"I pass out while everybody else is having a wonderful time"
January 3, 2019 7:20 AM Subscribe
Bob Einstein dead at 76 of cancer. The actor and writer (and brother of Albert Brooks) was best known for his stuntman character Super Dave Osborne and for his turns on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development.
(And yes, that means Albert Brooks' real name is Albert Einstein.)
posted by Cash4Lead at 7:32 AM on January 3, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by Cash4Lead at 7:32 AM on January 3, 2019 [10 favorites]
From long-time Hollywood writer Mark Evanier comes this story:
I got a mysterious phone call in 1992 that [Bob] wanted to meet with me. The person who called wouldn't say what it was about but I had a hunch. I went in and, sure enough, it had to do with a Super Dave cartoon show that was then in production and but a few months from debuting. Mr. Einstein said he was very unhappy with how things were doing and someone had told him I was a "fixer" in such circumstances and shown him some shows I'd worked on. He wanted to know if I could come in and "save" his animated series.posted by Servo5678 at 7:34 AM on January 3, 2019 [18 favorites]
I asked how many of the thirteen had been written and recorded. He said, "Eight." I said, "If they're truly as bad as you say, it's over. There's never been a cartoon show that had eight poor episodes and got better." He sighed, said I was probably right…and the business part of our meeting was effectively over. Since he'd cleared the hour and I'd driven all the way there, we sat around for the next 57 minutes talking about his past work, his father and his (and he brought this up) problems with being overshadowed by his younger brother. He also told me around thirty great off-color jokes and I told him a few. It was a great hour even if you considered that all I'd really accomplished there was to talk my way out of a job.
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My dad was a huge fan of his. In terms of deadpan reactions, he could give Buster Keaton a run for his money.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:44 AM on January 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
My dad was a huge fan of his. In terms of deadpan reactions, he could give Buster Keaton a run for his money.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:44 AM on January 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
I had no idea he was related to Albert Brooks. I always thought he was from Canada, since he was a mainstay on Bizarre when I was a kid. Loved his Marty Funkhouser character.
posted by JamesBay at 7:54 AM on January 3, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by JamesBay at 7:54 AM on January 3, 2019 [8 favorites]
RIP, Funkman. That's $50 I'm never gonna see.
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 7:57 AM on January 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 7:57 AM on January 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
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posted by SonInLawOfSam at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by SonInLawOfSam at 8:39 AM on January 3, 2019
🔥
(In honor of his Super Dave persona, that’s a MetaFilter obituary dot that crashed and burned.)
posted by New Frontier at 8:43 AM on January 3, 2019 [15 favorites]
(In honor of his Super Dave persona, that’s a MetaFilter obituary dot that crashed and burned.)
posted by New Frontier at 8:43 AM on January 3, 2019 [15 favorites]
His 1968 paperback This Is My First Magic Book So I’m A Little Nervous is supposedly hilarious, but I've yet to come across a copy for less than $100.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:45 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by ryanshepard at 8:45 AM on January 3, 2019
Super Dave compilation. It's a testament his humor that the video quality is lousy but still made me laugh, a lot. Loved watching him while I was growing up.
posted by jabo at 8:46 AM on January 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by jabo at 8:46 AM on January 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
I hope his coffin is lined with genuine Saskatchewan Sealskin.
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posted by GuyZero at 8:47 AM on January 3, 2019 [8 favorites]
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posted by GuyZero at 8:47 AM on January 3, 2019 [8 favorites]
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Jerry Seinfeld should have given him that Porsche.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:34 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Jerry Seinfeld should have given him that Porsche.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:34 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:40 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:40 AM on January 3, 2019
His commitment to the bit equaled that of his Van Dyke and Company (1976) colleague, Andy Kaufman.
Thanks for making such a weird impression on me at such an early age.
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posted by whuppy at 9:41 AM on January 3, 2019
Thanks for making such a weird impression on me at such an early age.
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posted by whuppy at 9:41 AM on January 3, 2019
I feel like I was the exact right age for Super Dave's absurd stunts. The King of the Road one still slays me.
