Harry Anderson: Court Is Adjourned

No sooner than I write a whiny diatribe that getting old sucks that I have to cope with the unexpected passing of a man only 10 years older than me. 

 

Harry Anderson, 65, died Monday in Asheville, NC which is ostensibly down the road by about 3 hours or so from my Fortress of Ineptitude. 

 

Harry was a performer who was a part of my young adult life. I first encountered Harry’s act of magician, comic and con artist in episodes of Cheers where he played Harry the Hat, a light heated soul with even lighter fingers, deftly conning his way to a free drink and cash. 

 

Harry Anderson came to prominence as the star of Night Court. As a judge in a low level court in New York City, Harry presided over a parade of oddballs with a baffling array of criminal offenses. Over the course of 9 years, Night Court began to careen towards the absurd but Harry was always solid as a judge who followed his heart as much as he followed the rule the law. 

 

Later, Harry went on to star in Dave’s World, a sitcom based on the life and writing of Dave Barry, a humor columnist for the Miami Herald. Dave’s World only lasted 4 seasons but I enjoyed the show. 

 

After that, Harry seemed to vanish from TV with few exceptions. One of those was an episode of 30 Rock where Harry, Markie Post and Charlie Robinson from Night Court reunited for a bizarre reunion episode. 

 

As I write this, we don’t know why Harry passed away although police did report they did not suspect foul play.

 

Harry will always be to my mind young and affable, ready for a good laugh or a good trick or both. It is hard to accept that at age 65, Harry Anderson has left us forever.

 

Bang the gavel: court is adjourned.