Post On Poston

Tom Poston just died. (ColumbusGuy should handle this, since that's where Poston is from.)

He was a funny presence on stage and screen for about half a century. It's his TV work he'll be remembered for. He started as one of the ensemble on The Steve Allen Show, playing a confused "man on the street." He made numerous appearances on various shows, and was a popular panelist on To Tell The Truth.

In the 70s, he was a regular on Mork And Mindy as the nasty neighbor who writes greeting cards for a living, and had his best-known role in the 80s on Newhart as George, the simple-minded handyman. Newhart surrounded himself with eccentrics, and George's role was to radiate a gentle cluelessness.

What I liked about him was he managed to be funny without showing the effort. My favorite part of his was as The Peeper, Bob Newhart's old pal, on The Bob Newhart Show. Bob's wife was played by Suzanne Pleshette. Poston had known her for years when he appeared on the show, and a couple decades after the show was canceled, they married. Maybe they should have had a reunion where The Peeper is sleeping with Bob's gal.