This person died 2007 age 84. He studied for a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Chicago, writing a thesis on “The Fluctuations Between Good and Evil in Simple Tales.” Like Mark Twain, he used humor to tackle the basic questions of human existence. With a blend of science fiction, philosophy and jokes, he wrote about the banalities of consumer culture, and the destruction of the environment. With his curly hair askew, deep pouches under his eyes and rumpled clothes, he often looked like an out-of-work philosophy professor. The defining moment of his life was the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, by Allied forces in 1945, an event he witnessed firsthand as a young prisoner of war. His experience in Dresden was the basis of his book “Slaughterhouse-Five.” Today’s dead celebrity is Kurt Vonnegut.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 92 Acerbic Comedian (George Carlin) and Episode 80 Super Funkhouser (Bob Einstein). 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Wiley Hodges. 

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New York Times Obituary for Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut’s Shape of Stories lecture

Vonnegut in Back To School with Rodney Dangerfield

1975 Profile of Vonnegut

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2008 at age 83. In the early 1950s he was accepted as a student at the Actors Studio in New York, where he took lessons alongside James Dean, Geraldine Page, and Marlon Brando. In midlife, racing cars became his obsession. He acted in more than 65 movies over more than 50 years, drawing on a physical grace, unassuming intelligence and good humor that made it all seem effortless. In 1982, as a lark, he decided to sell a salad dressing he had created for friends, and the brand expanded to include popcorn, spaghetti sauce, pretzels, and wine. Today’s dead celebrity is Paul Newman.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 93 “American Royalty” (Elizabeth Taylor)and Episode 65 “Father of the Bride” (William Goldman).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Michael Warburton. 

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New York Times Obituary for Paul Newman

Support Michael Warburton on Ko-fi

Three interviews with Paul Newman

Paul Newman talks politics with Dick Cavett

10 year anniversary of Newman’s Own

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2014 at age 69. In the late 1960s he was hired as jokes editor at Playboy magazine, and he also joined Second City’s touring company. After he had taken a job with SCTV, the Toronto sketch comedy show, SNL approached him to be a writer. His breakthrough came in 1978 when he co-wrote “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” and he made his directorial debut with the country club comedy “Caddyshack” (1980). He went on to write “Ghostbusters” (1984) and “Ghostbusters II” (1989), playing the super-intellectual Dr. Egon Spengler. He also wrote and directed “Groundhog Day”, which several critics called his masterpiece. Today’s dead celebrity is Harold Ramis.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 85 “More Respect” (Rodney Dangerfield) and Episode 54 “Secret Chord” (Leonard Cohen).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

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New York Times Obituary for Harold Ramis

“The Joyful Comedy of Harold Ramis” New Yorker article

Harold Ramis Day proclaimed on Feb. 2 in Chicago

Harold Ramis and Seth Rogen in “Knocked Up”

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2023 at age 76. He was an accomplished author, and was one of only a few writers (the likes of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck) to top both the Times fiction and non-fiction best-seller lists. He moved to Nashville in 1970, hoping to make it as a country singer while working as a journalist for Billboard magazine. He wrote music for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Urban Cowboy.” He also appeared in movies, including “Rancho Deluxe” and “Jurassic World.” His live shows abounded with singalong anthems (eg “Margaritaville”) and festive tropical iconography, making him a perennial draw on the concert circuit where he built an ardent fan base known as Parrot Heads. Today’s dead celebrity is Jimmy Buffett.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 51 “Goofball Stud” (Bill Paxton) and Episode 42 “Game Changer” (John Madden).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

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New York Times Obituary for Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett: How the Billionaire Made His Money

Jimmy Buffett's University of Miami Commencement Speech

‘Jurassic World’ scene with Jimmy Buffett

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2011 at age 79. Her father was an art dealer who had been transferred to London from New York, and her mother had acted in the theater. She first appeared on screen at age 10, and was one of the world’s most famous film stars before she even completed her teens. Regarding her acting, she once said, “What I try to do is to give the maximum emotional effect with the minimum of visual movement.” Late in life she became a social activist – she helped establish the American Foundation for AIDS Research and helped raise money for it.  After her sixth (of eight) marriage ended, she checked into the Betty Ford Center. In addition to alcohol and drugs, she had a problem with overeating, and it became the butt of jokes by late night comedians especially Joan Rivers. Today’s dead celebrity is Elizabeth Taylor.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 68 “Sentient Princess” (Carrie Fisher) and Episode 71 “Defiant One” (Sidney Poitier) 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

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New York Times Obituary for Elizabeth Taylor

Trailer for HBO Documentary ‘Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes”

Commercial for White Diamonds perfume

Elizabeth Taylor in ‘The Flintstones’ movie

Wondery’s “Even The Rich” Elizabeth Taylor series

Elizabeth Taylor’s HIV/Aids Activism

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died 2008 at  age 71. He grew up with his mother and his older brother on West 121st in Manhattan. He dropped out of high school and joined the Air Force, and while stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, worked as a radio disc jockey. During the course of his career, he overcame numerous personal trials – he was arrested several times, he weathered serious tax problems, a heart attack, and two open-heart surgeries. He was the first person ever to host Saturday Night Live. In 1978, the Supreme Court upheld an order prohibiting the words as “indecent” from his bit “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”. Today’s dead celebrity is George Carlin.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 40 “Eve’s Dropper” (Dick Clark) and Episode 29 “Zen Comedian" (Garry Shandling). 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola.

