It has been a busy, busy week yet I really wanted to reflect on Robin’s suicide after more thought. The event was a horrible shock and in other ways it wasn’t. Being someone who has also struggled with Depression (I’m managing it much better these days, thanks), I can relate somewhat. I’m nowhere on par as Robin obviously…he was much more talented, hence I think he hit nastier highs and lows throughout his life.
To those assholes, namely on the Right, I say screw you. Depression is an apolitical problem and it’s times like now, they seriously fail to see why they’re becoming a smaller and smaller group with less power or sympathy. Plus they’re clueless about Science unless it gives them boner pills. They of all people should be able to relate for Depression can warp reality.
Fat, Nazi, gasbag aside…I want to celebrate all the great memories I have of Robin because I still fondly remember the episode of Happy Days he was a guest star in. This is when he debuted the Mork character for Richie’s college paper/report. A silly battle between Mork and the Fonz took place too. Some of you may be snickering. Hey, it was the Seventies trying to portray an ideal Fifties on network TV. Robin’s performance really resonated because it landed him his own sitcom the following Fall. Mork & Mindy kicked off Thursday nights on ABC, the slot once held by Welcome Back Kotter. My brother and I would catch it religiously. I think we were trying to incorporate Mork’s creative swearing to use around the house. The show was influential enough to warrant a T-shirt Dad bought me as a gift from a trip to Boston! How the other kids hated it. They would call me Mork the Dork.
Robin’s very long list of movies were a more mixed bag. As a kid, I was stoked to see him star in Popeye (still holds up) but I wasn’t allowed to see The World According to Garp. By the time I was in college, I felt his Mork schtick was played out, Good Morning Vietnam namely. The standup special did demonstrate he remained funny on his own terms. Being older and becoming more fluent in the language of storytelling/film, the bigger problem turned out to be directors/executives not knowing how to utilize his manic energy. The Survivors and The Best of Times are solid examples. The former I recall clearly. Pairing Robin with the more deadpan Walter Matthau was dumb. The latter could’ve been stronger had the director reined him in. He was perfect in the premise of someone agonizing over a missed football pass 12 years ago.
When he decided to pursue dramatic roles to demonstrate the acting chops he earned at Juilliard, I think the trope about Robin having a beard or not was developed. Beard? Robin Williams starring in a drama. No beard? Must be a comedy.
Maybe time will be kinder to his back catalog. Much of his Nineties films to me are the definition of mawkish: Patch Adams, Jakob the Liar, Toys, Jack, Father’s Day, Mrs. Doubtfire and Bicentennail Man. Great stuff did shine through: Aladdin, Jumanji, The Bird Cage (here I applaud him, he let Nathan Lane be the “crazy” one), Shakes the Clown, and numerous small-time appearances: The Larry Sanders Show, Friends, Hamlet (1996) and The Secret Assassin. These proved he wanted to act, not steal the spotlight from the other primary cast members.
The Aughts are when I feel Robin realized his past work was rather inconsistent so he pursued the crap (Night at the Museum) to fund the more fulfilling projects. World’s Greatest Dad remains one of my favorite dark comedies. The sincerity in his performance is what made it resonate for me. I may check out The Butler to see his take on Eisenhower, probably One Hour Photo and Insomnia.
I want to go back to the mid Eighties for a moment. He did host a great and memorable SNL during the non-Lorne Michaels era. The musical guest was Adam Ant! He did a great impersonation of William Buckley Jr. interviewing Eddie Murphy’s character warning about the dangers of Black performers spontaneously combusting; a hastily constructed skit poking fun at Michael Jackson’s recent accident. The Pet Preacher/Minister was another hilarious bit tapping into his improvisational energy; anathema to Lorne Michaels.
Off the stage, many say Robin was a generous individual. I agree. He dedicated much of his free time to Comic Relief, Amnesty International and helping other comedians break through. Marc Maron credits Robin’s appearance on his podcast WTF for helping it become more than just another interview show. Dana Gould shared an encounter from last year. Robin consoled Dana about divorce and how the dissolving of a marriage doesn’t mean you’re a terrible father.
Then there was his dark side. He struggled with addiction, a first marriage ending in an ugly divorce (he was sleeping with a waitress he met), he married the nanny who worked for him during the first marriage and allegedly gave a waitress herpes. However, Robin’s three kids meant the world to him, it’s one reason why he did Aladdin for a paltry $100,000 (Disney reneged on their agreement not to merchandise the hell out of the genie), Nintendo commercials, skits for Sesame Street and I’ll throw in the Snickers ad. Some people can be awesome parents while being awful spouses; a lesson I have learned.
Farewell Robin. May your legacy help turn around the stigma against Depression and Anxiety. Thanks for all the great times you gave me as a kid on TV. You made Thursday nights something to look forward to alongside your manic, comedic style which was radically different from the usual fare.