1 00:00:05,130 --> 00:00:07,382 Who am I? Why am I here?! 2 00:00:07,382 --> 00:00:08,926 [narrator] A fixture on Saturday Night Live 3 00:00:08,926 --> 00:00:10,302 in the early 90s, 4 00:00:10,302 --> 00:00:13,138 Phil Hartman looked like the neighbour next door. 5 00:00:13,138 --> 00:00:14,765 He was like a basic dude... 6 00:00:14,765 --> 00:00:16,016 not someone that you would look at and think 7 00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:17,643 that would be a funny guy. 8 00:00:17,643 --> 00:00:20,187 That every man personality was a canvas for one of the 9 00:00:20,187 --> 00:00:22,856 most dynamic comedic actors of his time. 10 00:00:22,856 --> 00:00:23,941 You don't scare me. 11 00:00:23,941 --> 00:00:26,401 I got chunks of guys like you in my stool. 12 00:00:26,401 --> 00:00:27,361 [Laughing] 13 00:00:27,361 --> 00:00:28,987 He was one of the great character actors 14 00:00:28,987 --> 00:00:30,155 of our generation. 15 00:00:30,155 --> 00:00:32,407 Filthy animals. 16 00:00:32,407 --> 00:00:34,451 He's not Phil playing a character, 17 00:00:34,451 --> 00:00:35,410 he's the character. 18 00:00:35,410 --> 00:00:37,871 Oh too bad, you lose, nothin' for you. 19 00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:39,331 But for a moment where you're like, 20 00:00:39,331 --> 00:00:40,749 "Wow, this guy had me. 21 00:00:40,749 --> 00:00:42,125 I actually believed him." 22 00:00:42,125 --> 00:00:44,503 And that's where he was set apart as a genius. 23 00:00:44,503 --> 00:00:45,963 -Damn! -[Laughing] 24 00:00:45,963 --> 00:00:47,381 Okay, let's get it over with. 25 00:00:47,381 --> 00:00:50,509 Phil had the ability to make any line funny. 26 00:00:50,509 --> 00:00:52,678 Your Honour, I don't know spit about lawyering. 27 00:00:52,678 --> 00:00:53,887 [Laughing] 28 00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:56,056 If there's a laugh in your script, Phil will get it. 29 00:00:56,056 --> 00:00:58,100 And he'll probably dig a couple of extra ones out that 30 00:00:58,100 --> 00:00:59,268 you didn't even know you put in. 31 00:00:59,268 --> 00:01:00,310 If he's in something, you just knew 32 00:01:00,310 --> 00:01:01,353 it was gonna be good. 33 00:01:01,353 --> 00:01:03,105 You were in good hands with Phil Hartman. 34 00:01:03,105 --> 00:01:06,149 What is your definition of sex, Mr. President? 35 00:01:06,149 --> 00:01:07,985 It's the same as the Bible's, Jay. 36 00:01:07,985 --> 00:01:08,986 [Laughing] 37 00:01:08,986 --> 00:01:12,030 Before long, Phil's talent gets him all over TV. 38 00:01:12,030 --> 00:01:14,157 Oh, hi, I'm Troy McClure. 39 00:01:14,157 --> 00:01:16,660 Hey buddy, how's it going out there? 40 00:01:16,660 --> 00:01:19,288 With a swift kick to the gluteus assimus. 41 00:01:19,288 --> 00:01:20,455 [Laughing] 42 00:01:20,455 --> 00:01:21,790 But behind his success, 43 00:01:21,790 --> 00:01:24,084 Phil leads a tumultuous private life. 44 00:01:24,084 --> 00:01:25,711 She would do anything to try to 45 00:01:25,711 --> 00:01:27,546 evoke a reaction out of Phil. 46 00:01:27,546 --> 00:01:29,840 She would drink, do drugs. 47 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:31,967 There would be a lot of serious fights. 48 00:01:31,967 --> 00:01:35,053 Phil's success was hard for her to deal with sometimes. 49 00:01:35,053 --> 00:01:36,930 He used to joke about it. You know, 50 00:01:36,930 --> 00:01:39,599 he was Ricky Ricardo and she was Lucy. 51 00:01:39,599 --> 00:01:42,019 Always trying to get in on his stuff. 52 00:01:42,019 --> 00:01:45,230 At the height of his fame, it all goes terribly wrong. 53 00:01:45,230 --> 00:01:47,691 One of TV's favourite funny men is dead. 54 00:01:47,691 --> 00:01:49,568 How did one of America's most beloved and 55 00:01:49,568 --> 00:01:53,780 down to earth comics meet such a tragic end? 56 00:01:53,780 --> 00:01:55,240 I was stunned. 57 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,242 A million things went through my mind... 58 00:01:57,242 --> 00:01:59,953 not that. 59 00:01:59,953 --> 00:02:01,121 [Overlapping voices] Ladies and gentlemen! 60 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:02,581 You are about to be entertained! 61 00:02:02,581 --> 00:02:04,791 Getting the laugh is the greatest addiction. 62 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:05,834 They want more of it, they want more of it. 63 00:02:05,834 --> 00:02:08,211 She was getting death threats. It [beep] with your head! 64 00:02:08,211 --> 00:02:09,796 He's out of his skull! That's what took her down. 65 00:02:09,796 --> 00:02:11,381 This is a crazy story. 66 00:02:11,381 --> 00:02:13,800 ♪ 67 00:02:15,260 --> 00:02:17,804 ♪ 68 00:02:17,804 --> 00:02:19,765 Phil was born in Canada, 69 00:02:19,765 --> 00:02:22,559 the middle child of a lot of children. 70 00:02:22,559 --> 00:02:23,852 Good Catholic family, 71 00:02:23,852 --> 00:02:25,228 and they didn't have any money. 72 00:02:25,228 --> 00:02:27,189 The mother was a stay-at-home mom and 73 00:02:27,189 --> 00:02:29,483 the dad was a sales guy. 74 00:02:29,483 --> 00:02:31,068 As the fourth of eight children, 75 00:02:31,068 --> 00:02:33,528 young Phil often felt neglected. 