Larry Bud: 1921-2007
Donz5
pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
Born July 23, 1921
Died March 19, 2007
Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
Brady
RIP, Mr. DeForest.
Brady
randwill
"Donz5" <do...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1174417980.9...@n76g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
"Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite bit.
Or maybe the "Goodwill Tour" when he begged Dave to let him come home. What
are some others you remember fondly?
dsi...@yahoo.com
I was lucky enough to see what must have been his last appearance on
the big show in 2001, when they brought him out for his 80th birthday.
RIP, Calvert.
Hope Dave does something on the show tonight for him.
--Dake Sikula
TheTubbyHubby
I sat up front and he was reading the entire act from cue cards, which
even told him when to laugh at his own jokes. He seemed liked a nice
man and I'm sorry to hear of him passing. Yes, Dave must mention him
tonight and play a few clips.
Anthony
Donz5
> I was lucky enough to see what must have been his last appearance on
> the big show in 2001, when they brought him out for his 80th birthday.
His last appearance seems to have been April 30, 2003, portraying
Saddam Hussein. We should have something from Drifter soon.
Pat Fleet
> Calvert DeForest died last night of a heart attack after contracting
> pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
I'm so sorry to hear about this. Dave MUST put together a remembrance.
I just wonder if NBC will be big enough to release any of the old
stuff from LN.
Here are a few good links to info on Calvert:
http://www.fadetoblack.com/interviews/larrybudmelman/
http://www.nndb.com/people/356/000026278/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvert_DeForest
Donz5
> I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
> "Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite bit.
> Or maybe the "Goodwill Tour" when he begged Dave to let him come home. What
> are some others you remember fondly?
There are countless memories; one of my faves was "Ask Larry 'The Big
Man' Melman'"; the writers knew he wasn't fond of heights, so,
naturally, they positioned him 10 feet off the ground.
Then there was Calvert DeForest as Larry "Bud" Melman as Kenny the
Gardner as Roy Orbison. I loved the whole surrealistic nature of the
bit.
But what always made me crack up was when he'd be in a skit with Dave
and other writers and screw up a line, followed by the writers
desperately trying to keep a straight face.
dsi...@yahoo.com
> Then there was Calvert DeForest as Larry "Bud" Melman as Kenny the
> Gardner as Roy Orbison. I loved the whole surrealistic nature of the
> bit.
I always found it remarkable how Calvert looked -exactly- like Roy
Orbison, which made me wonder what Orbison really looked like without
the wig and glasses.
--Dave Sikula
R H Draney
The Christmas show where he tried to recite "The Night Before Christmas" to a
bunch of kids, losing his place in the poem, turning to the prop book (a French
catechism) he'd been handed, and then announcing "now I gotta read Spanish"....r
--
"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!"
"You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!"
Bill Kawalec
AFL Drifter
>I was lucky enough to see what must have
> been his last appearance on the big show in
> 2001, when they brought him out for his 80th
> birthday.
Donz:
>His last appearance seems to have been April
> 30, 2003, portraying Saddam Hussein. We
> should have something from Drifter soon.
Here are some shots from both of those shows......
Don Frito Lay
Here's some YouTube clips of Calvert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4iwTSWeuRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYa_ChYf4rw ("Screw you, NBC!")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biVvTCjgtEA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPSOapFKiZY (end of clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-InWwYT5tk (middle of clip)
And of course, how can anyone remember him without this clip:
http://www.k-statecats.com/dl29_Calvert_bus_11-16-83.mov
randwill
on YouTube, Calvert was actually the very first person we saw. He does a
recreation of Edward Van Sloan's opening speech from "Frankenstein" (1931).
dsi...@yahoo.com
> On Mar 20, 3:13 pm, "Donz5" <d...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > Calvert DeForest died last night of a heart attack after contracting
> > pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
>
> > Born July 23, 1921
> > Died March 19, 2007
>
> > Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
God, Late Night was a good show.
Did anyone here ever meet Calvert? (Donz, did you ever offer him
floss?) He seemed like such a sweet guy; a terrible actor with no
improv skills, but a sweet guy. (And his performance in "King of the
Z's" is one of the treasures of my film-going career.)
--Dave Sikula
DTSmith
put the microphone in the other person's face before he was finished
asking the question, the end of which, of course, you didn't hear. Too
bad Dave isn't on live again until next week.
Calvin
>Calvert DeForest died last night of a heart attack after contracting
>pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
>Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
Better yet, tomorrow I'll wear my Calvert t-shirt...purchased from
Mujibur and Sirajul, of course.....
http://i13.tinypic.com/48d92eg.jpg
"Bon appetit, suckers!"
