178:. He had aspirations of acting but was discouraged by his mother, who was briefly an actress herself. After her death in 1969, DeForest did part-time backstage work, which eventually led to acting work, and is credited with appearing in five films from 1972 to 1982. He worked part-time as a receptionist at a drug rehabilitation center until February 1984, when his supervisor learned of his employment with NBC and his resulting ineligibility for the position (as it was part of a program designed for those who made under $ 6,000 a year) and asked him to resign.
312:. At other times, Melman would give pre-scripted answers to unlikely audience questions, or appear unexpectedly to heckle Letterman or the audience. Melman also appeared numerous times as "Kenny The Gardener," offering dubious gardening advice to home viewers, followed by a song performed in a tuneless-but-enthusiastic style. Occasionally, Melman would just simply wander onto the stage during Letterman's monologue as if lost, then leave without saying anything.
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demeanor came to the forefront. Melman routinely flubbed or mangled lines, but gamely persevered with whatever sketch he was in. He was also noted for his remote interviews in which he would ask the interviewee a question, but pitch the microphone to the interviewee too quickly, resulting in the last part of the question being inaudible to Dave and the audience. As a result of his frequent appearances, he became hugely popular with fans of
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297:", but Melman had no real fixed or defined role on the show. He was simply an older, short, portly man with thick black-framed glasses who was seen relatively frequently, especially in the early years. In the first few years of the show, the Melman character was somewhat of an entrepreneur, appearing in ads for "Melman Bus Lines" as well as for "Mr. Larry's Toast On A Stick" ("
305:"). He was also ostensibly the producer of the show as the head of "Melman Productions", although this facet of the character was soon dropped. The character's teenage son, Troy "Chipper" Melman (who rarely spoke, and usually just coughed uncontrollably) was seen occasionally alongside his father in various ads.
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Letterman noted after DeForest's death: "Everyone always wondered if
Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself: a genuine, modest, and nice man. To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him." When asked how he'd
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A hallmark of the Melman character was his seemingly genuine lack of acting polish. Melman's scripted lines were clearly read from cue cards and usually delivered in a forceful shout—but when
Letterman or others forced "Melman" into ad-libbing, the actor's naturally more soft-spoken and polite
488:, doing some of the voices that can be heard before and after certain tracks (examples are: “Hand Grenades,” “Change the World,” and “Cocktails”.) In late March 2007, a 20-minute clip of DeForest recording the voices for their album was posted on The Offspring's website.
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would announce the evening's Top 10 list, at which point DeForest appeared as "Johnny Carson." Shortly after DeForest's exit, the real Johnny Carson appeared in what would prove to be Carson's last television appearance.
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DeForest continued to appear on
Letterman's show until his 81st birthday in 2002 before retiring from acting. He had appeared in 15 outside films or TV shows since he began his association with Letterman in 1982.
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147:. He was born to Calvert Martin DeForest, M.D., a physician who died in 1930 at the age of 49, and Mabelle (Taylor) DeForest. He claimed that his father was related to radio pioneer
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like to be remembered, DeForest responded, "Just being able to make people laugh and knowing people enjoyed my humor. I also hope I haven't offended anyone through the years."
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Outside the pre-taped ads, Melman would sometimes be given odd chores to perform by
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in Norway and the
Woodstock anniversary concert that year." One of DeForest's more memorable skits came on Letterman's May 13, 1994 show in
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video for the song "Think About It" as the villainous Dr. Norecords.
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noted: "DeForest's gnomish face was the first to greet viewers when
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In early 1982, DeForest was hired to appear on the new NBC program
106:(July 23, 1921 – March 19, 2007), also known by his character name
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FADE TO BLACK PRESENTS – Calvert
Deforest, a.k.a. Larry Bud Melman
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and Karl
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749:"Calvert DeForest, 85, Raised to Fame as Larry 'Bud' Melman"
553:. By all press accounts, he left no surviving relatives.