76 00:02:33,528 --> 00:02:34,780 He always felt like he was sort of 77 00:02:34,780 --> 00:02:36,823 torn from the breast, literally... 78 00:02:36,823 --> 00:02:38,867 because there was another sibling right behind. 79 00:02:38,867 --> 00:02:41,119 It was like a conveyor belt of babies, 80 00:02:41,119 --> 00:02:43,914 so he always felt that he didn't get the kind of 81 00:02:43,914 --> 00:02:46,208 love and attention he needed. 82 00:02:46,208 --> 00:02:48,085 Phil's older sister, Sarah Jane, 83 00:02:48,085 --> 00:02:50,629 was born with a rare neurological disease 84 00:02:50,629 --> 00:02:52,964 requiring constant care. 85 00:02:52,964 --> 00:02:55,008 The mother, being a loving mother, 86 00:02:55,008 --> 00:02:57,761 kept her daughter at home as long as possible, but, 87 00:02:57,761 --> 00:03:00,097 I don't use the word lightly, subjected... 88 00:03:00,097 --> 00:03:03,141 her other children to, really, a lot of difficulty. 89 00:03:03,141 --> 00:03:06,478 The house was filled with vomit, and shit, 90 00:03:06,478 --> 00:03:08,563 and he couldn't have friends over, 91 00:03:08,563 --> 00:03:11,733 and all the attention was going to that issue. 92 00:03:11,733 --> 00:03:13,693 At a certain point, Sarah Jane's care just 93 00:03:13,693 --> 00:03:16,530 got to be too intense for the mother, for the family, 94 00:03:16,530 --> 00:03:18,657 and she was sent to an institution to 95 00:03:18,657 --> 00:03:20,409 live out the rest of her life. 96 00:03:20,409 --> 00:03:22,494 The parents felt guilty for not being able to do 97 00:03:22,494 --> 00:03:24,996 everything that you want to do for a child, 98 00:03:24,996 --> 00:03:27,707 and perhaps the kids felt that guilt as well. 99 00:03:27,707 --> 00:03:29,251 In the late 1950s, 100 00:03:29,251 --> 00:03:31,670 Phil's dad gets a job in the United States. 101 00:03:31,670 --> 00:03:34,214 The family ultimately settles in California, 102 00:03:34,214 --> 00:03:37,008 leaving Sarah Jane behind in Canada. 103 00:03:37,008 --> 00:03:39,636 ♪ 104 00:03:39,636 --> 00:03:41,680 When Phil moved to Southern California, 105 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:43,974 he became a surfer. He was surfing every day. 106 00:03:43,974 --> 00:03:47,060 Phil was born Canadian, but he was a beach guy. 107 00:03:47,060 --> 00:03:48,520 He was a surfer. 108 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,689 He was through and through Californian. 109 00:03:50,689 --> 00:03:53,525 In high school, Phil starts doing impersonations and 110 00:03:53,525 --> 00:03:56,695 quickly learns just how funny he can be. 111 00:03:56,695 --> 00:03:58,321 I was class clown in my graduating class. 112 00:03:58,321 --> 00:03:59,489 Were you? 113 00:03:59,489 --> 00:04:02,242 Westchester High School in West LA. 114 00:04:02,242 --> 00:04:04,453 Is class clown something you're elected to? 115 00:04:04,453 --> 00:04:06,788 It was an elected position, yes. 116 00:04:06,788 --> 00:04:09,499 So Phil created a life for himself outside the family. 117 00:04:09,499 --> 00:04:12,586 He was hilarious, and brilliant, and funny, 118 00:04:12,586 --> 00:04:14,755 and sporty, and cute, and energetic, 119 00:04:14,755 --> 00:04:17,799 and all those great things that is very, very attractive. 120 00:04:17,799 --> 00:04:19,551 He could get all the attention he wanted. 121 00:04:19,551 --> 00:04:21,887 He could always do impressions. 122 00:04:21,887 --> 00:04:23,638 My name is Steven Small. 123 00:04:23,638 --> 00:04:27,309 Phil Hartman was one of my best friends in my life. 124 00:04:27,309 --> 00:04:29,853 Phil could go from a very serious conversation 125 00:04:29,853 --> 00:04:32,355 and then all of a sudden just take off and 126 00:04:32,355 --> 00:04:35,233 do an impersonation that was so right on. 127 00:04:35,233 --> 00:04:37,986 One night he was John Wayne 128 00:04:37,986 --> 00:04:41,448 having sexual relations with Richard Nixon, 129 00:04:41,448 --> 00:04:43,450 and he was doing both voices. 130 00:04:43,450 --> 00:04:47,245 I had to leave the table because I couldn't breathe. 131 00:04:47,245 --> 00:04:49,789 That's... That was Phil. 132 00:04:49,789 --> 00:04:52,417 Despite his charm and talent, after high school, 133 00:04:52,417 --> 00:04:55,795 Phil drifts in and out of college and various jobs. 134 00:04:55,795 --> 00:04:57,547 By age 24, he's already been 135 00:04:57,547 --> 00:05:00,091 married and divorced once. 136 00:05:00,091 --> 00:05:01,802 Their marriage did not work because 137 00:05:01,802 --> 00:05:03,887 Phil wouldn't communicate with her. 138 00:05:03,887 --> 00:05:05,347 As soon as they got married, 139 00:05:05,347 --> 00:05:07,807 he seemed to lose interest in her. 140 00:05:07,807 --> 00:05:10,185 After the divorce, Phil reinvents himself 141 00:05:10,185 --> 00:05:11,937 as a graphic designer. 142 00:05:11,937 --> 00:05:14,773 He was extremely talented in terms of graphic arts. 143 00:05:14,773 --> 00:05:17,984 He was working at an ad agency. 144 00:05:17,984 --> 00:05:21,321 He was an illustrator for album covers and 145 00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:23,448 he was doing people's business cards 146 00:05:23,448 --> 00:05:24,783 and that sort of thing. 