Calvin
DDY
since I believe Calvert's last appearance was on April 30, 2003 (as
Saddam Hussein).
I got to visit with Calvert for a few minutes in November of 1992.
He gave me the inside scoop on the move to CBS, which was
announced in December, 1992. Calvert said Dave didn't really
want to move, but CBS was making an offer that was hard to turn down.
He was nice and goofy and well-dressed... just what you'd expect.
Thus begins The Calvert DeForest Interplanetary Goodwill Tour.
--
David D
DDY's Late Show with David Letterman Fan Page
http://www.ddy.com/dl3.html
jason....@gmail.com
and got not one news story on this, which is rather odd. What's the
deal here?
Brady
Yes, I'm surprised that it hasn't been picked up by at least one
newspaper or wire service. I assume it'll be picked up tomorrow, or at
least after a statement is released by his family or representative.
Brady
PB
Man, that IS sad, too many funny bits and memories. Was part of my
youthful water cooler moments for many a year.
"Oh, where are you from ?"
"Eastern Shore Virginia"
Oh, long trip, did you have a snack on the bus on the way here ? You
must be very hungry. Could I offer you a moist towelette ?"
Never saw Dave lose it so bad on the show ever or since.
RIP Calvert
Thanks for the memories..... cue music
chad riden
There's not a single night when I don't think, "I wish Calvert was on
tonight's show."
RIP, my tv friend.
Thanks for putting up with my crap,
Chad Riden
http://chad.riden.org
bostonbill41
Authority.
Donz when was the road trip from hell that Calvert was practically in
tears on the phone begging Dave to come home?
Bill
Donz5
The Great Pan American Goodwill Tour: November 11 to December 13, 1988.
Charlene
> jason.cinema wrote:
> > I Googled bothCalvertDeForest, Larry Melman, and Larry Bud Melman
> > and got not one news story on this, which is rather odd. What's the
> > deal here?
>
> Yes, I'm surprised that it hasn't been picked up by at least one
> newspaper or wire service. I assume it'll be picked up tomorrow, or at
> least after a statement is released by his family or representative.
No reputable news organization is going to pick the story up without
confirmation from either a legal representative or a family member.
News organizations have become more careful since a) the premature
obituary of Katherine Sergava, whose obituary was run by the New York
Times on not much more than a rumour, b) the AP obituary that claimed
that a house painter from New York was the songwriter Paul Vance based
only on a claim the deceased made to his wife. Sergava's family sued,
and the real Vance (who lost money from the false report) is
considering it.
However, they're probably all waiting with bated breath for an
announcement.
wd42
Imethisguy
He always looked good in that uniform. . . Damn good.
John M.
Tony Linguini
On 20-Mar-2007, "randwill" <rwilli...@triad.rr.com> wrote:
> I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
> "Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite
> bit.
> Or maybe the "Goodwill Tour" when he begged Dave to let him come home.
> What
> are some others you remember fondly?
A few I can recall from my hazy memory:
Larry comes out as Cher (i.e. dressed as himself, but Dave introduces him as
Cher.) After Dave asks a question or two, Larry -- alluding to the real
Cher's last appearance -- says "Boy, you really are an ass****!"
In the same vein of Larry portraying other celebrities, Dave told guest
Richard Simmons that Barbara Streisand (Simmons' favorite singer) is
backstage, only to have Larry come out and sing "Memories."
During the week "Late Night" was in Las Vegas, Larry would put a quarter in
a slot machine each night and offer to split the winnings with the audience.
When a non-winning combination came up, Larry yelled "Sorry, suckers! You
lose!" One night when the machine paid out a very small amount (a dollar or
two,) Larry took the money and ran off yelling "It's all mine!"
Along with Larry's intro on the debut show, Dave took viewers backstage to
where the show's meat was stored and found Larry hanging amongst the slabs
of meat.
Larry's numerous plugs for "Melman Bus Lines."
Calvin
<rwilli...@triad.rr.com> wrote:
> What are some others you remember fondly?
The disastrous Kenny the Gardener piece, with Marilu Henner sitting
next to him, looking genuinely terrified.
Calvin
Alan Page
"Donz5" wrote...
> Calvert DeForest died last night of a heart attack after contracting
> pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
> Born July 23, 1921
> Died March 19, 2007
> Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
I saw Calvert only once, Friday, May 13, 1993.
