I know in my mind that he’s way older than I always have thought him to be, but I’m still always kind of surprised by that, too. He was 86. A long, and hopefully happy life.
He made me laugh an awful lot.
OMG I LOVED Charles Grodin. This one stings.
I really loved him. Midnight Run was so good. And he was so good even in ridiculous kids movies like Beethoven. He was really great in old age on Louie.
Marc Maron on a relatively recent WTF last year kept going on and on about how much he loved Heartbreak Kid and how well it held up today, so I need to watch that next.
I’ve not seen Heartbreak Kid, I should fix that.
Grodin also has to be in the top 5 all time of late night TV talk show guests. Seriously, any time he was on Letterman or Carson (going way back!), you knew it was going to be pretty entertaining.
86, holy shit! I was also going to add, watching him as a guest on Letterman was always fun. He was so good at displaying smoldering resentment at Letterman, I was never really sure if it was an act.
I don’t know for sure…but I can imagine that both Letterman and Grodin recognized the comic gifts of the other guy and really, really enjoyed being able to have fun with a worthy peer.
I think I’ll have chorizo and eggs for lunch. RIP
That is ten minutes of peak Grodin, right there. OK, eleven.
Wow, he’s already mid-50s there. He looks 36, tops.
I fondly remember his minor bit in So I Married An Axe Murderer and it was one of my favorite scene in a movie full of memorable scenes.
Yeah, amazing segment. He’s one of my all-time favorites too. About four days ago, I was lying in bed looking at my shelf of film books and saw It Would Be So Nice if You Weren’t Here. I hadn’t thought about Grodin or the book in a while but just the title made me smile so I took a moment of gratitude for him, figuring he wouldn’t be around much longer. Guess my timing was spot-on.
I also haven’t seen The Heartbreak Kid but I remember Marc Maron raving about it recently. Gotta watch that asap. And I want to share Midnight Train with my kids! “These things go down. These things go down!”
Yeah. I recorded and watched Letterman and loved Grodin’s appearances. I just loved his whole cranky vibe, for lack of a better term.
EDIT: I’m just going to sit here at work and watch/listen to all of his Letterman and Carson appearances.
Grodin’s fantastic in it. It’s one of the best comedies of the 1970s and a great examination of cultural alienation. He plays someone who is willing to give up essential parts of his identity to fit in.
I think the last thing I saw him in was as the cantankerous neighbor in Louie. He elevated everything he was in, including a very funny supporting turn in the legendary flop Ishtar. He effortlessly outperformed Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. I’m sad that he’s gone.
Oops, be careful you don’t subject them to this:
I mean, I enjoying seeing Ted Raimi’s eyeball knocked out of his head as much as the next guy, but I don’t think Grodin is even in it. :)
-Tom
FYI: All of these appearances on Lettermen and Carson still hold up. Still funny. I forgot how quick Carson was.
True story, i looked up what movies he was in and saw Beethoven and i’m like, hmm, that sounds interesting. Clicks on a few things…oh, the one about the dog…
Man, that’s a funny letterman clip. Also reminds me how good early letterman was…
Carson could go just as deadpan as Grodin. Letterman found his laughs with CG in going broad and awkward. Carson found the laughs with Grodin in playing it almost as deadpan and ernest as CG was being.
damn, and that reminds me how good johnny was