147 00:05:24,783 --> 00:05:28,328 The album covers that he did, the Poco, America, 148 00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:30,747 there's that horse album. 149 00:05:30,747 --> 00:05:34,000 He did a group called The Firesign Theatre, 150 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,170 and those are just amazing album covers. 151 00:05:37,170 --> 00:05:39,923 So as a fine artist, Phil could've worked and 152 00:05:39,923 --> 00:05:42,801 had a great living doing that. 153 00:05:42,801 --> 00:05:44,553 While Phil's design career takes off, 154 00:05:44,553 --> 00:05:46,888 he doesn't realize that a night of improv is 155 00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:48,974 about to change his life. 156 00:05:48,974 --> 00:05:50,767 For Phil Hartman, the Groundlings were 157 00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:52,519 the beginning of everything. 158 00:05:52,519 --> 00:05:53,687 [News report] For the Groundlings, 159 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:55,480 LA's largest comedy troupe, 160 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,442 learning on your feet is what improv is all about. 161 00:05:59,442 --> 00:06:02,237 The Groundlings was, and continues to be, 162 00:06:02,237 --> 00:06:05,991 the premier improvisational school and 163 00:06:05,991 --> 00:06:08,118 theatre in Hollywood. 164 00:06:08,118 --> 00:06:10,036 My name is Tracy Newman. 165 00:06:10,036 --> 00:06:13,331 We started it actually in 1972, 166 00:06:13,331 --> 00:06:15,417 and as time went on, 167 00:06:15,417 --> 00:06:18,670 it sort of became the farm company for SNL, 168 00:06:18,670 --> 00:06:20,213 Saturday Night Live. 169 00:06:20,213 --> 00:06:23,008 In 1975 it was my 33rd birthday, 170 00:06:23,008 --> 00:06:26,177 and we went to the Groundlings. 171 00:06:26,177 --> 00:06:28,805 Phil loved going to the Groundlings as someone 172 00:06:28,805 --> 00:06:32,142 in the audience, and that day he was so inspired, 173 00:06:32,142 --> 00:06:34,144 never having done improv comedy, 174 00:06:34,144 --> 00:06:36,021 he got out of the audience, 175 00:06:36,021 --> 00:06:38,732 went on stage and started improvising. 176 00:06:38,732 --> 00:06:41,443 He got on stage to entertain his friends, 177 00:06:41,443 --> 00:06:42,861 because it was a party. 178 00:06:42,861 --> 00:06:44,654 He liked making people laugh. 179 00:06:44,654 --> 00:06:47,657 He particularly liked making the girls laugh, the ladies... 180 00:06:47,657 --> 00:06:49,618 you know, and he definitely made me laugh. 181 00:06:49,618 --> 00:06:51,494 We were backstage getting ready to go on and 182 00:06:51,494 --> 00:06:54,205 we heard laughter coming from the audience and 183 00:06:54,205 --> 00:06:55,916 we thought, "What's going on"? 184 00:06:55,916 --> 00:06:58,710 So we all sort of moved out and watched from the back, 185 00:06:58,710 --> 00:07:01,463 and it was Phil on stage doing impressions. 186 00:07:01,463 --> 00:07:03,381 And he was, of course, incredible. 187 00:07:03,381 --> 00:07:06,551 He and Paul Reubens got into a riff. 188 00:07:06,551 --> 00:07:09,179 Paul would say one thing and then Phil answered. 189 00:07:09,179 --> 00:07:13,266 It went back and forth, and everyone was cracking up. 190 00:07:13,266 --> 00:07:14,809 Now they could have called the cops. 191 00:07:14,809 --> 00:07:17,395 Instead they made him a part of the show, 192 00:07:17,395 --> 00:07:20,231 so he started taking classes and he made it quickly 193 00:07:20,231 --> 00:07:22,442 into the main troupe. 194 00:07:22,442 --> 00:07:23,568 [Applauding] 195 00:07:23,568 --> 00:07:28,448 [Speaking German] 196 00:07:28,448 --> 00:07:30,492 Phil's new peers at the Groundlings are 197 00:07:30,492 --> 00:07:32,535 blown away by his talent. 198 00:07:32,535 --> 00:07:35,622 It's hard for me to really believe that Phil Hartman 199 00:07:35,622 --> 00:07:37,874 had never been on stage before. 200 00:07:37,874 --> 00:07:40,543 In improv, commitment is one of the number one rules, 201 00:07:40,543 --> 00:07:42,087 and he just had that. 202 00:07:42,087 --> 00:07:43,880 Because he wasn't scared. 203 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,341 Hi, my name's... 204 00:07:46,341 --> 00:07:47,676 [Laughing] 205 00:07:47,676 --> 00:07:51,346 Improvisation actually gave Phil the opportunity to be 206 00:07:51,346 --> 00:07:55,475 all the characters that he could possibly imagine and 207 00:07:55,475 --> 00:07:57,060 he could bring them fully to life, 208 00:07:57,060 --> 00:07:58,895 and that was his huge talent. 209 00:07:58,895 --> 00:08:00,730 I mean, he was really a genius at that. 210 00:08:00,730 --> 00:08:03,858 Phil becomes so popular that he takes over the show. 211 00:08:03,858 --> 00:08:06,111 There were complaints back then that 212 00:08:06,111 --> 00:08:07,779 he was on stage too much. 213 00:08:07,779 --> 00:08:09,280 Then we would say, 214 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:10,865 "Well, what should we take him out of"? 215 00:08:10,865 --> 00:08:13,785 We didn't know how to make him sparse in the show. 216 00:08:13,785 --> 00:08:15,704 He was the show. 217 00:08:15,704 --> 00:08:16,997 Between his design work and 218 00:08:16,997 --> 00:08:18,915 growing success with the Groundlings, 219 00:08:18,915 --> 00:08:21,710 Phil is finally making the most of his talent. 