Sorry to hear the bad news about Jack Riley, the terrifically funny character actor who was an indefatigably snarky note of discord on The Bob Newhart Show -- and my co-star in a 1985 TV commercial for the gone-but-not-forgotten Houston Post. Riley, who passed away today in Los Angeles at age 80, was a classy gent throughout the long day's shoot at H-Town's deluxe Palm Restaurant. And, better still, he remained patient while I screwed up take after take after take...
In the summer of 1985, you might have seen this Houston Post spot airing on local TV stations or -- no joke -- displayed on the massive Astrodome video screen during Astros games. (Yes, I actually attended a game where I saw myself looking larger than life. The experience was... weird.) I know I claim to be enjoying myself in Hollywood, but this actually was shot in H-Town's deluxe Palm Restaurant. And yes, that's the great Jack Riley from The Bob Newhart Show as my own private buzzkill.
Way, way back when newspapers were making money, and could afford promotional TV ads for their star writers, this Houston Post spot got some heavy rotation -- even on the big Astrodome screens during Astros games! -- throughout the Greater Houston Area, circa 1985. And yes, that really is the great Jack Riley of The Bob Newhart Show applying prickly wit to burst my overinflated ego. (Again: Thanks to Robert Clark.)