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New York Times Obituary for George Carlin

Carlin’s “Dumb Americans” clip

Trailer for Judd Apatow’s documentary about Carlin

George Carlin Quotes to make you Laugh, Smile, and Think

“Fresh Air” Interview with George Carlin

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2020 at age 93. He was the only child of a noted Beat poet. He won his first professional acting job in the 1940s, when he was cast in the live radio program “The Lone Ranger”. On several occasions he recounted a period of months he spent in Paris in the 1950s working as a “mec” – or pimp – for a legal prostitute. His association with the Actors Studio began in 1992. He was a knowledgeable interviewer who focused on craft while avoiding gossip. Beyond his globally successful Bravo TV program, he was as well known for being relentlessly lampooned by Will Ferrell on “Saturday Night Live”. Today’s dead celebrity is James Lipton.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 18 “Darling’s Critic” (Roger Ebert). 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer.

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New York Times Obituary for James Lipton

Will Ferrell impersonates James Lipton on SNL

James Lipton shotguns a beer on Conan

Lipton as Warden Gentles on “Arrested Development”

Why Bradley Cooper was James Lipton’s most memorable interview

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2023 at age 70. A turning point in his career came shortly after a disappointing and unsuccessful audition for “Saturday Night Live” in 1980. He once said “Today, it’s a lot more difficult to stand out. You know, if you want to be weird, good luck.” He had scores of acting credits, including roles on “Murphy Brown,” “The Blacklist” and many other television series and in movies like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Blow”. He was in a feature film directed by Tim Burton in 1985, after which he created a highly successful, live action Saturday morning kid’s series, both in character as his quirky alter-ego. The film followed him on a “Big Adventure” while the series took you inside a magical Playhouse. Today’s dead celebrity is Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 80 “Super Funkhouser” (Bob Einstein) and Episode 26 “Wild Thing” (Maurice Sendak)

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer.

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New York Times Obituary for Paul Reubens

“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” official film trailer

Opening sequence for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” TV series

Flight of the Navigator CGI Spaceship with Paul’s voice

Cheech and Chong “I’m sorry” scene with Paul

A conversation with Paul Reubens at SXSW

The origins of Pee-wee Herman article in ‘The New Yorker’

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2010 at age 84. His elder brother was deputy prime minister of Canada. Before his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as an aerial gunner during World War II. He had a matinee-idol profile, and was often cast as a serious and  earnest hero throughout much of his film career. His big break came in 1980 when he played a clueless doctor in the low-budget, disaster-movie parody “Airplane!” His line that became a catchphrase was “I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.” His subsequent comedic acting successes included the very non-serious and highly successful movie trilogy “The Naked Gun” as well as the “Police Squad!” television series. Today’s dead celebrity is Leslie Nielsen. 

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 61 Dame Detective (Angela Lansbury) and Episode 16 Quintessential Quizmaster (Alex Trebek).

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New York Times Obituary for Leslie Nielsen

“Don’t call me Shirley” clip from Airplane!

Arctic location of Nielsen’s log cabin home

Leslie Nielsen’s SNL Monologue in 1989

ESPN’s satirical obituary for Enrico Palazzo 

Dead or Alive quiz game

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This person died in 2009 at age 57. His father was an engineer and a rodeo cowboy. He was a student athlete, and his dancing career was hampered by a severe football injury. In the 1970s he moved from Houston to New York to study dance, becoming a member of Eliot Feld Ballet. He was determined not to be typecast, and said in a 1989 interview, “The only plan I have is that every time people think they have me pegged, I’m going to come out of left field and do something unexpected.” The coming-of-age film “Dirty Dancing” established him as a romantic leading man. His other starring roles include “Roadhouse”, “Ghost”, and “Point Break”. Today’s dead celebrity biography is Patrick Swayze.

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 57 Cool Hand Dylan (Luke Perry) and Episode 51 Goofball Stud (Bill Paxton).

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New York Times Obituary for Patrick Swayze

Dead or Alive quiz game

SNL Chippendales sketch with Swayze and Chris Farley

“Nobody wins a fight” and “Pain don’t hurt” scene from Roadhouse

Barbara Walters interview with Patrick in 2009

How Patrick Swayze Convinced Whoopi Goldberg to be in ‘Ghost’ article

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