Life sucks when your tv favorites die. First Happy Kyne (Frank DeVol), and now Jerry Hubbard (Fred Willard). Fernwood Tonight and America Tonight, starring Martin Mull and Fred Willard, made for great late night tv in the late 70's early 80s. If only today's late night comedy was half as good.
Fred Willard Dead
- Thread starter njpaddy
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I saw this a little while ago...he played in a plethora of roles. I thank God for the goodness that he is...kept people laughing and smiling.
Thanks for all the laughs, Fred. RIP.
Fred was brilliant in everything he performed. Most recently I've enjoyed him in skits on Jimmy Kimmel. I could see that his hands were severely shaking and he seemed to not be able to stand, but his comedic performance, the smiling straight man saying outlandish things was as strong as it ever was.
p.s. Fred has some credited roll in the Steve Carell's upcoming Netflix series, "Space Force".
p.s. Fred has some credited roll in the Steve Carell's upcoming Netflix series, "Space Force".
Hannah's Dad
I Can See Better Than Bigfoot.
RIP, Fred. He was a consistently likable and funny actor.
R.I.P. Fred Willard. 
When he said “Spinal Tarp,” I thought I was gonna plotz right there in the theater.
In Best in Show, he was wet your pants funny. RIP Fred.
I really admired him. Terrific character actor. He always had such a sense of sincerity that played so well against Mull's schmarminess. My favorite Fernwood Tonight was when Tom Waits appeared. So good! His work with Christopher Guest was also great. Such a loss.
First remember him from Real People. He had a brief appearance in Wall-E as the CEO of Buy-N-Large.
I loved him in all the Christopher Guest mockumentaries.
Oh, no. RIP
He always seemed to me to be playing himself, which means to me that he was a good actor, because I never thought he was acting. He'll be greatly missed. I never would have thought he was as old as he was. May he RIP.
We tend to remember the big stars, but great character actors fill the gaps.
I first spotted Willard as a member of the Ace Trucking Company improv/stand-up comedy group. They frequently showed up on The Tonight Show starting in about 1969. That's the group with the guy who popularized "You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me R.J., or . . . ."
(I've heard they didn't originate the gag, but I don't know who did.)
(I've heard they didn't originate the gag, but I don't know who did.)
Very funny man, RIP Fred.
A great life lived! RiP, Fred.
I would not have either. Makes the treatment of his character in the last season of Modern Family all the more poignant. Perhaps, apt.
Both of these things can be simultaneously true . . .
Fred Willard was a comic genius . . . and I was a complete doofus.
I started watching Fernwood tonight when it was released back when . . . I thought it was interesting enough, but younger (doofus) me just could not figure out why the show would allow that idiot "Hubbard" to keep returning. It took about two months for me to clue in that THAT WAS THE GAG. After that, Fred Willard was "not to be missed viewing". An absolute genius at what he did.
Fred Willard was a comic genius . . . and I was a complete doofus.
I started watching Fernwood tonight when it was released back when . . . I thought it was interesting enough, but younger (doofus) me just could not figure out why the show would allow that idiot "Hubbard" to keep returning. It took about two months for me to clue in that THAT WAS THE GAG. After that, Fred Willard was "not to be missed viewing". An absolute genius at what he did.
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