Just a few weeks ago, Orson Bean appeared on The Mark Steyn Christmas Show, and delighted both the audience in the room and the far larger crowd who watched the broadcast. All of us who worked on the show were devastated to learn that last night Orson was killed by a car while crossing the street in Venice, California.
As Orson said on stage, he was born during the last year of the Coolidge Administration, which would make him ninety-one years old, which is, as he put it, "not bad". (Silent Cal was a maternal second cousin once removed.) In fact, Orson was spectacularly "not bad" for his four-score-and-eleven - spry, vigorous, and working till the end. He and his wife Alley Mills (from "The Wonder Years", "The Bold and the Beautiful" et al) had just finished a run in Santa Monica in their new play Bad Habits, and they had every reason to believe he would die in harness somewhere the other side of his centenary.
As it is, in seven decades as magician, comedian, actor, author and more, Orson Bean had done pretty much everything he ever wanted to. He had been on television more or less since there was a television to be on, and was sufficiently in demand two-thirds of a century later to be guesting on "Modern Family", "Desperate Housewives" and "How I Met Your Mother". In between he starred on Broadway with Jayne Mansfield and Walter Matthau in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, on the big screen in Being John Malkovich, in "The Twilight Zone" as a memorable Mr Bevis, and minded the store in "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman". He was a memorable witness for Jimmy Stewart in Anatomy of a Murder, a hippie in Australia, the head of a school modeled on England's Summerhill (which gave us Rebecca De Mornay and Elton John's record producer), and the father-in-law of Andrew Breitbart. Orson was a master raconteur beloved by Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, which is why he made over two hundred appearances on "The Tonight Show" - until the new guys took over and witty anecdotalists were replaced by grunting pluggers. As he bemoaned to me, these days the bookers mainly want old people who can talk dirty - the potty-mouthed grampa shtick - but, on the other hand, he could more than hold his own at that: a couple of years back in Hollywood, I saw him deliver an almost spectacularly bad-taste stand-up routine.
His Christmas appearance came about rather casually via dinner I'd had with him and Alley a few months earlier. He had bicycled to the restaurant from his home, which I would have found remarkable had he been twenty years younger. I had had a rather dispiriting time in California, in which everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And it was just sheer pleasure to redeem a rotten day with a man who was boundlessly good company and whose enthusiasms roamed far and wide. We had mutual friends-of-friends, as it were: He was a fixture on TV's "To Tell the Truth" with Kitty Carlisle, with whom I used to introduce the "Lost Musicals" series in London; he studied acting with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof; he had been Tony-nominated for Subways Are for Sleeping, by Jule Styne and Comden & Green; and I had visited the Bond-villain-lair-like pad of Wilhelm Reich, the Austrian psychoanalyst of whom Orson had once been a devotee. I mainly recalled Dr Reich's philosophy as being something to do with harnessing the power of the orgasm as an alternative energy source, but Orson, who wrote a book on the subject, said there was more to it than that. It was like a great leisurely unhurried edition of a golden-age "Tonight Show" - the perfect end to an imperfect day. And on the flight out of LAX the next morning I recalled his adaptation of A Christmas Carol and thought: Say, maybe that would be good for our little show...
So here he is just a few weeks ago, full of life, recalling his early years in Vermont, discoursing on the winter solstice, quoting somewhat surreally Stevie Wonder, and then giving us a rather moving performance as Ebenezer Scrooge on the road not taken:
Orson returned later in the show as a somewhat mercurial Uber driver in our "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sketch. It was a great honor to share the stage with him, and, as you can tell from the comments here, the audience loved him, as they had for an amazing seven decades.
Below is Orson on the left and Alley on the right with Ann McElhinney, Phelim McAleer, Andrew Lawton and yours truly:
Alley was there last night when the first car hit him, and then a second. It was a terrible, brutally sudden end, but it cannot diminish a rich and remarkable life.
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32 Member Comments
So sorry for your loss, Mark. We've lost a rare individual for today's Hollywood: someone who is actually entertaining. Thank you for your moving tribute.
Charming, interesting, brilliant, kind and very good looking for a man of his years. I'm sorry you lost such a friend, Mark.
Rest in peace, Orson Bean
My memories of Orson Bean go so far back that until he appeared on the Mark Steyn Show I wasn't
sure he was still alive. I still remember him spinning a yarn about "gaboon vipers" on a trip through South America or some such on Johnny Carson. He was such an offbeat and genial wit. I wish I had been familiar with the latter part of his career. Thank God he was a man of faith.
Early childhood memory: he put a lot of character into the voice of Bilbo Baggins in the Rankin - Bass animated take on The Hobbit.
He seemed so very kind. I know he was a founding member of the Sons of the Desert, Way Out West tent ( The Laurel and Hardy appreciation group). I'm sure members will be sharing memories of him at the next meeting.
A wonderful tribute. He will be missed.
Very sad to hear about his tragic passing. Enjoyed listening to him over the past decade on the Dennis Miller Show and on other places.
Heartfelt condolences to family and friends! May God bless!
This is such sad news. I am so sorry to hear this. Prayers to his entire family. A terrible loss.
His sharp wit and delivery were sharp as a tack, we should all be so at 91.
Thank You Mark for sharing him with us in Montreal. A night we will not forget.
