fan and
I don't really say it's your biggest fan.

96
00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:09.240
And a contortionist walks in. It's
funny. It's so funny. Yeah,

97
00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:12.959
and you might know him also in
Kurby Enthusiasm. He was fantastic.

98
00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:17.720
I just think he's one of the
greatest to ever do it. Our thoughts

99
00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:21.319
are with his family and friends.
We're gonna miss you, Richard Lewis.

100
00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:27.240
In The New York Times, Melana
Riiazik had interviewed Richard on January twenty second.

101
00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:30.199
She recounted Richard as saying, I've
got to give Jeff Gorland a lot

102
00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:33.560
of credit for hanging in. I
mean, it's a TV show, but

103
00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:36.319
how can he have any self esteem
left after what he's taken. It's just

104
00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.959
a barrage. Every time a scene
is over, it looks like he's limping

105
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.199
back from the Civil War. He's
just all bloodied. There should have been

106
00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:46.199
a corner man, you know,
like in Rocky Burgess Meredith. For any

107
00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:48.519
actor taking in Susy Esmond's insults,
there should always be a chair with a

108
00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:55.920
trainer putting smelling salts under actors' noses. Richard and Larry David met as kids

109
00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:59.480
at summer camp. They've been friends
most of their lives. In that Times

110
00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:01.600
article recalls, I always had a
pad with me from day one, and

111
00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:05.360
so did Larry, and would write
premises down wherever we were without sounding too

112
00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:09.439
pompous about it. I always dug
comedians who were the same on stage as

113
00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:12.040
they were off stage. There wasn't
too much fake stuff going on. They

114
00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:15.000
didn't create a character, they were
just who they were. He called Larry

115
00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:17.560
David the storyteller of my generation.
He's not going to stop writing things down.

116
00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:21.600
I've always been blessed to be on
the show and so grateful. One

117
00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:25.800
thing that bothered him is he didn
get more time with Susie Esmond. Given

118
00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:27.800
the chance, he says, I
would have gone out of my way to

119
00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.560
screw up the scene just to make
her angry at me. He did have

120
00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:32.279
a plan, writes The Times.
If Susie gets a show, say it

121
00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:35.000
was just called Susie, I would
beg Larry David for at least a guest

122
00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.680
spot on it. Please let me
do something to make cure or feel horrified.

123
00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:41.759
I don't want any money. Don't
pay me. I might have to

124
00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.639
just fly to New York and sneak
into Susie's house and antagonize her. In

125
00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:46.120
fact, don't tell her, but
I plan to play a horrifying joke on

126
00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:48.720
her so I can bear the front
of her wrath. The truth is,

127
00:07:48.759 --> 00:07:51.360
I'm gonna get her to yell at
me if it's the last thing I do

128
00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:56.600
on this planet. For the weekend. I wanted to see if there were

129
00:07:56.839 --> 00:08:01.399
enough articles about Richard from back in
the day, and surprisingly there aren't that

130
00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:03.360
many. I don't know if he
didn't do many interviews or if they didn't

131
00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:09.319
make it through the archives. I
found a few things around nineteen ninety three's

132
00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.839
Daddy Dearest, which was not reviewed
well. But in the spirit of comedy,

133
00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:16.240
let's dive in here from the La
Times in nineteen ninety three and Daddy

134
00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:22.120
Dearest, Richard Lewis portrays a divorced
psychologist whose life becomes complicated when his overbearing

135
00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:24.439
and combative father, played by Don
Rickles, suddenly moves in. All Right,

136
00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.920
that sounds like it would be a
good premise, right, I mean,

137
00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.959
isn't that just the plot of Fraser. Richard Lewis plays a divorce psychologist

138
00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:35.360
and his father moves in, Right, that's Fraser. Oh what a different

139
00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:37.600
time. This was the La Times
Rights. Rickles, who's touring the country

140
00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:41.759
with Frank Sinatra, sat with Lewis
and chatted about the show. Richard Lewis

141
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:45.399
says, Don's long been one of
my icons in comedy. Years ago.

142
00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:46.279
I had a notion that I wanted
to work with him. It's been a

143
00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:48.799
long trip in journey to get to
the show. I can't imagine being happy

144
00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:52.159
or working with anybody else. Rickles
said, yeah, I'd pretty much go

145
00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:54.840
along with that. Richard was really
the one who made this thing come together.