220 00:08:21,710 --> 00:08:23,962 He obviously created an entire new life for himself. 221 00:08:23,962 --> 00:08:25,422 He was having a great time. 222 00:08:25,422 --> 00:08:27,716 He was living at the beach. He was happy. 223 00:08:27,716 --> 00:08:30,885 I can say that without any reservations, 224 00:08:30,885 --> 00:08:33,179 that was him at his happiest. 225 00:08:33,179 --> 00:08:35,390 Along with that happiness though, 226 00:08:35,390 --> 00:08:38,393 comes a fear that it could all get taken away. 227 00:08:38,393 --> 00:08:41,312 I was at Phil's house one day, just the two of us, 228 00:08:41,312 --> 00:08:44,482 and he said, "Hey, I want to show you my toys." 229 00:08:44,482 --> 00:08:46,943 And he comes out with three handguns and 230 00:08:46,943 --> 00:08:48,153 he puts them on the table. 231 00:08:48,153 --> 00:08:50,780 And I was like, "What"? 232 00:08:50,780 --> 00:08:52,866 I never thought guns were toys. 233 00:08:52,866 --> 00:08:54,951 I was very shocked. 234 00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:57,746 Some people close to Phil worry that his fear 235 00:08:57,746 --> 00:08:59,789 could lead down a slippery slope 236 00:08:59,789 --> 00:09:02,500 to something more sinister. 237 00:09:02,500 --> 00:09:06,463 He told me that he was afraid of a home invasion and 238 00:09:06,463 --> 00:09:08,590 wanted to be able to defend himself. 239 00:09:08,590 --> 00:09:11,301 Unfortunately, that's just a fantasy. 240 00:09:11,301 --> 00:09:13,261 And I said, "You're out of your mind. 241 00:09:13,261 --> 00:09:14,471 I know you love guns, 242 00:09:14,471 --> 00:09:17,098 you're fascinated by them as machines." 243 00:09:17,098 --> 00:09:20,143 I was very worried about Phil, because I know that 244 00:09:20,143 --> 00:09:23,271 he's just going to brush off the red flags. 245 00:09:23,271 --> 00:09:25,774 ♪ 246 00:09:31,070 --> 00:09:32,864 ♪ 247 00:09:32,864 --> 00:09:36,785 It was 1956, Pee-Wee. 248 00:09:36,785 --> 00:09:38,703 I just won the World Series pitching for 249 00:09:38,703 --> 00:09:40,622 the New York Yankees. 250 00:09:40,622 --> 00:09:42,165 At the Groundlings, Phil develops 251 00:09:42,165 --> 00:09:43,958 a friendship with Paul Reubens, 252 00:09:43,958 --> 00:09:46,753 and soon the two start working together. 253 00:09:46,753 --> 00:09:51,091 Around 1980, I had the idea of doing a late night 254 00:09:51,091 --> 00:09:54,135 television show that looked like a kids show, 255 00:09:54,135 --> 00:09:56,721 but would be very subversive. 256 00:09:56,721 --> 00:09:58,973 So one day at my house, 257 00:09:58,973 --> 00:10:01,309 Phil came over with Pee-Wee, 258 00:10:01,309 --> 00:10:04,104 and what we created was 'The Pee-Wee Herman Show', 259 00:10:04,104 --> 00:10:07,273 which involved many actors from the Groundlings. 260 00:10:07,273 --> 00:10:09,150 Phil said, "I'm gonna be in the cast too. 261 00:10:09,150 --> 00:10:12,445 I'm gonna play a character called 'Captain Carl'." 262 00:10:12,445 --> 00:10:13,780 Captain Carl! 263 00:10:13,780 --> 00:10:15,949 Permission to come aboard, Pee-Wee. 264 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:17,242 You have to know the password. 265 00:10:17,242 --> 00:10:19,035 -Spaghetti. -Nope. 266 00:10:19,035 --> 00:10:20,578 -Sardine. -Nope. 267 00:10:20,578 --> 00:10:22,997 Paul was this hopeful 10-year-old, really, 268 00:10:22,997 --> 00:10:24,666 if you think about that character... 269 00:10:24,666 --> 00:10:26,751 he was brilliant by himself. 270 00:10:26,751 --> 00:10:30,004 Now then to a guy like that you add Phil Hartman, 271 00:10:30,004 --> 00:10:33,508 and Lynne Stewart, and Edie McClurg and 272 00:10:33,508 --> 00:10:36,594 John Paragon, and you've got gold. 273 00:10:36,594 --> 00:10:37,929 [Cheering] 274 00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:41,599 We ran it at the Grounding Theatre in the midnight hour, 275 00:10:41,599 --> 00:10:45,562 and our last show there was taped for HBO, 276 00:10:45,562 --> 00:10:48,815 and that's the show that you could still see on TV now. 277 00:10:48,815 --> 00:10:50,483 -Can I light it or ya? -No. 278 00:10:50,483 --> 00:10:52,068 -Why? -Because. 279 00:10:52,068 --> 00:10:53,570 -Because why? -Because I said so. 280 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:55,196 -Why'd you say so? -Because. 281 00:10:55,196 --> 00:10:57,490 -Because why? -Just because no! 282 00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:01,286 [Laughing] 283 00:11:01,286 --> 00:11:02,579 I'm Lisa Jarvis. 284 00:11:02,579 --> 00:11:04,789 I'm Phil Hartman's second wife. 285 00:11:04,789 --> 00:11:06,541 I was 22 when Phil and I met, 286 00:11:06,541 --> 00:11:08,209 and he was working on 287 00:11:08,209 --> 00:11:10,712 The Pee-Wee Herman Show with Paul Reubens. 288 00:11:10,712 --> 00:11:13,339 He just pulled me right into this world of all this 289 00:11:13,339 --> 00:11:15,133 excitement and it was marvellous. 290 00:11:15,133 --> 00:11:19,512 We met at a club in Los Angeles called 'Madam Wongs'. 