I didn’t know she was still alive.
For most of the last 20 years, she merely looked dead.
Will watch news tonight to see who wins the Diller/Scott ‘lead death’ contest. My money’s on Diller, but it’s a close match.
Both made significant cultural impacts in their own manner.
Her humor always seemed forced to me, her material was never strong enough to carry her act which otherwise consisted of unkempt hair and that strident voice and screech of a laugh.
I know, nil nisi bonum and all that, but I honestly couldn’t think of anything good to say about her. Why post at all then? Because I wanted to bid her rest in peace. You can’t say she didn’t try her hardest to be funny.
sure are dropping like flies this year. death is very busy.
ms diller did open quite a few doors for many women comics. she also helped the plastic surgery industry. nearly single handedly.
She was on an episode of Scooby-Doo I think. I remember her for that… probably.
She was new and different back in the Ed Sullivan/Johnny Carson early days. She was a “domestic goddess” when Roseanne was a child. Female comedians were a rarity then, with a few ground-breakers like Diller and Rusty Warren. It was funny then, but extremely dated now.
she once wrote a book called “having a baby can be a scream” and talked about how the publisher wouldn’t let her use the word “pain” when describing childbirth.
now, that’s OLD.
RIP, Phyllis.
(I’ve been assuming that Todd Akin’s stupidity was so powerful, it just pushed her over the edge.)
Don’t forget, she played the Queen in A Bug’s Life, and I thought she was great!
I remember once when she was on Larry King she told him she “died” during an operation for a few minutes. LK asked what that was like, and she said death was absolutely nothing to be afraid of, and she had no fear whatsoever about dying. I do wish she had elaborated, but I found her words rather comforting. RIP, lady, you led quite a life.
If you have Netflix you may want to check these out:
http://movies.netflix.com/movie/On_Location_with_Phyllis_Diller/70047731
https://movies.netflix.com/movie/Phyllis_Diller_Not_Just_Another_Pretty_Face/70061055?mqso=70002140
https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Goodnight_We_Love_You/70057637?locale=en-US
You youngens might know her best as the voice of Petter Griffin’s mom on Family Guy.
Come on, she was 95 years old! She’d been in poor health for the last ten years or so, but a few years before she quit performing, I saw her in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch. She was well past 80 even then, but she played the part with plenty of physicality and a strong voice.
Helllloooo, Lisa! She looked in her forties on “Fats of Life” and now the calendar has caught up with her while being very kind.
Er, too bad about Phyllis, but 95’s a good run.
classy. :rolleyes:
One of the first ladies of comedy and pioneer for female comedians, certainly of female stand-ups. Too bad so few have a clue what a great talent and comic we just lost. RIP Ms Diller.
Even cooler, she was on an episode of Robot Chicken spoofing her appearance on Scooby-Doo.
Phylis…St Louis will NEVER forget you! nor will I.
http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/phyllis-diller.html
I watched this one not long ago and really enjoyed it. I remember seeing her on Ed Sullivan when I was a kid. She always looked like she was having fun while performing, and to me it came across as sincere, not forced. She impressed me.
And another celeb from my youth is gone… 
I read samclem’s post as an homage. It’s the type of self-deprecating statement one would have expected from Ms. Diller.
Exactly. Anyone who took that “looked dead” remark literally has obviously never see any of Diller’s performances. If she were alive now, I’m sure she’d be the first to say it.