On every episode we choose a celebrity who died between 1 and 10 years ago. We then go through a series of structured categories. We start by rating the first line of their NYT obituary on a scale of 1–10. We then look at their life stats, we speculate on their inner lives, and we ultimately answer the question "Would I want that life?" Each category helps weigh the desirability of a given life. Our approach is that of an empathetic biography. Our dead celebrities cross many categories of fame, including film, TV, sports, music, politics, literature, and more. Our goal is to make serious topics fun.
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episode 63: America's Mustache
His early passion was for football, and he played halfback at Florida State University. He was part Cherokee. He had an often turbulent career that spanned some 100 films and countless television appearances. He had a volatile temperament, but he himself projected an air of nonchalance and professed not to take his career too seriously. He was a self-mocking charmer with laugh-crinkled dark eyes, a distinctive mustache and a hairy chest. He did not always win the respect of critics, though had box-office success with films like “Smokey and the Bandit” and “Cannonball Run.” Today’s dead celebrity is Burt Reynolds.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Sign up for our newsletter at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 55 “Pure Imagination” (Gene Wilder) and Episode 51 “Goofball Stud” (Bill Paxton).
Links:
Transcript of this episode
New York Times Obituary for Burt Reynolds
Famous & Gravy official website
“46 years of Burt Reynolds’ Glorious Mustache” in The Washington Post
Burt’s ‘Cosmopolitan’ centerfold in 1972
Clip of Burt Reynolds vs Mark Summers on ‘The Tonight Show’
“Burt Reynolds on Toupees, Trump,...” in GQ
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Dead or Alive Quiz Game
Half Price Books
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