291 00:11:19,512 --> 00:11:21,180 I was just dancing and running around on the 292 00:11:21,180 --> 00:11:23,141 dance floor, and he came up to me and he said, 293 00:11:23,141 --> 00:11:24,517 "Can I have this dance"? 294 00:11:24,517 --> 00:11:26,978 He was a really good dancer and 295 00:11:26,978 --> 00:11:29,814 just fun and lively and creative. 296 00:11:29,814 --> 00:11:31,316 That was the real Phil. 297 00:11:31,316 --> 00:11:33,860 I think I fell in love with the real Phil at that point. 298 00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:35,945 We moved in together pretty quickly and were married 299 00:11:35,945 --> 00:11:38,406 a little while afterward. But when we were at home, 300 00:11:38,406 --> 00:11:40,241 I'd get up in the morning and he would be in 301 00:11:40,241 --> 00:11:42,410 some insane costume. 302 00:11:42,410 --> 00:11:44,329 He would just be entertaining, 303 00:11:44,329 --> 00:11:46,873 not in a way that he was trying to make you laugh, 304 00:11:46,873 --> 00:11:49,083 but you couldn't help laughing at him. 305 00:11:49,083 --> 00:11:51,002 But as with his first marriage, 306 00:11:51,002 --> 00:11:53,796 Phil quickly loses interest. 307 00:11:53,796 --> 00:11:55,882 It just sort of fell apart as soon as we got married. 308 00:11:55,882 --> 00:11:58,176 Something odd happened where he went into his shell. 309 00:11:58,176 --> 00:12:01,930 He would spend a lot of time in his room writing for the 310 00:12:01,930 --> 00:12:04,390 Groundlings, drawing, doing voice over, 311 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:06,392 really involved in his career. 312 00:12:06,392 --> 00:12:08,770 And, you know, here I am a 22-year-old, you know, 313 00:12:08,770 --> 00:12:11,272 pistol, thinking I was gonna have this really lively, 314 00:12:11,272 --> 00:12:14,776 really fun, really fabulous life that I'd married... 315 00:12:14,776 --> 00:12:16,194 and he disappeared. 316 00:12:16,194 --> 00:12:19,113 -No women! -No women! 317 00:12:19,113 --> 00:12:20,406 -Women! -Women! 318 00:12:20,406 --> 00:12:22,325 -Dames. -Dames. 319 00:12:22,325 --> 00:12:24,118 -Women. -Women... 320 00:12:24,118 --> 00:12:26,496 -Women. -Women. 321 00:12:26,496 --> 00:12:28,247 Phil's character of Captain Carl 322 00:12:28,247 --> 00:12:31,501 actually was his way of living, 323 00:12:31,501 --> 00:12:35,421 especially as it pertained to the women in his life. 324 00:12:35,421 --> 00:12:38,967 He didn't want to have confrontations and 325 00:12:38,967 --> 00:12:40,760 he didn't want to have to compete with 326 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:44,639 a female or wife. 327 00:12:44,639 --> 00:12:47,767 As Phil shuts down, so does his marriage. 328 00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:51,145 In 1985, he and Lisa get divorced. 329 00:12:51,145 --> 00:12:53,898 I remember once we were in the middle of a major 330 00:12:53,898 --> 00:12:56,693 emotional scene, it was nearing the end of 331 00:12:56,693 --> 00:12:59,612 our relationship, I was weeping and begging him 332 00:12:59,612 --> 00:13:03,825 for something, and he just turned around and said, 333 00:13:03,825 --> 00:13:05,743 "I can't do this. I'm not doing this. 334 00:13:05,743 --> 00:13:07,120 I'm going to bed." 335 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:08,579 This is probably the 8th or 10th time, 336 00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:10,790 or 20th time he'd done that to me. 337 00:13:10,790 --> 00:13:14,043 And he went in the bedroom and just got in bed and 338 00:13:14,043 --> 00:13:15,545 absolutely blacked out. 339 00:13:15,545 --> 00:13:17,839 He had this ability to just completely and 340 00:13:17,839 --> 00:13:20,049 utterly disappear in the middle of the 341 00:13:20,049 --> 00:13:23,594 most extreme emotional experiences. 342 00:13:23,594 --> 00:13:25,305 It was enough, it was done. 343 00:13:25,305 --> 00:13:28,307 I was over it, I just was done. 344 00:13:28,307 --> 00:13:30,810 While Phil's personal life falls apart... 345 00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:33,646 [Yelling] Geronimo! 346 00:13:33,646 --> 00:13:34,856 The Pee-Wee Herman Show gets 347 00:13:34,856 --> 00:13:38,359 turned into a major motion picture. 348 00:13:38,359 --> 00:13:41,362 Despite having no prior screenwriting experience... 349 00:13:41,362 --> 00:13:43,614 Pee-Wee Herman is Pee-Wee Herman. 350 00:13:43,614 --> 00:13:45,116 Hello! [Laughing] 351 00:13:45,116 --> 00:13:48,119 Phil co-writes Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. 352 00:13:48,119 --> 00:13:49,787 I didn't really care about being famous, 353 00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:52,415 I just wanted to make a living doing something 354 00:13:52,415 --> 00:13:55,251 that was fun, and I really love writing. 355 00:13:55,251 --> 00:13:57,712 But when Pee-Wee Herman's Show was remade for 356 00:13:57,712 --> 00:14:00,423 Saturday morning television as 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse'... 357 00:14:00,423 --> 00:14:01,841 Goodbye, everybody! 358 00:14:01,841 --> 00:14:03,634 Phil is no longer involved. 