7/31/2007
I was very sad to hear about the passing of a great television personality- Tom Snyder. Tom died Sunday in San Francisco, following a struggle with leukemia.
His name is probably drawing a blank with some younger folks, but Tom was well-known to many of us- his late-night talk shows were a nightly “must- see” on NBC – even before they had “Must-See TV.”
One of the things I like about Tom’s show was that it wasn’t the on-stage, with a big studio audience program- it was just Tom, on a minimal set, a kind of intimate setting. He’d joke with the director and camera guys, but you’d get the feeling it was just them, and then, the guest, in the studio. The great thing about Tom- as with any really good personality- was that, when he was talking to the camera- you really got the feeling that he was talking to YOU, one on one- that he was having a conversation with you. The very best personalities in TV and radio connect with the viewer/listener that way. Back at the beginning, he’d come on right after the “Tonight” show- so his show was “Tomorrow.” He’d be all eyebrows, and waving his cigarette around, and he’d always be entertaining. He could talk about serious stuff, or popular culture, and, even when you didn’t agree with him, you still got an entertaining program. A good Midwestern guy, he came from Milwaukee- and ended up chatting with presidents, movie stars, and some just plain nutcases. He spent over 40 years in broadcasting, both radio and TV.
Longtime Sven fans know I loved doing impressions of him- I think I could both look and sound a lot like him, and we did some funny stuff- including when he first was cancelled from NBC, in the “Son of Svengoolie” days, and we did a show that was all about finding him a new job! That included a “Brady Bunch” parody- complete with theme song- called “the Snyder Shrimps.” I always had the feeling Tom would’ve taken it as a compliment. Let’s “fire up a colortini” as Tom used to say, and salute the passing of a great personality. Here’s to ya, Tom…
Let me also mention the passing of Tammy Faye Messner (aka Bakker)-who actually appeared with me on a Sven show here at “the U!” It was when the station was going to run the show “Jim J. and Tammy Faye” –and both she and Jim J. Bullock dropped by in a Sven segment. She was very kind and went along with all the fun stuff. I’m not sure about her days with Jim Bakker, and their religious outfit, but she seemed to be a sincere woman who perhaps wasn’t aware of what her then-hubby was up to. I still have a set of “Tammy Faye” false eyelashes she and Jim J. gave out to promote their talk show.
We did joke that she was the first person to appear on my show with more eye make-up than me! So, let’s raise an eyelash to Tammy Faye as well…
His name is probably drawing a blank with some younger folks, but Tom was well-known to many of us- his late-night talk shows were a nightly “must- see” on NBC – even before they had “Must-See TV.”
One of the things I like about Tom’s show was that it wasn’t the on-stage, with a big studio audience program- it was just Tom, on a minimal set, a kind of intimate setting. He’d joke with the director and camera guys, but you’d get the feeling it was just them, and then, the guest, in the studio. The great thing about Tom- as with any really good personality- was that, when he was talking to the camera- you really got the feeling that he was talking to YOU, one on one- that he was having a conversation with you. The very best personalities in TV and radio connect with the viewer/listener that way. Back at the beginning, he’d come on right after the “Tonight” show- so his show was “Tomorrow.” He’d be all eyebrows, and waving his cigarette around, and he’d always be entertaining. He could talk about serious stuff, or popular culture, and, even when you didn’t agree with him, you still got an entertaining program. A good Midwestern guy, he came from Milwaukee- and ended up chatting with presidents, movie stars, and some just plain nutcases. He spent over 40 years in broadcasting, both radio and TV.
Longtime Sven fans know I loved doing impressions of him- I think I could both look and sound a lot like him, and we did some funny stuff- including when he first was cancelled from NBC, in the “Son of Svengoolie” days, and we did a show that was all about finding him a new job! That included a “Brady Bunch” parody- complete with theme song- called “the Snyder Shrimps.” I always had the feeling Tom would’ve taken it as a compliment. Let’s “fire up a colortini” as Tom used to say, and salute the passing of a great personality. Here’s to ya, Tom…
Let me also mention the passing of Tammy Faye Messner (aka Bakker)-who actually appeared with me on a Sven show here at “the U!” It was when the station was going to run the show “Jim J. and Tammy Faye” –and both she and Jim J. Bullock dropped by in a Sven segment. She was very kind and went along with all the fun stuff. I’m not sure about her days with Jim Bakker, and their religious outfit, but she seemed to be a sincere woman who perhaps wasn’t aware of what her then-hubby was up to. I still have a set of “Tammy Faye” false eyelashes she and Jim J. gave out to promote their talk show.
We did joke that she was the first person to appear on my show with more eye make-up than me! So, let’s raise an eyelash to Tammy Faye as well…
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