19 years since Phil Hartman passed on

[TMC]

[MA]

This is him announcing a classic SNL sketch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywQEcv22Mdk

Sorry, I do not know how to wrap YouTube tags around selected text.

[Adamantium]

I still remember coming home and my sister telling me that Phil Hartman was murdered. Although I knew it was him, in my brain, I was telling myself "That's not Bill from NewsRadio. "Phil Hartman" has to be someone else!" But of course, it was him and it was a total shock.

NewsRadio suffered from his death. I don't think the show would have been back for a sixth season anyways, but the final season would have been much better than it was, and maybe the show would be rerun more these days, because it wouldn't have the tragedy overshadowing the series.

[MrCleveland]

It was sad that I heard about Hartman's death...he was a talented man.

I heard he even did album artwork...

[king of comedy]

So sad and he was a very funny man.

[MA]

Shame he had to pass and wish he was still with us right now.

[TMC]

http://www.toledoblade.com/CultureSh...d-live-on.html

Not everyone deserves a happy ending. Phil Hartman did.

The brilliant comic-actor, who became a star on Saturday Night Live, showed his impressive acting chops on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, and was beloved by almost everyone, was shot to death at the age of 49 by his wife, Brynn Hartman, 41, who then committed suicide in the couple's bedroom, even as police got the couple's 6-year-old daughter out of the home. The Hartman’s 9-year-old son was fleeing from the home just as the police arrived while responding to a call that shots were fired in the home.

May 28 marks the 20th anniversary of this gut-wrenching tragedy that stunned Hartman's friends, colleagues, and those of us who were — and are — fans. Sadly, Hartman is remembered as much for his death than for his life and work. His middling legacy of movies has much to do with that.

His last film, Small Soldiers, released nearly a month and a half after his death, is typical of his big-screen oeuvre (Coneheads, So I Married an Axe Murderer, Sgt. Bilko, Jingle All the Way, House Guest), which mostly featured Hartman in small to medium roles in forgettable and now forgotten comedies.

The actor’s best movie, in fact, has him onscreen for only a minute as an unnamed reporter who asks the question, “When exactly did you become blood brothers?”

The film was Pee-wee's Big Adventure, which Hartman co-wrote with the film’s star Paul Reubens.

The pair met as members of the famed Los Angeles improv group, the Groundlings, in the 1970s and worked together to develop Pee-wee Herman into a surrealist swipe at children’s shows into a cult hit that led to mainstream film and award-winning Saturday morning TV show. This link shows Hartman performing as salty sea dog Captain Carl, one of several frequent visitors to Pee-wee's Playhouse.

Hartman's big break, of course, was as a performer and occasional writer on Saturday Night Live, where he played presidents, actors, the Chairman of the Board, and an Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, from 1986 through 1994.

Among his best work: Hartman's President Bill Clinton stops at a McDonald's for a Big Mac while on a jog with his Secret Service protection.

Hartman's portrayal of President Ronald Reagan as a genius “mastermind” who parades the forgetful public persona as cover for his wheeling and dealing is political parody at its best.

After leaving SNL, Hartman won raves and received an Emmy nomination as snobby, overly confident, and not-so-competent radio newsman Bill McNeal on NewsRadio. Watch how Hartman elevated this cane as a predictable prop gag into a graceful physical comedy.

And of course, no remembrance of Hartman's career is complete without his stellar guest work as rather shady characters on The Simpsons:

■ Has-been actor Troy McClure and Planet of the Apes the Musical.

■ Shyster “attorney-at-law” Lionel Hutz.

But I'll close the column with something that isn’t particularly funny: “Love Is a Dream,” an SNL short with Hartman as a dashing young prince who sings and sweeps an elderly woman-turned beautiful young princess played by Jan Hooks off her feet. Like Hartman, Hooks also died far too young: at age 57 from cancer in October, 2014.

This elegant 1930s-style dance homage was out of place when it premiered in 1988; Hartman’s good-bye smile and salute to Hooks, and Hooks sweetly blowing him a kiss in return was too sweet and innocent for a show heavy on satire. Three decades later, “Love is a Dream” still isn’t funny. But it is the poignant and elusive fairy-tale ending they deserved.

[MA]

Rest In Peace Phil... can’t believe it’s even been 20 years already. Your comedy and legacy will always never be forgotten.

[TMC]

The untold truth of Phil Hartman

On May 28, 1998, comedian Phil Hartman was reportedly fatally shot by his intoxicated wife, Brynn, as he lay asleep at their residence in Encino, Calif. Meanwhile, their two children, Sean and Birgen, were asleep in the house. A few hours later, Brynn committed suicide, shooting herself in the head with another gun from the Hartmans' collection (via Time). Authorities discovered both bodies in their upstairs bedroom.

The crime shocked the world as fans and friends mourned, wondering what had gone wrong. Hartman's consistently brilliant work on Saturday Night Live had turned him into a household name, and his portrayal of the megalomaniacal Bill McNeal on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio earned him even more admirers. Hartman also appeared on 52 episodes of The Simpsons, voicing both Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure throughout the '90s.

Born Sept. 24, 1948 as Philip Edward Hartmann, the comic legend was the fourth of eight children and considered himself a "middle child" (via People). Prior to finding his true calling in 1975 as part of the legendary comedy troupe the Groundlings, Hartman worked as a graphic designer. He ultimately became an Emmy-winning SNL player, master impressionist, screenwriter, and actor.

But there's a lot most don't know about Hartman. Here are some lesser-known facts about this brilliant comedian.

Read More: http://www.nickiswift.com/127535/the..._campaign=clip

[Chocolate Moose]

Their kids are grown up now. Wonder if they have any of his talent.

[king of comedy]

I hope so. I miss him and he was so talented.