Friday, November 13, 2009

Obit headline du jour: "David Lloyd, 75, Dies; Wrote 'Chuckles' Episode"

I knew immediately who that must be, but only because a friend of mine, who knows my fondness for all things funereal, marveled that I had never heard of the Chuckles the Clown episode (and goggled still further when I admitted I had never seen the Mary Tyler Moore show). She promptly sat me down and had me watch this clip:



Which, of course, raises the question: What are they going to say at David Lloyd's funeral? I expect the phrase, "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" will make an obligatory appearance, just because that will be hanging over the proceedings unless it's said.

The obit has a great analysis of the effectiveness of the Chuckles episode, saying, "the power of the episode was Mr. Lloyd’s exploration of how people deal with shock over a death, by deflecting it with humor or stifling it with somberness."

On the other hand, I think a good funeral allows for the genuine mix of emotions to make their appearance. I hope that for Mr. Lloyd's own funeral, there will be both laughter and tears. I imagine there will be.

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