Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Future Jones says "Glarphle!"

Also, I got this e-mail the other day asking for money. My usual response is to delete, but the charity this fella is talking about has to do with the late, great Charlie Shannon, who was a funny guy, a funny writer, and someone who would call me to relate his excitement about having met some actor from the seventies that he knew I would remember.

From my answering machine in 2002...
"Hey Robin, I met Bernie Kopell the other day and I thought of you- click"

Charlie died from a heart attack-related stroke the Sunday before Christmas, in 2003. I remember it pretty well because my wife and I were in the hospital waiting room talking to Charlie's fiance Deb and his brother T. Sean, when we got the news from the nurse that his vitals had crashed. As I said before, he was a very funny guy (well, actually, before I said funny, but I meant very funny), who's stand up could be brutal (hecklers were toast when Charlie was in the room). In Houston, when I first met him, there was a joke where a comic would coming running into the greenroom at the Comedy Workshop saying excitedly "Charlie's doing material" and everyone would rush out to watch, because it was so rare that he would do his own, very funny act.

He was really great at just working a room.

Anyhoo, here's the grandson of a couple of actors Charlie worked with regularly in LA, asking for money for the American Heart Association...

I'm participating in Jump Rope for Heart to raise money for The American Heart Association. I'm jumping in memory/honor of my mom's friend,Charlie Shannon. I am hoping for you to sponsor me!!! My money is due on March 17/St. Patrick's Day. If you want to help out, THINK FAST!!!!!!!!! Make out your checks to The American Heart Association and either give it to my mom, or send it to our house.

Thank you,
Frederic Mulbarger
4253 Camellia Ave.
Studio City, CA 91604

Thank you Fred. I'm sure Charlie, if he were alive today, would say something tasteless but incredibly funny.

Because that's one of the things he did best.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Robin!

Thank you for posting this nice remembrance of our own sweet Charlie Shannon. I too remember when he met Bernie Koppel. That was a good day.

I hope Freddie jumps like crazy for Charlie Shannon. And somewhere, a mysterious knubby finger will be poking at Freddie's sweaty arm in thanks.

Pisser said...

R.I.P., CS.

Future Jones: Bleurgle!

Anonymous said...

Robin -
Thanks for remembering Charlie - it's always wonderful to find a new story or thought about him when surfing the web.

- Charlie's Sister Cyn

your fiend, mr. jones said...

Cyn,

I don't know if I met you at his memorial in LA but, if not, it was very nice to meet you through the miracle of the worldwide web!

Charlie continues to be in my best memories of LA and Houston.

I miss him a great deal.