Monday, June 23, 2008

RIP George Carlin (1937- 2008)

A comedy legend is gone...

George Carlin died at 5:55 p.m.PDT yesterday of heart failure at the age of 71...

Known primarily for his stand up comedy specials he is the guy who introduced me to the Seven Words You Can Never Say On Tv. Perhaps his most famous routine.

I was surprised to learn that his first tv role came in the form of an episode of the 60's sit- com "That Girl" An episode of "Welcome Back, Kotter" followed in 1977.

Among his films--there was Car Wash-- Carlin served as narrator for Americathon (1979), Outrageous Fortune (1987) . As far as I'm concerned though his greatest contribution to cinema was playing Rufus in both Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey acting as guide to the bewildered Bill and Ted...

He may have been known for his adult humor and observations but he also entertained kids on the popular "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" TV series...

Carlin worked for director and fan Kevin Smith 3 times in: Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and the underrated Jersey Girl...

He lent his scratchy voice to the animated flicks Cars and Happily N'Ever After in 2006....

Irreverent. opinionated, and controversial and always funny....

I was lucky enough to see Carlin perform on stage in Valley Forge PA in the 90's....Rest well and thanks for all of the laughs....

How George Carlin Changed Comedy -Time Magazine

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