Althouse: "You're the first friend from television I ever had."

April 28, 2010

"You're the first friend from television I ever had."

"And probably the closest, I think."

(That's not really the clip I intended to find, but I got sidetracked. I was looking for something from 1954 to go with this obit for Allen Swift.)

11 comments:

Kirby Olson said...: Kaufman was familiar with the history of the avant-garde, but he was a failure as a commercial artist because his schtick got old. That's the thesis of Andy Kaufman: Wrestling with the American Dream, by Florian Keller, who is a professor at Zurich's Institute of Cultural Studies (U. of Minnesota Press, 2005).

Keller argues that Kaufman's work interrogates the American dream (his E. European cab-driver is part of this critique/admiration of the Am. dream).

The book itself got old -- using Jacques Lacan to interrogate the dream-life of America via Kaufman. The problem was that the material could be wonderful for about a minute.

Is it true that "the joke is an epitaph on an emotion" (33, cited from Nietzsche) and that Kaufman's work were epitaphs on epitaphs on epitaphs?

Maybe, but he still got boring after about a minute of promising hilarity.; 4/28/10, 2:46 PM
Opus One Media said...: Was he a star voice character in the Monster Movie animated film from the late 60s? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcHADq8nGOo&feature=related; 4/28/10, 2:58 PM
Trooper York said...: Everyone has friends from television. Some of them seem more real than their schoolmates. Or at least more fun.; 4/28/10, 3:14 PM
Trooper York said...: But I have to admit hdhouse is one of my favorite cartoon characters. Sort of a combination of Snidely Whiplash and Mr. Wilson. With a lot of Bluto and the grandfather on the Simpson’s mixed in.; 4/28/10, 3:17 PM
rhhardin said...: That's not the original Howdy Doody.

This is.

Also, Howdy's strings were nor run by a man but by a woman, Rhoda Mann, who was the only person with the knack for working the strings of the very top-heavy new Howdy.; 4/28/10, 5:21 PM
Trooper York said...: Hey, do you think it is possible that HD stands for Howdy Doody?

I mean the age is about right.

And he is a dummy.

Plus he is very familar with having a hand shoved up his ass. NTTAWWT.; 4/28/10, 5:28 PM
Unknown said...: In my case, it was the Lone Ranger.

(I know, Ann just watched it for the pinto); 4/28/10, 6:32 PM
J Lee said...: Before the Burger King got really creepy, he was animated, more kid-friendly and voiced by Swift back in the early 1970s.; 4/28/10, 10:48 PM
Opus One Media said...: Jealous of your betters Trooper?
If I am all that can you just imagine what you are?; 4/29/10, 6:25 AM
Trooper York said...: I am not jealous of you hd, I truly pity you.; 4/29/10, 12:18 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Okay, then, my friend was Mr. Wizard!; 4/29/10, 1:14 PM