Hal And Ed

Harold Gould, a top-notch character actor, has died.  I suppose his most famous role was Mr. Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, but he was the kind of guy who even when stuck in a weak show was able to elevate his material.

He did more TV than movies, but most of my memories of him are on the big screen: Kid Twist, Paul Newman's second-in-command in The Sting. Anton, challenging Woody Allen to a duel in Love And Death.  Engulf, half of Engulf And Devour, the evil corporation trying to destroy Mel Brooks in Silent Movie.

Here's his entire performance in Love And Death.  Pardon the long excerpts (though any ten minutes of the film chosen at random are hilarious), but if you want to catch only Gould, check out 1:25--4:45 in Part 3, 5:40--6:20 and 8:00--8:30 in Part 4 and 2:50--5:50 in part 5.








Edwin Newman also passed away.  An erudite TV anchor, he was widely known for his defense of the English language.  Actually, he was a bit of a nanny, part of a long line of lecturers on how our language is falling apart--amazing how that's been going on for centuries.

I liked him.  He was a good essayist, and rarely overbearing.  A lot of people who get paid to tell us their thoughts become pompous, but he seemed to have a sense of humor about himself, appearing in later years with David Letterman and hosting Saturday Night Live.