Say Goodnight George.

Mr. George Carlin has left us an interesting body of work to ponder. I was too young to watch and appreciate his stand-up comedy in the 70's. By the time I was in college, I'd grown tired of that medium and, to this day, haven't seen much of his solo work. Looks like I have some homework to do. Despite all of this, I knew who he was and respected him.

I remember Carlin mostly for his work in film. There were 3 roles, in particular, that have stayed with me:

1. Eddie in "The Prince of Tides" was the New York City neighbor of the protagonist's sister - whose suicide attempt sets the story in motion. Eddie was gay, but Carlin didn't stereotype his characterization. He brought some welcome comic-relief to a pretty heavy story.
2. Rufus in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" guided the boys from San Dimas to their destiny. No huge laughs from Carlin, yet he added weight to this lark of a film.
3. Frank in "Outrageous Fortune". There was a brief time in the 80's, when Touchstone Pictures was releasing some damn funny R-rated films. Bette Midler was in most, including "Down and Out In Beverly Hills" and "Ruthless People". This film was her third and lightest entry in the group. Carlin shows up as a relic of the 60's, who helps the heroines out.

Honorable Mention: The Conductor in "Shining Time Station". The guy could do it all...