Fictionlet
“Today’s another special day!” Greg said.
“Oh, sweet merciful God, no,” Brigid replied.
“But yes! Yes, yes, and yes! For today we celebrate the brilliance of Vic Tayback!”
Brigid shook her head.
“Winner of two Golden Globes, actor par excellance, Vic Tayback was born on this very date in a.d. 1930,” Greg said, looking down at his open palm as if reading from a nonexistent fact card.
“And you know this — why?”
“He began his brilliant TV and film career in the heady days of 1958, on such notable programs as ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ and ’77 Sunset Strip’ and spent the next several decades as a prominent character actor. From ‘Get Smart’ to ‘The Monkees,’ from ‘F Troop’ to ‘The Love Boat,’ Vic Tayback was always a solid choice!”
“We are talking about Mel from ‘Alice,’ right?” Brigid said.
“The very one,” said Greg. “And of course, Jojo Kracko from the classic ‘Star Trek’ episode, ‘A Piece of the Action’ — not to mention the voice of Carface in All Dogs Go to Heaven!”
“Oh yeah, we can’t forget that one.”
“Alas, he was taken from us in 1990 by heart failure, and was buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills cemetery — but he was working almost to the end, having had a role in ‘MacGyver’ in February of that year. Yes, Vic Tayback was a trooper! In all of Hollywood, nobody — except possibly Telly Savalas — played that vaguely-Mediterranean-ethnic-type so solidly, and so well. We salute your spirit, Vic Tayback!”
“Telly Savalas!” shrieked Brigid. “Holy crap, I haven’t thought about him for twenty years!”
“Who loves ya baby?” Greg drawled with a roguish wink.
-The Gneech
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