I haven’t seen much mention of Paul Benedict’s passage, and I know that most of the obits will list him as the neighbor on The Jeffersons, but beyond that, Paul Benedict was one of the good signs that a film was being properly cast. Sure, sure, The Jeffersons is what I’d probably first rely on when getting someone to put a face to the name; TV is like that, and he did a good job there. But it wasn’t the first place I’d see him (that would be Sesame Street, where he was in pantomime film bits trying to paint numbers on things, things that wouldn’t tend to be there once he got paint on his brush, thus leaving him painting the wrong things.) And it wasn’t where he most impressed. His director in the original version of The Goodbye Girl, calling for a radical reinterpretation of Richard III, or his professor in The Freshman, crossing the line between officious and toadying at a moment’s notice when faced with real power, are gems. And then there’s his small but delightful roles in Christopher Guest comedies like Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show. He could be a very funny man, and I’m glad he was around.
What I've been up to
I’ve just put up my holiday project for this year. If you’ve ever thought “does Nat have a book adapting the classic TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas?” The answer is, of course. But the question is, which book are you asking about. Because there’s more than twenty such books. And so, to make the world a better place, I’ve put together my guide to book adaptations of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Take a look… and spread the word!
But if you choose to steal it…
Honda’s got an ad where they make the point that it’s a good idea to get a car that holds its value… and then start telling you about their lease deal.
If you’re just leasing the car, why do you care that it holds its value? Let whoever owns it worry about that!
