With the death of Larry Gelbart— whose brilliant words and comic genius spanned more than 60 years in TV, movies and theater— the world lost an enormous talent. And I lost another link to my past life—the life I inherited when I got married and moved to California. Along with Mel Brooks, Larry was one of my ex-husband’s clients—-he was also part of the circle of friends that lost another of its members earlier this year, Dom DeLuise— who came on our honeymoon cruise.
Learning about their deaths makes me sad——-although it also makes me smile—thinking about all the joy both Larry and Dom shared with the world and with me personally—-including their amazingly quick wit and a lot of laughs. That remarkable ability to make people laugh is truly a gift—-and it’s also the gift they leave behind for us to remember them by.
So, when’s your dinner at the White House with the Obamas? You seem to know most of the rest of the world?
Hardly. For the past 15 years I’ve lived in Carmel, not exactly the center of the universe. Still I’d walk all the way from Carmel to have dinner at the White HOuse.
There is something special and endearing about the former Borscht belt comedians and others from that era who managed to generate huge laughs without deeply insulting everyone within range.