Saturday, August 8, 2009

R.I.P. Les Lye

The A-Team makes one cup of coffee last five hours will not be seen at this time so that we may bring you a show for people with lots of time on their hands and nothing better to do.

This one slipped under my radar for a few weeks.

Many of you have no idea who Les Lye is, but if you watched Nickelodeon in the eighties, you recognize his face immediately. Les played all the adult male characters on the hit television show, "You Can't Do That On Television".

From Ross Ewich the studio director, to Barth Bagge the cook, to Mr. Schidtler the school teacher, to the El Capitano, to Senator Prevert, to the sadistic principal, Les played each character so brilliantly that many people did not realize that one man played everyone.

Les died peacefully on July 21, 2009, at the age of 84. He helped shape many kids throughout his long career and turned them into the adults we see today. His contributions to television are immeasurable. While "You Can't Do That On Television" was his most visible role, he also did voice over work and appeared in numerous stage shows.

Some of his phrases are so ingrained in my brain, that I still use them today.

Where does the school board find them and why do they send them to me?

Don't encourage him!

That is one sneaky kid.

Dddyyyaaaaiiiii heard that!

Hopefully, "You Can't Do That On Television" will find a new home on DVD or in syndication. Until that long battle is over, head on over to YCDTOTV.com to get your fix.

3 comments:

Shane said...

What is it with celebrity deaths this past few months with Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, John Hughes and now Les Lye. I used to love watching that show - I can't believe he got his own card!

Andy said...

I loved that show back in the day. One of the kids on there was recently on Battlestar Galactica, I noticed. And let's not forget about Alanis Morrisette..

Anonymous said...

Great show. Several of the episodes can be found on YouTube.

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