R.I.P. David Lloyd

COMMENTS (16)

• LOVED-LOVED that MTM episode! Brilliance.

  Comment by jj — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 3:44pm PST  Reply to this post

• a great writer. truly a loss for our industry. i had the pleasure of working with his wonderful son Chris. blessings to the Lloyd family on this sad day.

  Comment by eyechart — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 4:20pm PST  Reply to this post

• “Death will have the last laugh.”

  Comment by R.I.P — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 5:43pm PST  Reply to this post

• I never really paid much attention to writing credits as a kid, but when I first decided that I wanted to become a comedy writer when I grew up I looked up who the writers were on my favorite sitcom episodes. There were a range of talented names, but one name stood apart as a writer who consistently hit it out of the park time and time and time again.

  David Lloyd.

  I’m actually only familiar with a fraction of his work (on Cheers and Frasier), as most of it was before my time, but even with that fraction it was clear as day that this was the greatest sitcom writer to have ever lived. Want to know who wrote “An Old-fashioned Wedding” (Woody’s wedding two-parter on Cheers — and my favorite sitcom episode of all time)? Look it up. Remember “Ham Radio” on Frasier? Look up who wrote that. The list goes on and on and on.

  I never had the good fortune of meeting him, but if you want to know why writers want you to note his passing, that’s why.

  Comment by Charles Horn — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 5:58pm PST  Reply to this post

• Nikki

  Chuckles Bites The Dust is number one in a TV Guide countdown of top episodes. It is easy to see why. The episode has Mary Richards taking the death seriously while everyone else has the giggles. Watch for Mary’s actions during the end funeral scene. This is television at its classic best.

  Comment by Jessy S. — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 6:54pm PST  Reply to this post

• Writer Ken Levine has a nice tribute–

  http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2009/11/in-memory-of-david-lloyd.html

  Comment by l.a.guy — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 9:38pm PST  Reply to this post

• A little song.
  A little dance.
  A little seltzer down your pants.

  Comment by Mr. Fee Fie Foe — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 10:44pm PST  Reply to this post

• I had the great fortune to work alongside David at Paramount, abet in a not writing position. He was as noted by others a gentlemen and wonderful talent. As I remember he graciously help others sometimes without credit for himself. He indeed will be missed.

  Comment by Jerry G — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 10:46pm PST  Reply to this post

• I loved David Lloyd. He was a wonderful writer and person. A gem. And a great father.

  Comment by Margaret — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 11:01pm PST  Reply to this post

• Thanks for posting this Nicki.

  I sat next to David Lloyd for two seasons on Frasier. It was my first TV writing job and David’s last before he retired. He was a delight. I always looked forward to the days he’d be in the room. A truly legendary talent who had so much enthusiasm for the job. I will always be grateful to the comedy gods that allowed my career to overlap David Lloyd’s.

  Comment by Patricia Breen — Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 11:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• Legendary sitcom writer Ken Levine wrote a great post about the passing of the legendary David Lloyd.

  http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2009/11/in-memory-of-david-lloyd.html

  Our thoughts are with his family in this difficult time.

  Comment by Frankie Raye — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 1:00am PST  Reply to this post

• Actually Charles, “An Old Fashioned Wedding” was a one-hour season finale on Cheers and was only broken up into two parts for the syndication package. It’s available in the correct one-hour form on the Cheers DVD collection. It works even better as a brilliant hour of sustained comedy than it does when broken up over two nights in syndication.

  Watched ‘What Are Friends For’ on the recent DVD season 5 of MTM last night, and sure enough, it was a David Lloyd episode. A true talent.

  Comment by Rob — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 5:30am PST  Reply to this post

• Talent abounded with this gentleman. He brought everyone else’s game up.

  Comment by thj — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 5:40am PST  Reply to this post

• A little song… a little dance… a little seltzer down your pants.

  Comment by mr. a — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 1:44pm PST  Reply to this post

• Chuckles Bites the Dust, along with (I don’t think he wrote it…but who knows) WKRP’s Thanksgiving Flying Turkeys – is television at its absolutely best.

  And given the terrific writing on his sons shows, both of them, I’d say that is one terrific gene pool.

  Thanks for decades of laughs. Decades.

  Comment by Bonnie Russell — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 7:24pm PST  Reply to this post

• A man sees a duck and goes quack. The ducks starts running. His son says you talking duck now. The man says no, I’m talking Peking.

  That might not be funny but every show mentioned above made me laugh my ass off doing the seventies and eighties. I watch the DVD’s as I try to write comedy on that level.

  Thanks Mr. Lloyd.

  Comment by 8movies5plays — Friday November 13, 2009 @ 8:38pm PST  Reply to this post