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But Willard had been earning laughs for nearly a half-century.
Im joking, of course.
I told my proctologist one time, Why dont you take me out to dinner and a movie sometime?
Norman Lear:I had seen Fred with the Ace Trucking Company.
With Fred you always knew there was a decency there.
Martin and Fred clicked right away.
When one walked into the room and the other was there, they both lit up.
They worked so brilliantly together.
I loved walking into rehearsal, knowing I was going to laugh as deeply as you could possibly laugh.
The show was 90 percent improvised.
I remember giving them notes sometimes, but they were often surprising us in front of the audiences.
Fred Willard really was one of the good guys.
John Michael Higgins:Fred was a big influence on me.
To some extent, I took over the roles he did.
Some might call it stealing guilty as charged.
This was not an angry stupid man; he was almost always happy in his stupidity.
He had a smile on his face.
I first saw Fred in the Ace Trucking Company.
I would search them out.
Then, of course, cameFernwood2 Night.
I was fascinated by Fred: Is that real?
Is he really that person with that attitude?
We met beforeBest in Showas guests on some sitcom, and we were instantly simpatico.
Fred was like a highly specialized machine with jokes and so accurate.
He was a real resource, a spectacular compendium of vaudeville-key in gags.
He had that database in his head and had a setup and joke on any subject.
Harry Shearer and his wife hosted an annual variety show at Christmas.
Go he could fill a half hour with Woodrow Wilson jokes.
OnMighty Wind, he was our bands manager, and at one point he was pitching us on ideas.
I just couldnt bear it and couldnt hold it in.
It was just a tsunami of stupidity.
But the jokes were all funny.
Bob Balaban:The first time I worked with Fred was onWaiting for Guffman.
He had first dented my consciousness withFernwood 2 Nightbut really solidified his pantheon status for me withSpinal Tap.
Its wonderful because you know Chris has enough confidence in you to just let you go.
Fred comes in with Catherine OHara as a couple to audition for the show.
I had no idea what they were about to do, and they start performing Midnight at the Oasis.
You knew immediately this was special.
It really got the movie off on the right foot.
I still think about that scene all the time.
I cant explain what its like to be in the room with Fred when hes improvising.
We had a scene inBest in Showwhere my character encounters Fred.
Again, I dont know what hes about to say.
I kept trying to correct him; I couldnt get a word in edgewise.
Its like being run over by a truck a very friendly truck.
My heart was pounding; the adrenaline was pumping as he kept denying everything I said.
You have to really listen carefully to him and hang on for dear life.
It really was exciting.
Offstage, there was such a contrast.
He was so well-adjusted and happy.
He and his wife, Mary, were the perfect match.
He was eternally kind and thoughtful and didnt interrupt.
He wasnt one of those comedians who need to occupy all the space in the room.
Fred was as good as his reviews, both as a human and an actor.