Thanks for sharing this. I always liked Orson Bean seeing him on TV as I grew up in the 60's but I never knew till today that he found Christ reading CS Lewis and later encouraged Andrew Brietbart to read Rush Limbaugh's book! Such a man, such a legacy of good influence!
So sad. He was a great Ebenezer on your Christmas special. An undeserving way to depart for this gem of a man. My condolences to his family and friends.
My husband and I had the privilege of seeing Orson Bean in Montreal along with many of you, and we will always treasure the memory of his portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge. His tragic death has thrown a shadow over a great week of triumphs for President Trump. Had it not been for Orson Bean's influence on Andrew Breitbart, and his impact on the conservative culture, we might never have had a President Trump.
This is horrible news. My only memory of Mr Bean was from Tell the Truth from my childhood. He was obviously a very talented and interesting man. RIP Mr Bean
When I was young, (ah, so long ago!) I watched Orson Bean on the television many times. I was delighted to see him on your Christmas show, so lucid, and so joyful. I just watched the skit again, a bit more poignant it seemed this time, and how lucky that you asked him to perform it. Well done, Mark, well done, Orson. May your soul rest in peace.
So saddened to hear this shocking news last night. I immediately thought of those who attended the Christmas show and the cast. Your hearts must be broken. I also thought of the impact Orson Bean has had on the conservative movement, opening the mind of Andrew Breitbart to conservative principles via the Rush Limbaugh show, which Breitbart detailed in "Righteous Indignation". Breitbart also mentored James O'Keefe of Project Veritas who is exposing the methods of the left so well. A significant man indeed, and he just sounded like so much fun too!
Very sad. A charming and witty man who lived into a show-biz era devoid of charm and wit. The "Twight Zone" episode with Orson doing a teriffic double-act with Henry Jones (another favorite) was pure gold. Two talented men effortlessly building two memorable characters in less than thirty minutes. It strikes me that the two of them had to have been in "Rock Hunter" on stage together because Henry Jones played the Madison Avenue boss in the film version. Orson Bean was a fine performer and a gracious gentlema. RIP.
I am shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news about Mr. Bean. A wonderful person and amazing talent has left this world. I feel privileged to have been at the Mark Steyn Christmas Show and seen Mr. Bean as Ebenezer Scrooge. His performance touched my heart. Thank you, Mark, for a beautiful tribute. May he Rest In Peace.
One of the good ones just left us. Thank you for the tribute. A true loss and all of you at SteynOnline and friends must miss him terribly.
We were fortunate to know him.
I don't fancy myself much of an actor, so to end up in stage in any circumstances is a rarity. To act alongside Orson Bean, even if in a short Christmas show sketch, was an absolute delight. I've yet to have a conversation with Orson that didn't involve me laughing at some point. He was a true delight on stage and off.
Thanks, Mark, for a fitting Tribute.
I heard the sad news today from a Greg Gutfeld tweet. I just couldn't believe it. The most memorable moment for me at the November taping of the Live Montreal Mark Steyn Christmas Show was Orson as Ebenezer. His acting in the Christmas past scene brought tears to my eyes. He was so good. I don't think I can take any more sad news right now. RIP Orson Bean.
I feel stricken. I hope the drivers understand and feel what an offense they have committed against humanity.
Never had the honor of meeting Orson, but had "one degree of separation" from him through a couple of common friends. If you live in L.A. for some time, you know somebody who knows just about anybody in TV/movies.
He made no secret of his AA membership, so I am not outing him with this, I would never do that. One of the stories I heard was that at a certain lunchtime AA meeting he attended regularly in Santa Monica (IIRC), they had a jar into which you had to place a dollar if you used a naughty word while speaking. Said money would be used for some good purpose or other. Orson would quite happily fill the jar every meeting. I can't put into words why, exactly, but that made me feel very fond of him. It speaks to me of a combination of self-assurance, humility, and joy in living, and having fun while giving.
I'm saddened by the loss of Orson, and offer condolences to all his loved ones.
Dear Mr. Steyn:
I was saddened to read about Mr. Bean's passing. He was part of a special memory of mine. In 1959 on my way to enroll at Stanford my pals and I stopped in San Francisco over night. We went to the Hungri i for dinner. It was the only place we 18 year olds could get served. Mr. Bean was the headliner with his paper eucalyptus tree. He was great. How long ago? The warm up act was a skinny, nervous, very funny red head whose name was Woody Allen.
So tragic. I enjoyed Orson on "To Tell the Truth" and still remember his sweet personality and wonderful sense of humor. Thank you for your invaluable contribution to the world of laughter, Mr. Bean. âï¸
I only knew of him through Being John Malkovic but that was a dammed good film and he was excellent in it.
R.I.P.
Awful news to wake up to. Loved him on the Xmas Show and so much else
Minor correction: father-in-law of Andrew Breitbart.
I'm old enough to remember Orson Bean on To Tell the Truth and through the years. I had no idea that he was 91. What a sad day for all of us and especially for good friends, like you Mark, who knew him personally and thrived in his presence.
R.I.P. Orson Bean.
More terrible news this week. Orson Bean hit by several cars and died. Such a wonderful actor and humourist. He was the highlight of the Christmas show as Scrooge. R.I.P.