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865:"The Backstory of Letterman Legend Larry 'Bud' Melman"
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In 1997, he made a cameo appearance in episode 164 of
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talent coordinator Sandra Furton described him as a "
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American comedian; also known as Larry "Bud" Melman
1168:The Letterman Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming
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1024:"Letterman sidekick Calvert DeForest dead at 85"
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998:"Pee Wee's Playhouse Season 1 Episode 12"
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232:Learn how and when to remove this message
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675:, movie (1993), as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
667:, video (1988), as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
980:"Calvert DeForest's Erotic Experience"
415:In 1994, he wrote a humor book called
166:. He was employed for many years as a
472:DeForest also appeared on the albums
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467:Calvert DeForest's Erotic Experience
349:correspondent at events such as the
214:adding citations to reliable sources
955:"Vince Gill - What The Cowgirls Do"
599:(1982–1993) as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
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852:. Associated Press. 2007-03-21.
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121:Late Night with David Letterman
1173:Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
1138:Late Show with David Letterman
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170:at the pharmaceutical company
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422:In 1994, he appeared in the
408:In 1989, he appeared in the
389:In 1985, he appeared in the
156:Poly Prep Country Day School
934:"Special Ed-Think About It"
310:Port Authority Bus Terminal
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323:When Letterman moved from
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1214:American male film actors
182:Work with David Letterman
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1122:The David Letterman Show
909:"RUN-DMC – King Of Rock"
694:"What The Cowgirls Do",
665:The Couch Potato Workout
616:"Cleanin' Up the Town",
434:" as a cowboy sidekick.
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1199:American male comedians
535:Good Samaritan Hospital
519:of the television show
863:Abrams, Brian (2014).
104:Calvert Grant DeForest
45:Calvert Grant DeForest
936:. YouTube. 2007-11-14
610:Nothing Lasts Forever
551:Farmingdale, New York
333:intellectual property
563:While the Cat's Away
505:The Dana Carvey Show
445:Escape from New York
432:What The Cowgirls Do
351:1994 Winter Olympics
210:improve this article
143:DeForest grew up in
75:West Islip, New York
715:"American Psycho",
644:Pee-wee's Playhouse
522:Pee-wee's Playhouse
517:The Gang's All Here
481:Ixnay on the Hombre
264:writing staff. The
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58:New York City, U.S.
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659:Leader of the Band
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357:. The host stated
154:DeForest attended
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69:(2007-03-19)
1239:2007 deaths
1234:1921 births
957:. YouTube.
911:. YouTube.
683:(1993–2002)
618:The BusBoys
557:Filmography
547:Long Island
424:music video
391:music video
355:Los Angeles
172:Parke-Davis
1193:Categories
1040:2007-03-21
965:2014-04-28
940:2014-04-28
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735:References
696:Vince Gill
539:West Islip
428:Vince Gill
410:Special Ed
343:Late Night
318:Late Night
291:Late Night
287:Late Night
261:Late Night
168:file clerk
139:Early life
51:1921-07-23
1133:(1982–93)
1008:5 January
874:April 25,
688:Mr. Write
588:Waitress!
575:Apple Pie
475:Americana
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270:Letterman
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892:Archived
850:CBS News
785:and the
543:New York
426:for the
393:for the
164:New York
160:Brooklyn
88:comedian
797:YouTube
724:Closure
717:Misfits
672:Freaked
629:Run-DMC
401:" as a
395:Run-DMC
86:Actor,
1125:(1980)
1004:. IMDb
430:song "
397:song "
295:mascot
176:Pfizer
116:Melman
77:, U.S.
709:Wings
545:, on
529:Death
440:Wings
382:, on
380:10@10
299:Bread
276:film
108:Larry
1062:IMDb
1010:2015
1002:IMDb
876:2019
478:and
458:and
384:KFOG
124:and
64:Died
41:Born
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49:(
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