Louie Anderson Tribute – How He Helped Us Deal With Family Dysfunction

Louie Anderson, a flower delivery guy in the 1960s, was what many first saw. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,”Anderson appears in a brief cameo role in the movie’s 1986 ending. He made his first impression on me in the 1980s when Anderson was a substitute for Joan Rivers’ Fox talker. “The Late Show.”

He was funny, engaging, friendly and brought a human touch to any guest host event. He was a great host and I had the opportunity to ask him about it years later.

“When I came to Los Angeles, I had three goals: Do the ‘Tonight Show,’ get my name on the Comedy Store, and to host my own talk show,”Anderson shared this with me in 2018. “Really, in the first few years I was able to do all those things. And I loved them all [although] I realized that I did not want to be a talk show host.”

Instead, he began an eclectic journey that included his animated series. “Life With Louie,”Hosting the game show “Family Feud,” and then later what was perhaps the role of his career, playing the family matriarch on Zack Galifianakis’ “Baskets.”

“I always tried to do stuff that I thought was right,”Anderson stated. “People criticize me a little bit about doing a game show, and now game shows are the norm!”

The word was the thru line that ran through all those projects. “family.” Anderson’s comedy was defined by his own family, and the ups and downs of his experience growing up with a father he described as alcoholic. Almost everyone escapes childhood with some sort of trauma, but the scale varies — and Anderson was on the extreme end of that.

However, the comedian was able turn his pain into humor and shared his experiences with his dysfunctional family and a sometimes cruel world. His stories were relatable to millions.

“I take little things from everybody,”He said. “All the real things is all the stuff that matters. I always tell comics, ‘If this material that you’re doing means nothing to you, why should it mean anything to me? Why would you think I’m going to give you two seconds of my time if you’re doing stuff that’s just fodder?’”

Anderson’s stories, of course, crossed generations. “I did the cartoon because I wanted to recreate my family,”He said. “I thought that was a great opportunity for me to redraw some lines in my family. Put all the stuff in there, the subtext of how hard life can be for people, but not be heavy handed about it.”

It was a hit, and Anderson won two Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding performance in animated programming over three seasons. “Life With Louie.”In 2016, he won a Primetime Emmy for supporting comedy actor. “Baskets.”

Anderson was channeling his mom Ora Zella Anderson when he played Christine. Anderson died in 1990. Anderson called the role an “anonymous”. “almost spiritual experience,”Anderson had the opportunity to make peace with his relationship and find a new path to healing from the decades-old loss of his mother.

“I took my phone out and wrote her a letter and got a whole bunch of stuff out,”He said. “My manager read it and people in my life and said, ‘this is beautiful, this could be a book.’ I needed to say some stuff to my mom and didn’t know it. Because once I started playing Christine, I realized I had not been the son I should have. I didn’t appreciate her like I should have.”

This letter was transformed into “Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too,”Which was released in 2018.

“My mom really worked hard, and protected us from my dad, who was a monster in a lot of ways,”Anderson stated. “He was sick, he was an alcoholic. I didn’t realize she defiantly stood between us and him. She drew the line.”

Anderson is a fan of the “Baskets”He probably received the accolades at the right time. It was a confirmation for him that comedy matters and has touched many lives. His peers have also paid tribute to him, which confirms his legacy.

But with his death on Friday, at age 68, I’m also reminded of something else he told me, and something we should all be thinking about in the wake of so many recent losses of beloved performers like Anderson, Betty White and Bob Saget: Appreciate the people around you now, and don’t delay that conversation you’ve always wanted to have with someone close to you.

“I wanted people to know that they have a chance with their parents and their loved ones,”Anderson spoke highly of the mission. “Hey Mom.” “If you have something to say or have questions to ask, go ask them. Because I can’t do that. I had to go through other brothers and sisters and things and didn’t get all the answers. Don’t wait.”

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