RIP Ed McMahon

Funny, I associate that phrase much more with Phil Hartman's impression of him than with Ed himself. (Can't say I really recall Ed saying that much at all.)

Yet another in the long line of Hartman winners.

 

The guy just always seemed to be "around," whether on Labor Day with the telethon, the Tonight Show, Bloopers and Practical Jokes, or Star Search. Maybe he didn't have a "talent", but it takes something to last as long as he did in an industry that isn't typically associated with longevity.
Pulled a list of Star Search contestants and it was pretty scary:
1983 Sam Harris (Male Vocalist Champion, Season 1)
1986 Jenny Jones (Comedy Champion)
1988 Linda Eder (Female Vocalist Champion)

Britney Spears, 1990 (singer)
Aaliyah, 1990 (singer)
Christina Aguilera, 1990 (Singer)
Sawyer Brown
Drew Carey (Comedian)
Dave Chappelle (Comedian)
Destiny's Child, 1991 (Singers as Girls Tyme)
Tatyana Ali 1984, (Junior Female Vocalist two time champion)
Bill Engvall (Comedian)
Sutton Foster, 1990 (Singer)
Brad Garrett (Comedian)
Dana Gould, 1987
Kevin James
Martin Lawrence
Norm MacDonald
Jackie Martling
Carlos Mencia, 1991 (Comedian)
Dennis Miller
Alanis Morissette 1988 (singer)
Rosie O'Donnell, 1984 (Comedian)
Ken Ober
Steve Oedekerk
LeAnn Rimes
Ray Romano (Comedian)
Adam Sandler
Jessica Simpson (Singer)
Sinbad
Britney Spears, 1992 (Singer)
Sharon Stone, 1984 (Spokesmodel)
Marc Summers
The Boys, 1986
Tiffany, 1985 (Singer, second place finalist)
Justin Timberlake, 1991 (Singer, as Justin Randall)
Coors Light Twins (Diane Klimaszewski & Elaine Klimaszewski), 1987 (teen dancers)
Usher
Phil Vassar, 1987, (Singer, finalist)

 

He definitely needed money. He had some expensive divorces. I'm also sure there was an element of wanting to continue working. He was from that generation that had a gold-plated work ethic, to the point that he often had multiple jobs even after he hit it big with The Tonight Show.

 

Man, if you start getting a track record of not being able to keep it in your pants, why the hell keep getting married? Just keep getting the celebrity discount, as it were.

And great get, Dan O. Didn't know Timberlake was a pseudonym.

 

Sirs, Madames,

I remember this one. (Hard to forget Zippety Do Dah, Ben Gay and Hurry Up.)

I also heard "Mount Baldy" as "What did Mrs Yul Brynner do on her honeymoon?"

o-<

o-<

 

No idea why I know this, but it's not a pseudonym....Randall is his middle name.

 

Wow, why anyone thought Randall would be a better nom de sing than Timberlake is beyond me.

 

Funny thing ... that's EXACTLY where he was heading when he keeled over.

 

What would Cornelius Timberlake think?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/72446/saturday-night-live-immigrant-tale#s-p1-st-i0

 

Maybe had he brought Star Search back, rather than Arsenio H(all)as been, it might have lived again. Instead it tried to remind people of what started American Idol and got a public response of "your time has passed."

Having said that, Heaven's got the best Tonight Show now. "This is Ed McMahon and Johnny's guests tonight are Don Rickles, Jack Benny and Dean Martin."

 

Rickles isn't dead, ya hockey puck!

 

I had never seen that before. Good stuff.