Hey, guys. Quint here. Well, it seems like Abe Vigoda finally decided to let the Angel of Death win a game of chess. Probably felt bad for him. His longevity became a joke in the talkbacks and on the internet as a whole, but truth be told I was always glad he stuck around as long as he did.
Even in my earliest memory of Vigoda he was an old dude. Look Who's Talking was very, very popular with my folks and it was just silly enough for 8 year old me to fall in love with it. I mean, I know now his character probably had Alzheimers, but to a kid he's the goofy grandpa you always wanted in that flick. Loud, funny, free with the curse words, but super chill with the kid.
In the late '80s/early '90s he appeared in a trio of movies that I was kind of the perfect age for. Look Who's Talking, then Prancer (I was a nut for any holiday related movie, especially Christmas stuff) and, one of my favorites, Joe Vs. The Volcano.
Abe had a small part in that weird-ass movie, but it was a weird-ass part so he fit right in. He played the Chief of the Waponis, the Island natives who were addicted to Sunkist and needed Joe to throw himself into their volcano.
What's ultra bizarre is that my younger brother's generation got a similar exposure to Abe Vigoda's work with North and, more importantly, his appearance in Good Burger which is a massive movie for kids of the '90s.
Of course as movie-loving kids grow into full blown cinephiles a whole new world opens up to them. In Abe Vigoda's case you can't get a more radical shift from the funny old man to the serious, imposing figure that was used primarily in crime roles, most famously as Tessio in Godfather 1 and 2.
Tessio's not the biggest part in that franchise, but Vigoda is so damn good in those movies. In fact, his scene where he's being taken to be whacked is one of my favorites in a series that has literally dozens of iconic scenes.
Around the time of the first Godfather he also appeared in Richard Fleischer's The Don Is Dead, a particularly nasty mob tale that starred Anthony Quinn, Robert Forster and Frederic Forrest.
Outside of The Godfather, Vigoda's probably the most famous for playing Phil Fish in TV's Barney Miller. His character was popular enough to get his own spin-off show in the late '70s, but that didn't find the same success that Barney Miller had.
Once again, Vigoda thrived playing the grumpy, loveable asshole in that show and became a household name during its 8 seasons.
Vigoda was what was best in a character actor. He had a great look, a great voice and a screen presence that demanded your eyes be on him every single time he was on screen, whether it was a meaty role like Tessio or a fun cameo in the fake commercial for The Stuff.
I can't be too mad at him for leaving us because he stuck around for 94 years, but I got a kick out of knowing he was still out there. Today my thoughts will be with Mr. Vigoda's friends, family and fans.
I'm going to leave you with one of my favorite images of Abe and some video clips to showcase his work. The image is a BTS shot from The Godfather films.
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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