Althouse: Goodbye to Richard Lewis.

February 28, 2024

Goodbye to Richard Lewis.

The brilliant comedian was 76.

And he was just talking about his will!

22 comments:

Iman said...: One of my favorite comedians. The man couldn’t help but be hilarious. RIP and thanks for all the laughs, Mr. Lewis!; 2/28/24, 4:56 PM
Ice Nine said...: He was one of the greats.

You know, you watch the standup guys on Netflix and they are usually at least kind of funny. But most of them are guys who sit around all week and think up scenarios and think up jokes, and then write them out, and then practice them, and then present them on stage. But, y'know, they're joke-writing guys, they aren't natural comedians, not naturally funny.

Naturally funny comedians are sort of rare. Sure, they prepare too, but they mainly riff on themes and they can make absolutely anything funny extemporaneously. You can spot them easily. And Richard was one of them.; 2/28/24, 5:14 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: Richard's delivery was smooth as silk. RIP.; 2/28/24, 5:37 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: I sorta remember him from Letterman and Conan in the 90s. Too bad he died, but 76 is a ripe old age, given his health issues and other problems.; 2/28/24, 5:38 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Larry David looks like he is at Death's Door, too.; 2/28/24, 5:48 PM
Yancey Ward said...: It is really sad to see Lewis gone- he was one of my favorite comedians of all time- he was just brilliant.; 2/28/24, 5:50 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: I used to love Richard Lewis.
I kinda forgot about him.
RIP.
He was really funny.; 2/28/24, 5:56 PM
Yancey Ward said...: I first saw Lewis on the Tonight Show sometime in the early 1980s.; 2/28/24, 5:59 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: His therapist hardest hit.; 2/28/24, 6:13 PM
Robert Cook said...: Richard Lewis and Larry David knew each other from childhood.; 2/28/24, 6:38 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: "At midnight we'd watch our hopes drop."
Classic.; 2/28/24, 6:43 PM
rehajm said...: The range of people offering thoughts and condolences is striking. Sorry to hear…; 2/28/24, 6:46 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Norm sub reminded me: I didn’t even know he was sick.; 2/28/24, 6:48 PM
rehajm said...: So the golfer hits his tee shot deep into the woods. Disgusted, he finds it after a long search. He takes a mighty lash with a 3 iron to try and hit back to the fairway but the ball strikes a rock and sends it back his way, striking him on the head and killing him. Transported to the gates of heaven, the golfer meets St. Peter who says ‘Not a very good golfer I see..’

‘I got here in two, didn’t I?’; 2/28/24, 7:04 PM
Yancey Ward said...: As someone on our discord reminded me, Billy Joel wrote about Lewis in his song "My Life"- Lewis is the guy who "Closed the shop, sold the house, bought a ticket to the West Coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in LA".; 2/28/24, 7:36 PM
Wince said...: A strangely relatable neurotic comedic genius.; 2/28/24, 8:59 PM
Mutaman said...: Robert Cook said...

"Richard Lewis and Larry David knew each other from childhood."

They went to the same summer camp together and they hated each other.; 2/28/24, 10:42 PM
boatbuilder said...: RIP Richard Lewis.

I hope they let the other guy play through. That's a 5 hour round following those two yakkers.; 2/29/24, 7:02 AM
Rusty said...: We're losing some really great comics lately.; 2/29/24, 7:36 AM
Biotrekker said...: These guys are (were) national treasures.; 2/29/24, 7:39 AM
Temujin said...: I guess I'm a day late on this here. But Richard Lewis was one of the very best stand up comedians I saw in my lifetime. Absolutely, hilarious, nonstop, rat-a-tat-tat neurotic humor coming at you. He was brilliant. And yes, we have lost some great ones in recent years. There are still some good ones out there and more will come, but they all seem strapped in today by Wokeness. Even if they aren't woke themselves, they've grown up in it, and hence, seem too obsessed with race, or gender topics, which is so damned tedious.

Lewis was an original. No one like him. Somehow I've never been a fan of 'Curb your Enthusiasm', which means I've not watched him on that show over all these years. But I would occasionally watch his old stand up videos which still make me have to pause it, lest I hurt myself laughing so hard.

Anyway...RIP, Mr. Lewis. A comedic original.

PS- cannot figure out why 'Curb' never got me. I loved Seinfeld and I know Larry David is a great comedic writer. But the show just bores the shit out of me.; 2/29/24, 9:11 AM
Butkus51 said...: Larry David can be funny, but I bet he's a pain in the ass to be around. Incessantly whining about insignificant things.

Kinda like me, but im not funny.

Richard Lewis act was Richard Lewis. RIP; 2/29/24, 1:51 PM