Abe Vigoda

[Raffine]

. . . is still alive! 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/23/abe.vigoda/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

[Menard]

I hope you can feel the love in me saying...

...you son of a b***h

[Menard]

I'll say this about Vigoda: he sure as hell can fool you.

Though he seemed older, at least to a kid at the time, when he played Fish on Barney Miller, well, that was what he was paid for, acting.

He would carry himself in a slump, take his time getting there; quite misleading that in reality he was quite a spry and healthy man then and now, for his age.

I had seen him on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, on one of his several walk-ons in a running gag. The running gag may have been a spin-off from a skit on the previous Late Night with David Letterman where they are trying to summon the spirit of Abe Vigoda only to have Vigoda walk onto the stage and declare 'I'm not dead, you idiot'.

He seems to get about as well as ever, and for a man now at 87; even though he has seemed ancient forever.

Talk about unfortunate spin-offs. When they decided to move his character of Fish from Barney Miller to his own show, well, talk about a way to successfully kill a new show and get rid of a key character from a hit show at the same time. I don't know if he was offered to return to the show Barney Miller after his own show was canceled; but he did not in any event.

Rest in peace, Abe...arghh...dammit...I mean stay in good health.

[Raffine]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duwz5y4jONE
	Small | Large

Sonovab***h!   

I remember when they incorporated the original 'Abe Vigoda is dead' rumor into an episode of Barney Miller. Fish is reported dead and has no luck convincing the NYPD he's, in fact, still alive. A great moment in the episode is when a prisoner remarks to Fish "You look just like Boris Karloff!" and Fish replies "We have a lot in common. We're both dead."

[Menard]

I remember when they incorporated the original 'Abe Vigoda is dead' rumor into an episode of Barney Miller. Fish is reported dead and has no luck convincing the NYPD he's, in fact, still alive. A great moment in the episode is when a prisoner remarks to Fish "You look just like Boris Karloff!" and Fish replies "We have a lot in common. We're both dead."

The 'Fish is Dead' episode preceded the People Magazine article error by several years; though it probably gave juice to the error and subsequent rumors about his death...uh...premature death.

Does anybody recall if in the 'Fish is Dead' episode, or perhaps another, if there is a scene where Fish is dozing at his desk and someone mistakes him for being dead?

[AndyC]

Yeah, I remember reading an article about Abe back in the 80s, about how in spite of his being known for playing tired old geezers, he was actually very athletic. Not the least bit surprised he's still around.

[Menard]

Just in case anybody has the need to keep up, there is an Abe Vigoda status website: Abe Vigoda's Current Status.