The balding, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows has died after a long illness. The Brooklyn-born Calvert DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, the Letterman show announced Wednesday. He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
I'm surprised because I remember seeing him as a kid in various TV ads (can't for the life of me remember which). And then much later on when I started watching Letterman around 1995 I was amazed to see him still alive.
This guy was a comedic genius! I will miss his odd charm and entertaining moments he provided. Was a natural at what he did even though he wasn't exactly TV made. RIP Larry Melman.
"We're like Soapbox Heroes and we've got so much to say."
Wow. I loved that little guy. I still have Letterman's 5th, 7th and 10th Anniversarys on tape and pop them in every once in a while. Melman was just GREAT!
RIP, L"B"M.
-edit- When I'm talking 57th, 7th and 10th anniversarys, that from the NBC run.
I wasn't wild about Bo's version of the Stones but otherwise he did have the strongest night. Close your eyes and listen to Vonzell - she sounds like at least half a dozen singers out there - nothing inherently unique about her.