359 00:14:03,634 --> 00:14:05,011 You're at odds with him, aren't you? 360 00:14:05,011 --> 00:14:06,804 -Yeah. -Why? 361 00:14:06,804 --> 00:14:09,390 Because you felt you helped develop the Pee-Wee Playhouse 362 00:14:09,390 --> 00:14:11,350 and you never received credit or money for it. 363 00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:15,229 We had a contract that said that we get 3% of 364 00:14:15,229 --> 00:14:16,731 whatever happens with this show. 365 00:14:16,731 --> 00:14:17,648 Right. 366 00:14:17,648 --> 00:14:18,900 And then I went on and I co-wrote 367 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:20,568 Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with Paul, 368 00:14:20,568 --> 00:14:22,153 and I worked with him on that. 369 00:14:22,153 --> 00:14:23,613 -A huge movie. -Yeah. 370 00:14:23,613 --> 00:14:26,699 And then he decided to do the TV show and all of us were... 371 00:14:26,699 --> 00:14:27,909 -Out. -Out. 372 00:14:27,909 --> 00:14:28,951 You called him probably and said, 373 00:14:28,951 --> 00:14:30,119 "Hey Pee-Wee, what's the deal? 374 00:14:30,119 --> 00:14:31,454 Paul, what's the deal"? 375 00:14:31,454 --> 00:14:33,372 Well, in truth, I didn't. 376 00:14:33,372 --> 00:14:34,916 -Argh! -Have a nice day! 377 00:14:34,916 --> 00:14:38,252 Phil never really stood up for himself against Pee-Wee, 378 00:14:38,252 --> 00:14:40,838 even though he knew he was being ripped off, 379 00:14:40,838 --> 00:14:45,259 he didn't want to confront anybody. 380 00:14:45,259 --> 00:14:47,345 Later that year, Phil's friend and 381 00:14:47,345 --> 00:14:50,306 longtime Groundlings collaborator, Jon Lovitz, 382 00:14:50,306 --> 00:14:52,809 gets him a career changing opportunity... 383 00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:55,645 an audition for Saturday Night Live. 384 00:14:55,645 --> 00:14:58,815 Just some characters and different things. 385 00:14:58,815 --> 00:15:00,942 I won't take a lot of your time. 386 00:15:00,942 --> 00:15:02,735 What happens next will permanently 387 00:15:02,735 --> 00:15:04,904 change the course of Phil's life. 388 00:15:04,904 --> 00:15:06,364 Your contract isn't being renewed, 389 00:15:06,364 --> 00:15:07,949 the studio is letting you go. 390 00:15:07,949 --> 00:15:09,158 Level with me. 391 00:15:09,158 --> 00:15:11,119 If you're unhappy with my work, tell me now. 392 00:15:11,119 --> 00:15:12,453 Alright, everyone says you're the 393 00:15:12,453 --> 00:15:13,788 worst doctor in town. 394 00:15:13,788 --> 00:15:14,997 Don't leave me hanging by a thread. 395 00:15:14,997 --> 00:15:16,165 If you're unhappy with my performance, 396 00:15:16,165 --> 00:15:17,375 just give it to me straight. 397 00:15:17,375 --> 00:15:18,835 Alright, you're through, do you hear me? Through! 398 00:15:18,835 --> 00:15:20,294 You'll never work in this town again. 399 00:15:20,294 --> 00:15:21,587 Your life is finished. 400 00:15:21,587 --> 00:15:23,256 What's the word on the street? 401 00:15:23,256 --> 00:15:25,967 [Laughing] 402 00:15:25,967 --> 00:15:28,803 In 1986, Phil stars in his first 403 00:15:28,803 --> 00:15:31,305 Saturday Night Live sketch. 404 00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:33,516 So long, sucker. 405 00:15:33,516 --> 00:15:38,479 See you sometime in late January. 406 00:15:38,479 --> 00:15:40,898 As an actor working with him, you felt at ease watching. 407 00:15:40,898 --> 00:15:42,775 You weren't like, is something bizarre gonna happen? 408 00:15:42,775 --> 00:15:46,612 It was just very easy and fun watching. 409 00:15:46,612 --> 00:15:49,198 She's disqualified! 410 00:15:49,198 --> 00:15:51,033 Oh, boy. 411 00:15:51,033 --> 00:15:53,911 The previous season of SNL had seen poor ratings. 412 00:15:53,911 --> 00:15:56,706 Phil's first episode kicks off with Madonna 413 00:15:56,706 --> 00:15:59,458 poking fun at the show's problems. 414 00:15:59,458 --> 00:16:03,379 It was all a dream, a horrible, horrible dream. 415 00:16:03,379 --> 00:16:05,089 [Laughing] [Clapping] 416 00:16:05,089 --> 00:16:06,382 Don't leave me hanging by a thread. 417 00:16:06,382 --> 00:16:08,217 Let me know where I stand! 418 00:16:08,217 --> 00:16:10,845 In his first season, Phil's brilliance helps 419 00:16:10,845 --> 00:16:13,890 carry the struggling show back from the brink. 420 00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:15,558 I believe the first breakthrough 421 00:16:15,558 --> 00:16:18,769 in that era was Jon, and then Phil and Dana, 422 00:16:18,769 --> 00:16:20,771 and they definitely turned it into 423 00:16:20,771 --> 00:16:22,148 something that was much more popular than 424 00:16:22,148 --> 00:16:24,025 what immediately proceeded it. 425 00:16:24,025 --> 00:16:28,362 -Women. -[Laughing] 426 00:16:28,362 --> 00:16:33,034 Are exploited in relationships because 427 00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:36,621 there's a lot of men out there who lie to them, 428 00:16:36,621 --> 00:16:40,708 who cheat on them, who live off them, 429 00:16:40,708 --> 00:16:44,003 and then when they're done using 'em, 430 00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:46,881 throw 'em out like last night's garbage. 