Dave asked for the TTL and DeForest marched out as Johnny Carson.
You know the rest of the story.
--
Alan
~WWWWW~
What a Wonderful Web We Weave
Donz5
> "Donz5" wrote...
> > Calvert DeForest died last night of a heart attack after contracting
> > pneumonia. He had been in poor health for some time.
>
> > Born July 23, 1921
> > Died March 19, 2007
>
> > Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
>
> I saw Calvert only once, Friday, May 13, 1993.
> Dave asked for the TTL and DeForest marched out as Johnny Carson.
> You know the rest of the story.
I'm relieved I'm not the only one who needs new fingers.
:)
Helen Read
>
> I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
> "Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite bit.
Calvert trying to read "Twas the Night Through the Christmas" from a
prop book that was in Spanish.
--
HPR
brian henke
BTW, still no wire service report.
Now here are some words of wisdom from our good friend Dr. Phil:
"You're on the Dr. Phil show."
-----------
"We sharpen skates free." - David Letterman
Erik Anderson
RIP Larry
Roy Green
beginning. I had seen one show (with the Cowboy Poet, Blanton somebody..)
but didn't get into it because it was at the end of a frustrating date.
But the next time I watched, Larry 'Bud' was reading "The Night Before
Christmas" to a bunch of kids, and was confused and cracking up because (as
we found out the next night) Merrill Markoe and another writer had given him
a book of catechisms as a prop, and not the famous poem! Ah, the memories!
"Donz5" <do...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1174423514.2...@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> randwill wrote:
>
>> I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
>> "Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite
>> bit.
>> Or maybe the "Goodwill Tour" when he begged Dave to let him come home.
>> What
>> are some others you remember fondly?
>
Donz5
> Unlike others on this group, I was not clued in to Letterman from the
> beginning. I had seen one show (with the Cowboy Poet, Blanton somebody..)
> but didn't get into it because it was at the end of a frustrating date.
> But the next time I watched, Larry 'Bud' was reading "The Night Before
> Christmas" to a bunch of kids, and was confused and cracking up because (as
> we found out the next night) Merrill Markoe and another writer had given him
> a book of catechisms as a prop, and not the famous poem! Ah, the memories!
Couldn't find a reference to a Cowboy Poet, nor to anyone named
Blanton.
The two responsible for the Christmas screw-up were then-P.A.s (now
E.P.s) Barbara Gaines and Jude Brennan, with help from scenic designer
Kathleen Ankers. In Gaines' own words (from the AOL Late Show Online
site 5/19/97):
"Calvert was supposed to recite 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and
give out gifts to a bunch of little kids. I put on the prop list that
we needed a book. However, I was not specific as to what book. During
rehearsal the book wasn't in yet, so I just handed Calvert my script.
Jude, figuring I had ordered the book, didn't worry about it being on
cue-cards.
"That evening Calvert opens the book and it's a French catechism book-
of course Kathleen [Ankers] the scenic designer went and found a
pretty book-so Calvert says "Oui vey vous. Oh my God!" I laughed but
Jude [Brennan] came running out on the floor and said we're in
trouble. After the show the producer Barry Sand called us in his
office and screamed at us and Dave came by and said he thought it was
really funny so Barry had to stop yelling but Dave said we had a choice
-to tell the story of what happened on the air or be fired. So of
course the following day we went on the air but they kept the lights
down to protect the guilty and then at the end of the segment they put
up mine and Jude's resume."
So the snafu was this: Babs assumed Calvert would be reading from cue
cards, so she retrieved her script after rehearsal; Jude assumed
Calvert would be reading from the actual poem in a book, so cue cards
weren't prepared. And Kathleen handed Calvert any old book that looked
nice. Then all hell broke loose.
Minglewood
> Donz5 filted:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >randwill wrote:
>
> >> I believe he was on the first evening show. Oh, the memories. I guess
> >> "Ask the Disembodied Head of Larry 'Bud' Melman" was about my favorite bit.
> >> Or maybe the "Goodwill Tour" when he begged Dave to let him come home. What
> >> are some others you remember fondly?
>
> >There are countless memories; one of my faves was "Ask Larry 'The Big
> >Man' Melman'"; the writers knew he wasn't fond of heights, so,
> >naturally, they positioned him 10 feet off the ground.
>
> >Then there was Calvert DeForest as Larry "Bud" Melman as Kenny the
> >Gardner as Roy Orbison. I loved the whole surrealistic nature of the
> >bit.
