P: Phil Hartman *90's Pop Culture Favorites* #AtoZchallenge

Ooph. This post is a little rough to write. It's just so tragically wrong that we don't have Phil Hartman around anymore. (If you don't know, in 1998 he was shot in his own bed by his drugged-up, psycho wife.) But this hilarious, endearing man most definitely deserves a spot in these '90s highlights.

From the late 80's into the first half of the 90's, he cracked me up and up on Saturday Night Live, playing characters like Bill Clinton, Frankenstein, Frank Sinatra---"I got chunks of guys like you in my stool!"---and of course, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. All through the 90's he did the voice of Troy McClure (& others) in The Simpsons, and from 1995-98, he was the narcissistic Bill McNeal in News Radio. Plus he showed up in lots of other roles in TV shows and movies. Here he is as Vicky the tour guide in one of my favorite '90s movies (and this is me finding a way to work it into my list), So I Married an Ax Murderer:


Comments

Kyra Lennon said…
I feel bad that I never heard of him - sounds like a talented guy!
L. Diane Wolfe said…
Such a tragic ending. I loved him in So I Married an Axe Murderer.
Julie Flanders said…
It was such a tragedy what happened to him. He was so so funny. I think my favorite was the Sinatra Group. We still quote it sometimes LOL.
Liz Blocker said…
Oh, great one for today. I loved Phi Hartman, and I so wish he was still around. That video is a great tribute, though :)
Michael Di Gesu said…
Terrific choice... Such a horrible end to such a funny guy....

Happy Easter, Nicki!
Such a shame. He was awesome on News Radio.
Stephanie Faris said…
Did you know he used to design album art for record labels? He was a very creative, talented man.
Oh, he was a funny guy! Such a sad end. :(
Rumer Haven said…
A Phil Hartman-So I Married an Axe Murderer twofer. Life is good today. Bless you, Nicki.

I nonetheless bow my head and share in the grief. RIP, Phil. You were one hell of a Ronald Reagan. ("Well...")
Suze said…
I was working as a copy ed on the graveyard shift when Hartman was shot. People had ghoul pools running and they were pretty irreverent about death a lot of the time because of the harsh news we were exposed to coming off the wire constantly. No one joked about Phil, though. I distinctly remember the silence on the system after the news broke.
Haddock said…
Like his voice.
He is good as the tour guide, though the other two characters in the movie is spoiling the show.
Had been to Alcatraz last year and what a place....
Carrie-Anne said…
I loved his work. It was such a tragedy how he died.
Jennifer Lane said…
"My name is John Johnson, but everyone calls me Vicky." Ha ha! I never saw that movie.

I was almost scared to read this post because Phil is my favorite SNL actor and his loss is horrific.

One of his best commercials was "Colon Blow". Did you ever see that? Ba ha ha!
Stephsco said…
I wrote about Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer for "U" in the A to Z this year. He was so great in every role. It's really sad to think he is gone.

Popular posts from this blog

Bring on the Romance!

80s TV Shows: Turbulent Tranquility

In which I get rated R...eh, maybe NC 17...