for openers
Good-Bye to Some All-Time Greats
I

n the May 7 JN, I paid tribute to the late, 
great Detroit Tiger Al Kaline. Since then, 
we’
ve lost two more legendary all-stars 
… all-star comedians.
In a May 11 tweet, comedic actor Fred 
Willard paid respects to Jerry Stiller, the 
incomparable, hilarious, Jewish character 
actor who died that day at 92. Stiller, argu-
ably best known for his role on Seinfeld, rose 
to stardom as one half of the 
husband/wife comedy team 
of Stiller and Meara. 
“
A bad time!” Fred tweeted. 
“Just getting over the loss 
of Little Richard, and now 
I learn my old friend Jerry 
Stiller has passed away. He 
was a good friend and a very 
funny man.
”
In a second tweet he added: “I met him 
(Stiller) in the ’
60s when we played in the 
same clubs in the Village as he and Anne 
Meara. Unfortunately for us, they were 
much funnier! We couldn’
t be jealous, so we 
became good friends instead.
”
Now I’
m just trying to wrap my brain 
around the fact that on May 15, just four 
days after his farewell messages to Jerry, 
Fred Willard died. A statement released by 
his daughter, Hope Willard Mulbarger, read: 
“My father passed away very peacefully last 
night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He 
kept moving, working and making us happy 
until the very end. We loved him so very 
much! We will miss him forever.
” 
When I got the once-in-a-lifetime chance 
to meet and work with Fred Willard in 
2008, I thought I had gone to heaven. More 
on that later.
For my money, Fred Willard was the 
most original comedic character actor of the 
last six decades and easily the best impro-
visational performer. A Second City alum, 
star of television’
s Fernwood 2 Night, roles in 
Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family, 
sketch comedy on the Tonight Show with 
Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live, classic 
movie roles in Waiting for Guffman, Best in 
Show and Anchorman, are only the tip of his 
gigantic comedy iceberg.
Fred called into the Dick Purtan Radio 

Show in June 2008 while shooting a film in 
Detroit, Youth in Revolt. During that con-
versation, we learned the Cleveland-born 
comedian was a huge Indians baseball fan. 
Guess who the Tigers were playing that 
night? 
That evening, Dick Purtan, his late wife, 
Gail, daughter Jackie Purtan, plus myself 
and retired radiologist Larry Lawson, my 
dear friend and longtime cast member of 
Purtan’
s People, were taking in the Tigers-
Indians game with Fred. Gracious hosts 
that we were, we treated Fred to a Cleveland 
victory. 
Larry was lucky enough to enjoy an 
encore evening with Fred when he returned 
to Detroit a month later for more shoot-
ing. The baseball gods were smiling down 
upon us once again, as Cleveland was back 
in town to face the Tigers. This time Larry 
was the only one available from the Purtan 
Show, so he and his wife, Myra, chaperoned 
Fred to the July 9 game.
“On the drive down. Fred asked if they 
had torn down old Tiger Stadium yet,
” 
recalled Larry. “When I told him it was half 
demolished he asked, if it was on the way, 
could we swing by and see it. We did. We sat 
at the site for a few minutes, then Fred asked 
if I could drive around our beloved relic of 
a stadium for just one more look. He was in 

awe.
” 
Unfortunately, Larry provided some 
unintentional improvisational comedy of his 
own when, upon leaving Tiger Stadium for 
Comerica Park, he took a wrong turn and 
got lost zigzagging for several minutes. The 
upside was Larry and Myra got more quality 
time with Fred and Fred, well, let’
s just say 
he got a bonus tour of Eastern Market.
Once at the game, Fred took time to enjoy 
the historical markers at the ballpark, which 
included a photo-op with Larry in front of 
the Hank Greenberg display. “On our way 
to our seats, Fred accommodated fans who 
wanted photographs and autographs,
” Larry 
said.
“He was so gracious. Unlike his onscreen 
persona, he was soft-spoken, unpretentious 
and down to earth. I only met him twice, 
but I feel like I lost a friend.
”
Fred remained in town and on July 11 
agreed to make a surprise appearance as our 
special Purtan’
s People guest announcer at a 
sold-out Royal Oak Music Theater Comedy 
Night fundraiser for the Gail Purtan 
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. I had the 
privilege and terror of writing Fred’
s script. 
What a relief knowing that his iconic dead-
pan delivery would guarantee laughs.
Former Detroiter Hanna Lopatin is 
mourning the loss of Fred Willard. She’
s the 

Alan 
Muskovitz

n 
his 
Fred Willard and Larry Lawson in 
front of the Hank Greenberg display 
at Comerica Park in 2008.

TK

Views

 JUNE 4 • 2020 | 5

PHOTO BY MYRA LAWSON

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