>
> >But what always made me crack up was when he'd be in a skit with Dave
> >and other writers and screw up a line, followed by the writers
> >desperately trying to keep a straight face.
>
> bunch of kids, losing his place in the poem, turning to the prop book (a French
> catechism) he'd been handed, and then announcing "now I gotta read Spanish"....r
>
> --
> "You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!"
> "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!"- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
"Then Santa Claus came down the chimney..." [Calvert's desperate ad
lib]
R H Draney
>
>On Mar 20, 5:03 pm, R H Draney <dadoc...@spamcop.net> wrote:
>>
>> The Christmas show where he tried to recite "The Night Before Christmas" to a
>>bunch of kids, losing his place in the poem, turning to the prop book (a French
>>catechism) he'd been handed, and then announcing "now I gotta read Spanish"....r
>
>lib]
Two or three times, if memory serves....r
stephe...@my-deja.com
STATEMENT FROM DAVID LETTERMAN ON THE DEATH OF CALVERT DeFOREST
David Letterman, host of the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN,
issued a statement today on the death of Calvert DeForest, who made
numerous appearances on both the LATE SHOW and "Late Night with David
Letterman."
"Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a
character, but in reality he was just himself - a genuine, modest and
nice man," said Letterman. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a
beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him."
DeForest passed away on Monday, March 19 at age 85. His
debut on "Late Night," as Larry Bud Melman, came in 1982, and was
followed by dozens of appearances as various characters on the NBC
show and on the LATE SHOW, which Letterman has hosted on CBS since
1993.
(PLEASE NOTE: The "Late Show with David Letterman" is not
in production for the remainder of this week, returning on Monday,
March 26. Tonight's show, an original broadcast, was taped on Monday,
March 19, prior to Mr. DeForest's death.)
Alan Page
"Donz5" wrote...
> I'm relieved I'm not the only one who needs new fingers.
Oh. I thought it was becoming policy in afl to subtract one when dealing
with numbers.
Alan Page
Stephen Timko wrote...
> CBS released this on Wednesday
> STATEMENT FROM DAVID LETTERMAN ON THE DEATH OF CALVERT DeFOREST
Last night (Wednesday) Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News made note
of Calvert's death. He made a point that he started on *this* network (NBC)
along with mentioning that the Late Show made the announcement.
garycolin...@yahoo.com
There was nothing in the news about his passing for a day or two, but
I notice its on every news services now. Nice to see it get the
attention it deserves.
(Not that it matters at all, but it looks to me like Donz broke this
news right here on AFL. Which is only fitting IMO)
Gary
Calvin
<rwilli...@triad.rr.com> wrote:
> What are some others you remember fondly?
Calvert DeForest as Larry Bud Melman as Michael Crawford as
The Phantom performing with The Peace Through Dramatization Players.
Marie O'Donnell: "Why does Michael Crawford look so pale and puffy?"
Calvert: "Hey - I don't have to take this crap...I won a damn Tony
Award!"
Calvin
Steve Curtis
>Calvert DeForest died last night of a
>heart attack after contracting pneumonia.
>He had been in poor health for some
>time.
>Born July 23, 1921
>Died March 19, 2007
>Raise a moist towelette in his memory.
A little known fact about Calvert, from the latest LS Newsletter:
"His great uncle, Lee DeForest, invented the 3-element vaccum tube, an
integral ingredient into the creation of the very medium that made
"Larry 'Bud' Melman" a household name -- television."
Donz5
Amazing what detail that Newsletter column digs up. They ought to give
the person who writes that stuff a raise. Or at least a new computer.
btw -- the 3-element vacuum tube was first implemented for radio. Then
for teevee.
Alan Page
"Donz5" wrote...
> Amazing what detail that Newsletter column digs up. They ought to give
> the person who writes that stuff a raise. Or at least a new computer.
> btw -- the 3-element vacuum tube was first implemented for radio. Then
> for teevee.
From this link that I posted in the Merrill Markoe thread...
http://www.nndb.com/people/356/000026278/
DeForest's uncle, Lee De Forest, was a prolific inventor who patented the
first vacuum triode for amplifying radio signals, which allowed the
manufacture of tube radios, spawned the broadcasting industry, and made
early telephones and radar possible. The elder DeForest also founded
DeForest Radio Telephone & Telegraph Company in 1907, constructed one of the
first experimental radio stations, and established De Forest Phonofilm, a
film production company that pioneered talking films during the "silent era"
of the 1920s.
Take a look at his uncle here...looks like an inventor...
http://www.nndb.com/people/356/000026278/