146
00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.080
I had not thought about a TV
series at this point in my career.

147
00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:01.440
Was involved with Vegas gambling towns,
theater and so forth the time,

148
00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:03.399
said Don, does it enter in
your mind that Richard, while not exactly

149
00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:07.279
your boss, is more or less
in charge. Rickles said, yeah,

150
00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:09.600
it reminds me of that all the
time. According to him, I was

151
00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:11.919
out on the highway face down,
being rolled by four guys. This man

152
00:09:11.960 --> 00:09:13.960
comes along. It reminds me every
day that he's the boss, and he

153
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:16.080
found me, and I gotta kiss
his you know what, to keep him

154
00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:20.600
amused. Richard said, But if
I don't meet Frank Sinatra before the twelfth

155
00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:22.360
episode, there's gonna be a problem
because I'm the co executive producer and I

156
00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:26.120
have the right to fire Don.
Rickles, the only way you're gonna meet

157
00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:28.759
Frank is to throw yourself in front
of his card. If I know Frank,

158
00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:33.720
he'll keep going la times. Richard, you seem frustrated by recent questions

159
00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:37.559
about Don's jokes on the show.
That Don Rickles' character insults people in ethnic

160
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:41.039
groups. Wow, we were canceling
people way back then. Richard Lewis said,

161
00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:43.559
there are a tremendous amount of comedians
whose subject matter stereotypes in a mean

162
00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:48.759
spirited way. There's an unbelievable difference
in what Don Rickles does as a comic,

163
00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:50.000
unlike many other comics who say you're
different, I don't like you,

164
00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:52.000
I shouldn't be with you, I
shouldn't be in your neighborhood. It's the

165
00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:56.120
exact opposite. The deal is Don's
character. And let me stress that this

166
00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:00.240
is a character. It's politically incorrect. It's almost as if we're talking about

167
00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:03.360
Shing Gillis, but you realize he's
a teddy bear. One of the reasons

168
00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:05.559
I'm working with one of my idols
is because his character's so right on the

169
00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:09.480
money to educate, as well as
perhaps being one of the funniest people in

170
00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:13.519
the whole universe. Again from nineteen
ninety three, Don Rickles, You've done

171
00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.440
this type of comedy for so long. Does it frustrate you that just years

172
00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.399
ago this kind of humor was okay. The climate wasn't quite as sensitive.

173
00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:24.840
Now audiences are looking for significance where
they're looking for political correctness. Rickles said,

174
00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:26.120
well, I don't find it frustrating
at all. I'm still able to

175
00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:30.720
headline every major place you could think
of and work with Frank Sinatra. Richard

176
00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:33.519
Lewis, does Frank like me?
Rickles? I mentioned you once and napped

177
00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:37.720
is it your name? And fell
asleep right in front of me. Anyway,

178
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:41.120
I can't say too much about being
politically correct because they still show up

179
00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:43.679
to see me. Funny's funny.
It's a very fine line. I've never

180
00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:46.240
crossed that line, and I've always
been received with the utmost warmth. Richard

181
00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.440
Lewis, When can I mean Frank? I'll be in the limo with you

182
00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:52.360
and Frank when you go to long
beat Trickles, You'll be running alongside the

183
00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:54.000
limbo. I'll roll down the window
just see can hear part of the voice

184
00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:58.679
seeing the summer wind? And then
roll it up again with your hand in

185
00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.600
the window. LA. Have you
two watched the other Fox shows like nine

186
00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.320
oh two one oh? Richard Lewis, I watched all the shows. I'm

187
00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:07.600
a Fox kind of guy, except
I wanted them change the logo because I

188
00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:11.159
was bent on my behind by a
Fox. When I was a cub scout,

189
00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:13.879
that was fun. The Desert News
from nineteen ninety three said that same

190
00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:18.559
sitcom, Daddy Dearest is downlight dreadful. Fox's new sitcom is so bad,

191
00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:24.039
so utterly unredeemable, that it's difficult
to know where to begin with a description

192
00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:26.519
of it. The premise is okay. Richard Lewis stars as Steven, a

193
00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:31.720
psychiatrist and divorced father of a young
son who's obnoxious overbearing father Don Rickles moves

194
00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:35.120
in with him again. Free sure, but as Daddy is executed, it

195
00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:39.759
deserves execution. We're talking downright dreadful. Wow, that's like an Adam Sandler

196
00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:45.440
level review. This is offensivest show
as Network TV has to offer most of

197
00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:48.799
the alleged humor, and let me
emphasize the word alleged falls in a one

198
00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:52.840
of two categories of offensiveness, sexuality
or bigotry. When Al gets a look

199
00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:58.159
at the Swedish stewardess that Steven that's
Richard Lewis's character has brought home to take

200
00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.000
to bed, he bellows, Wow, look at the of those things.