431 00:16:46,881 --> 00:16:49,008 [Applauding] 432 00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:50,760 In the same year, Phil goes on a 433 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:52,970 blind date with Brynn Omdahl. 434 00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:54,847 It's love at first sight. 435 00:16:54,847 --> 00:16:58,017 I had heard about her because Phil was telling myself and 436 00:16:58,017 --> 00:17:00,394 other friends, "She's just beautiful." 437 00:17:00,394 --> 00:17:03,147 She was a former bikini model. 438 00:17:03,147 --> 00:17:05,816 She's unbelievably gorgeous, 439 00:17:05,816 --> 00:17:08,069 she's just a goddess. 440 00:17:08,069 --> 00:17:11,614 A year later they get married and soon have two kids. 441 00:17:11,614 --> 00:17:14,575 I met Brynn and would see her every Saturday night, 442 00:17:14,575 --> 00:17:16,327 and his kids would come, and they would have dinner, 443 00:17:16,327 --> 00:17:18,246 and it was like, well, here are all these lunatics, 444 00:17:18,246 --> 00:17:20,581 all of us eating, and there's Phil having, 445 00:17:20,581 --> 00:17:21,916 you know, his wife and his children having 446 00:17:21,916 --> 00:17:23,167 this beautiful dinner together. 447 00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:26,712 And it was really nice, very normalizing. 448 00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:28,673 As Phil grows his own family, 449 00:17:28,673 --> 00:17:31,133 he also becomes a household name. 450 00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:33,886 You enjoying your middle class tax cut? 451 00:17:33,886 --> 00:17:36,639 [Laughing] 452 00:17:36,639 --> 00:17:39,058 He did very broad, over-the-top versions. 453 00:17:39,058 --> 00:17:40,977 His Frank Sinatra, for example. 454 00:17:40,977 --> 00:17:42,561 Okay, next issue. 455 00:17:42,561 --> 00:17:46,565 Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner, who would you rather nail? 456 00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:49,193 I disqualify myself 'cause I've done 'em both. 457 00:17:49,193 --> 00:17:50,987 I love when he played Reagan. 458 00:17:50,987 --> 00:17:52,989 Don't make me have to kill you. 459 00:17:52,989 --> 00:17:54,699 [Laughing] 460 00:17:54,699 --> 00:17:57,910 Ed McMahon, because he just did it so brilliantly. 461 00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:00,371 This is our final show and Ed is drunk. 462 00:18:00,371 --> 00:18:02,206 [Laughing] 463 00:18:02,206 --> 00:18:07,128 You are correct, sir, yes! 464 00:18:07,128 --> 00:18:10,214 Maybe Bill Clinton was the game changer for him at SNL. 465 00:18:10,214 --> 00:18:12,300 Well, I just want to mingle with the American people. 466 00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:13,551 Talk with some real folks, 467 00:18:13,551 --> 00:18:15,761 maybe get a Diet Coke or somethin'. 468 00:18:15,761 --> 00:18:19,265 Fine, but please don't tell Mrs. Clinton. 469 00:18:19,265 --> 00:18:21,726 Jim, let me tell you something. 470 00:18:21,726 --> 00:18:23,519 There's gonna be a whole bunch of things 471 00:18:23,519 --> 00:18:25,688 we don't tell Mrs. Clinton. 472 00:18:25,688 --> 00:18:26,939 [Laughing] [Clapping] 473 00:18:26,939 --> 00:18:29,191 Fast food is the least of our worries. 474 00:18:29,191 --> 00:18:30,359 Okay, buddy? 475 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,528 Oh my god, it's Bill Clinton! 476 00:18:32,528 --> 00:18:35,740 Phil did not have, until that point really, 477 00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:38,576 a signature character where you could always go, 478 00:18:38,576 --> 00:18:40,202 "Oh, that's Phil Hartman." 479 00:18:40,202 --> 00:18:42,246 But he looked enough like Bill Clinton, 480 00:18:42,246 --> 00:18:44,206 and his impression was spot on. 481 00:18:44,206 --> 00:18:48,794 See, right now we're sending food to Somalia. 482 00:18:48,794 --> 00:18:52,631 But it's not getting to the people who need it because 483 00:18:52,631 --> 00:18:54,675 it's being intercepted by warlords. 484 00:18:54,675 --> 00:18:56,260 [Laughing] 485 00:18:56,260 --> 00:18:58,929 [Garbled] And it's not just us! 486 00:18:58,929 --> 00:19:01,474 It's other countries too. 487 00:19:01,474 --> 00:19:05,102 Like your McNugget, it's released from 488 00:19:05,102 --> 00:19:09,231 Great Britain to Somalia, intercepted by warlord. 489 00:19:09,231 --> 00:19:11,734 [Laughing] [Clapping] 490 00:19:11,734 --> 00:19:13,986 [Dave] Phil quickly became the writing staff's 491 00:19:13,986 --> 00:19:15,488 favourite mouthpiece. 492 00:19:15,488 --> 00:19:19,200 Aid from Italy, warlord. 493 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,869 Because you could hand anything to Phil and just be 494 00:19:21,869 --> 00:19:24,497 guaranteed that if there's a laugh in your script, 495 00:19:24,497 --> 00:19:25,831 Phil will get it. 496 00:19:25,831 --> 00:19:28,501 Hakuna Matata, Jay. 497 00:19:28,501 --> 00:19:30,419 You know, and he'll probably dig a couple of extra ones 498 00:19:30,419 --> 00:19:32,463 out that you didn't even know you put in. 499 00:19:32,463 --> 00:19:35,508 I prayed to you all the time. 500 00:19:35,508 --> 00:19:39,428 -I know. -[Laughing] 501 00:19:39,428 --> 00:19:42,431 That's why I've come to talk to you. 502 00:19:42,431 --> 00:19:43,641 Phil was the glue of the show. 503 00:19:43,641 --> 00:19:45,059 He was the one that you could count on, 504 00:19:45,059 --> 00:19:46,143 that if things fall apart, 505 00:19:46,143 --> 00:19:47,186 he's gonna pull it back together. 