As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I was saddened to read that Gary Marshall is dead, but for the reality when I was stuck watching Murphy Brown, an absolutely lifeless show with Candace Bergan and an equally room temperature cast, that Gary Marshall did a recurring role as the Rupert Murdoch type owner of FYI broadcast, and he was hillarious in his timing and delivery of a ruthless tycoon without any scruples.
Added to this was Paul Reubens, yes Pee Wee Herman, who played the rather psychotic, over protective assistant of Murphy Brown, and one had in Marshall and Rubens two recurring characters who propped up that entire cast.
I will assume in all things, that Marshall was a liberal, because his sister is a liberal and married to, before divorce that obnoxiously stupid Meathead Reiner, another liberal, but Gary Marshall never offended people on the right, no more than did the fine comedian Carl Reiner in his recurring roles.
Some people make comedy seem easy. Gary Marshall did that on Murphy Brown. He was not so spectacular in other situations, but he was born to that role, as Paul Rubens is to his rather off the wall characters.
None of that means that I liked Marshall's work in his creations like Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley or Mork and Mindy. He simply hit perfection in a bit part which he perfected and for that I appreciate his comedy as no one else could have accomplished what he did.
So people remember the sitcoms which liberals hated, because they were low brow and not broadway, and others remember the big screen in Pretty Woman. For me Gary Marshall's best work was not offending people who he had nothing in common with, and a moment where his acting made a show funny with Paul Reubens.
agtG