201
00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:05.480
There are jokes about condoms. There
were offensive sexual jokes between Alan as soon

202
00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:09.519
to be ex wife Helen. Helen
shrieks you never satisfied me in Ben Al

203
00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:16.080
Al yells I satisfied you plenty,
to an incomprehensible burst of laughter from the

204
00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:20.000
studio audience. Helen is good sex
too much for me to ask for before

205
00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:22.320
I drop dead? Al, why
don't you drop dead? And we'll find

206
00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:26.360
out that's not a bad line at
all. The Record interviewed Richard Lewis in

207
00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:31.039
nineteen eighty eight. He recalled a
conversation with John Travolta, who went to

208
00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.480
the same school. Travolta was saying
that they had named a Jim after him.

209
00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.600
Lewis said, I figured maybe I'd
have a couple of bridge chairs named

210
00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:39.279
after me in the faculty lounge.
What I should have as a bench in

211
00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:41.559
the nurse's office. I don't want
to sound like a big shot. After

212
00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:46.039
sixteen years of complaining in forty five
shows on Letterman, I should at least

213
00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:48.039
be able to have people sit on
me amy or tease in. The New

214
00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:52.399
York Times wrote, go ahead and
call Richard Lewis the comedian from hell.

215
00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:56.480
He'd be paying him a compliment.
His most incredible legacy could be one simple

216
00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:01.080
phrase spoken so often that its argent
might never be questioned. It's the blank

217
00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:05.480
from Hell, the insert hated thing
here from hell. Courting to Richard Lewis

218
00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:09.240
and the Yale Book of Quotations,
it came from Richard. Richard said,

219
00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:13.519
I'm credited with popularizing the phrase because
I felt victimized by everything. I totally

220
00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:16.320
popularized the phrase in the late seventies. If you go on YouTube, you

221
00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:20.120
could see it on Letterman. David
would cut me off and go you meet.

222
00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:22.360
It was the bar mitzer from Hell, that's right. And I stopped

223
00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:24.000
saying it. I was self conscious
I was getting applause for it. I

224
00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:28.360
guess subconsciously I thought I was a
victim of everything. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations did

225
00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:33.120
not give Richard credit for the phrase, which became a storyline during season three

226
00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:37.279
of KERB. The episode from two
thousand and two weaves in Richard's attempts to

227
00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:39.240
get it in Bartlet's. He said, it was a real solid for Larry

228
00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:43.200
to do that for me. That
really immortalized it in some respects. And

229
00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:48.879
I will leave you with a clip
from the February eighteenth episode of Curb Your

230
00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:54.039
Enthusiasm, where Richard talks about leaving
Larry in his will back in the morning

231
00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.519
with a normal episode. Rest in
Peace, the Great Richard Lewis, I'm

232
00:13:56.600 --> 00:13:58.759
leaving you in my will. I'm
tweaking it, and you're in it.

233
00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.120
No, no, no, dunt
dun't do that. It's done. You're

234
00:14:01.159 --> 00:14:03.120
in. I don't want to be
and I I have money, I don't

235
00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.120
need it. Give it to someone
who needs it when I die. I

236
00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.279
want you to know how much I
care about you. I'm not going to

237
00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.240
keep it. I'm going to give
it to charity, my best friend.

238
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.960
You're getting it. No, I'm
making as shut in that statement about the

239
00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.639
will right now, I shooking at
historical references. If nominated, I will

240
00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.720
not run. If bequeath, I
will not accept. Well I'm bequeathing.

241
00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:22.320
Well, I'm not accepting. You'll
have to accept. Don't give it to

242
00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:24.879
me. Don't hurt my feelings.
I'm not going to keep up petty of

243
00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:26.240
it. You're hurting me. Thank
you, but I don't want I'm giving

244
00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:28.279
it to you anyway. Pal