And a lot of people I know are like, "oh, yeah, that Super Dave guy" but with Gene Okerlund, The Captain from Captain and Tennille, AND Super Dave dying on the same day it was a gutpunch for this GenXer and her childhood cultural touchpoints.
posted by kimberussell at 9:53 AM on January 3, 2019 [17 favorites]
And a lot of people I know are like, "oh, yeah, that Super Dave guy" but with Gene Okerlund, The Captain from Captain and Tennille, AND Super Dave dying on the same day it was a gutpunch for this GenXer and her childhood cultural touchpoints.
posted by kimberussell at 9:53 AM on January 3, 2019 [17 favorites]
I'm trying to remember where I first saw Super Dave. It must have been the show Bizarre, but according to Wikipedia it was shown in the US on Showtime or Cinemax or some cable channel I didn't have. Perhaps it was on a local UHF station. All I remember is my mom and brothers and I watching it and laughing silly.
I assumed it didn't hold up, but I just watched that compilation linked above and still laughed at it.
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posted by bondcliff at 10:01 AM on January 3, 2019
I assumed it didn't hold up, but I just watched that compilation linked above and still laughed at it.
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posted by bondcliff at 10:01 AM on January 3, 2019
He appeared on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast in October 2016 and made Gil and Frank laugh harder and more nonstop than any other guest.
posted by whuppy at 10:12 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by whuppy at 10:12 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
My boss, who is a decade younger than I, didn’t recognize him at all, except that her high-school crowd included a dude named Dave that they all called “Super Dave” because he was a total fuckup.
So, hats off, Mr. Einstein. You killed a name in a generation that didn’t even know you.
posted by Etrigan at 10:14 AM on January 3, 2019
So, hats off, Mr. Einstein. You killed a name in a generation that didn’t even know you.
posted by Etrigan at 10:14 AM on January 3, 2019
I had a Nike Super Dave t-shirt back in the day. RIP, Mr. Einstein.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:47 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:47 AM on January 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:56 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by tallmiddleagedgeek at 10:56 AM on January 3, 2019
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posted by oneswellfoop at 11:16 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by oneswellfoop at 11:16 AM on January 3, 2019
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posted by Token Meme at 11:30 AM on January 3, 2019
posted by Token Meme at 11:30 AM on January 3, 2019
I hope at his funeral, they fire his body out of a cannon towards the coffin, but then miss, and it falls in front of a steamroller or something, but then it turns out that it was just a crash dummy.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:04 PM on January 3, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 12:04 PM on January 3, 2019 [7 favorites]
Einstein selling Brooks athletic equipment in Modern Romance is one of my favorite scenes ever.
Indeed.
"Buy the box."
posted by dobbs at 3:38 PM on January 3, 2019
Indeed.
"Buy the box."
posted by dobbs at 3:38 PM on January 3, 2019
I remember watching Bizarre with my dad a lot. Him making me close my eyes when there were boobs. I'm not sure WHY I remember this, my father doesn't have a great sense of humor.
But I remember thinking Super Dave was way more entertaining than Kneivel.
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posted by DigDoug at 7:00 PM on January 3, 2019
But I remember thinking Super Dave was way more entertaining than Kneivel.
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posted by DigDoug at 7:00 PM on January 3, 2019
Einstein selling Brooks athletic equipment in Modern Romance is one of my favorite scenes ever.
Indeed.
"Buy the box."
The AV Club did a Scenic Routes breakdown of this scene years ago that's well worth checking out.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:13 PM on January 3, 2019
Indeed.
"Buy the box."
The AV Club did a Scenic Routes breakdown of this scene years ago that's well worth checking out.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:13 PM on January 3, 2019
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posted by cotton dress sock at 10:01 PM on January 3, 2019
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:01 PM on January 3, 2019
I'm trying to remember where I first saw Super Dave. It must have been the show Bizarre, but according to Wikipedia it was shown in the US on Showtime or Cinemax or some cable channel I didn't have.
It could have been almost anywhere. He got around, pretty much always in character for a solid couple of decades.
And if you lived near enough to the Canadian border to get our channels over the air, there you go.
🤕
đź‘źđź‘ź
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posted by Sys Rq at 12:30 AM on January 4, 2019
It could have been almost anywhere. He got around, pretty much always in character for a solid couple of decades.
And if you lived near enough to the Canadian border to get our channels over the air, there you go.
🤕
đź‘źđź‘ź
.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:30 AM on January 4, 2019
.
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:34 PM on January 4, 2019
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:34 PM on January 4, 2019
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(Super Dave was huge for me as a kid - growing up in the era of Evil Knievel, I always thought he was hilarious - thanks for the fun times Bob!)
posted by jkaczor at 7:30 AM on January 3, 2019 [7 favorites]