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Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
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Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Meet one of our personal favorites this week -- the great Fred Willard. A consummate improv, sketch, and film comedian, Fred got his start in a New York comedy duo, but it was after he spent time at Second City (alongside the likes of Robert Klein and Peter Boyle) that his career blossomed. From helping found the influential Ace Trucking Company comedy troupe, to Norman Lear's Fernwood 2 Night, to a long run as part of Christopher Guest's improv repertory company, Fred was a reliable and welcome addition to any comedy project. Find more clips below and, as always, thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Willard?
Fred had a great long run as part of Christopher Guest's repertory company, winning an American Comedy Award for his work in Best of Show. But our favorite is this short bit in This is Spinal Tap, where Fred plays the consummate military guy trying to be hip as he meets the band. https://youtu.be/IpTNoq2np_4
Fred was always at his best in a group. His ability to play off people, honed by years at the Second City, let him make any scene funnier. As part of the Ace Trucking Company comedy troupe Fred was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight show. Here's one of their bits from 1974. https://youtu.be/c4wL0BM1IQc
Fred had a gift for playing characters who were confidently clueless, none better than his portrayal of hack tv talk show sidekick Jerry Hubbard (to Martin Mull's smarmy Barth Gimble) on Norman Lear's "Fernwood 2 Night". Here is Fred with some prime inane banter! https://youtu.be/RJsNr0GqXMk
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