These days, refÂerÂences to sevÂenÂties teleÂviÂsion increasÂingÂly require prefaÂtoÂry explaÂnaÂtion. Who under the age of 60 recalls, for examÂple, the culÂturÂal pheÂnomÂeÂnon that was Mary HartÂman, Mary HartÂman, an absurÂdist satire so faithÂful to the soap-opera form it parÂoÂdied that it aired every weekÂnight, putting out 325 episodes between earÂly 1976 and mid-1977? And even for those who do rememÂber the show, it would sureÂly require a stretch of the memÂoÂry to sumÂmon to mind its minor charÂacÂter Garth GimÂble, an abuÂsive husÂband who meets his grisÂly fate on the sharp end of an aluÂminum ChristÂmas tree. (We’ll set the quesÂtion of how many rememÂber aluÂminum ChristÂmas trees aside for the holÂiÂday seaÂson.)
Garth GimÂble was the breakÂout role for a musiÂcal comeÂdiÂan turned actor called MarÂtin Mull, who died last week at the age of 80. TribÂutes have menÂtioned the charÂacÂters he played on shows from Roseanne and SabÂriÂna the Teenage Witch to ArrestÂed DevelÂopÂment and Veep.
But to those who were watchÂing TV in the sumÂmer of 1977, Mull has always been — and will always be — not Garth GimÂble but his twin brothÂer Barth, host of a low-budÂget late-night talk show in the small town of FerÂnÂwood, Ohio, the setÂting of Mary HartÂman, Mary HartÂman. FerÂnÂwood-2-Night preÂmiered as a temÂpoÂrary replaceÂment for that show (and thus as yet anothÂer expanÂsion of the teleÂviÂsuÂal uniÂverse creÂatÂed by mega-proÂducÂer NorÂman Lear), but it soon took on a counÂterÂculÂturÂal life of its own.
The ficÂtionÂal talk-show form of FerÂnÂwood-2-Night was ahead of its time; more darÂing still was its occaÂsionÂal arrangeÂment of real-life guests. That rosÂter includÂed a young Tom Waits, himÂself a livÂing embodÂiÂment of the blurred line between realÂiÂty and ficÂtion. As the show’s announcÂer JerÂry HubÂbard, Fred Willard puts all of his disÂtincÂtive delivÂery into declarÂing Waits “very famous for FerÂnÂwood.” Mull plays GimÂble as the kind of man on which the appeal of Waits’ art is wholÂly lost: “I know he sells a lot of albums, and he makes about half a milÂlion big ones in one year,” he says by way of introÂducÂtion. “In my book, that spells talÂent.”
NatÂuÂralÂly, GimÂble is game to set the liquor-swigÂging singer up for an old groanÂer by remarkÂing on the strangeÂness of talkÂing to a guest with a botÂtle in front of him. “Well, I’d rather have a botÂtle in front of me than a frontal lobotÂoÂmy,” Waits growls in comÂpliÂance. This comes after his perÂforÂmance of the song “The Piano Has Been DrinkÂing (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King)” from his then-most recent album Small Change. It’s safe to say that many viewÂers on FerÂnÂwood-2-Night’s waveÂlength became fans of Waits as soon as they heard it. NearÂly half a cenÂtuÂry latÂer, they no doubt still rememÂber his appearÂance fondÂly — at least as fondÂly as they rememÂber the WonÂderblender.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Watch Tom Waits’ ClasÂsic AppearÂance on AusÂtralian TV, 1979
Watch Tom Waits For No One, the PioÂneerÂing AniÂmatÂed Music Video from 1979
Tom Waits Shows Us How Not to Get a Date on Valentine’s Day
Tom Waits’ Many AppearÂances on David LetÂterÂman, From 1983 to 2015
Based in Seoul, ColÂin Marshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the SubÂstack newsletÂter Books on Cities and the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.