506 00:19:47,186 --> 00:19:49,021 You could get mixed up or go off, 507 00:19:49,021 --> 00:19:50,898 and Phil would bring you back around. 508 00:19:50,898 --> 00:19:53,275 I was at a party with all the SNL people, 509 00:19:53,275 --> 00:19:55,986 and I went up to Lorne and I said, "Well, so, 510 00:19:55,986 --> 00:19:58,906 how does it feel to have Phil Hartman in your cast now"? 511 00:19:58,906 --> 00:20:01,992 And he said, "I barely have to go to work now." 512 00:20:01,992 --> 00:20:04,245 Phil's work on Saturday Night Live earns him 513 00:20:04,245 --> 00:20:07,039 a primetime Emmy in 1989. 514 00:20:07,039 --> 00:20:11,085 [Cheering & applauding] 515 00:20:11,085 --> 00:20:14,547 But his rising stardom leads to tension in his marriage. 516 00:20:14,547 --> 00:20:17,341 Brynn always had show business in her mind. 517 00:20:17,341 --> 00:20:20,428 She wanted to be in show business. 518 00:20:20,428 --> 00:20:22,680 Phil told her, "Stick with me, baby, 519 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:24,473 and you'll be famous." 520 00:20:24,473 --> 00:20:28,060 Phil would be embarrassed because he had to shop stuff 521 00:20:28,060 --> 00:20:30,312 that she had written with a friend of hers. 522 00:20:30,312 --> 00:20:32,273 I don't think Phil was that impressed with it, 523 00:20:32,273 --> 00:20:33,983 but she's your wife, what are you going to say? 524 00:20:33,983 --> 00:20:35,734 She's the mother of your children. 525 00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:37,903 When the show films a new opening sequence, 526 00:20:37,903 --> 00:20:42,074 Phil uses his status on SNL to try and get Brynn a break. 527 00:20:42,074 --> 00:20:44,410 In Phil's opening credit shot, 528 00:20:44,410 --> 00:20:46,996 he's sitting at a bistro with what is obviously 529 00:20:46,996 --> 00:20:50,416 a mystery blonde, and she has this very large, 530 00:20:50,416 --> 00:20:52,626 chandelier-like set of earrings. 531 00:20:52,626 --> 00:20:55,463 And although she's facing him and standing still, 532 00:20:55,463 --> 00:20:58,090 her earring is moving, it's swaying back and forth, 533 00:20:58,090 --> 00:21:00,760 and that's because when they were trying to shoot that, 534 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:02,511 whenever they said, "Phil Hartman, 535 00:21:02,511 --> 00:21:03,721 ladies and gentlemen"! 536 00:21:03,721 --> 00:21:06,265 He would turn and smile at the camera, 537 00:21:06,265 --> 00:21:09,393 and Brynn apparently would turn and face the camera also. 538 00:21:09,393 --> 00:21:10,519 And they would say, 539 00:21:10,519 --> 00:21:11,979 "Brynn, that's not what you're supposed to do. 540 00:21:11,979 --> 00:21:13,314 It's Phil's shot." 541 00:21:13,314 --> 00:21:15,316 So she kept, back and forth, back and forth, 542 00:21:15,316 --> 00:21:16,817 and so this earring was going. 543 00:21:16,817 --> 00:21:19,653 So, finally they confused her enough that she was 544 00:21:19,653 --> 00:21:22,490 looking at him with the back of her head to the camera. 545 00:21:22,490 --> 00:21:24,825 Phil was facing the camera and the earring was 546 00:21:24,825 --> 00:21:26,702 still moving and they went with that. 547 00:21:26,702 --> 00:21:29,163 I think that speaks volumes about what she wanted 548 00:21:29,163 --> 00:21:31,415 from her relationship with Phil Hartman. 549 00:21:31,415 --> 00:21:34,543 He told me that it was her expectation that 550 00:21:34,543 --> 00:21:36,045 her face would be seen. 551 00:21:36,045 --> 00:21:39,215 That was a big issue that kept coming back up 552 00:21:39,215 --> 00:21:41,383 after he left the show. 553 00:21:41,383 --> 00:21:43,844 While Brynn continues to take care of the household, 554 00:21:43,844 --> 00:21:47,598 hoping for her big break, Phil's career is unstoppable. 555 00:21:47,598 --> 00:21:50,768 ♪ The Simpsons! ♪ 556 00:21:50,768 --> 00:21:52,269 The Simpsons was new then. 557 00:21:52,269 --> 00:21:54,438 It was a phenomenon. It was, like, amazing. 558 00:21:54,438 --> 00:21:56,690 So when we were casting the episode, 559 00:21:56,690 --> 00:21:58,526 Bart gets hit by a car, there was a part for 560 00:21:58,526 --> 00:22:00,194 the sleazy lawyer, Lionel Hutz, 561 00:22:00,194 --> 00:22:02,863 and I wanted Phil Hartman because we loved SNL. 562 00:22:02,863 --> 00:22:04,490 Hutz is the name Mr. Simpson. 563 00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:06,158 Lionel Hutz, attorney at law. 564 00:22:06,158 --> 00:22:07,451 Here's my card. 565 00:22:07,451 --> 00:22:09,203 It turns into a sponge when you put it in water. 566 00:22:09,203 --> 00:22:10,412 Ooh, classy. 567 00:22:10,412 --> 00:22:12,206 If you think about Phil's voice, you go, 568 00:22:12,206 --> 00:22:13,290 oh, that's perfect. 569 00:22:13,290 --> 00:22:14,875 It's like an old-time radio voice. 570 00:22:14,875 --> 00:22:16,877 And funny. 571 00:22:16,877 --> 00:22:18,462 When Phil reads the character, 572 00:22:18,462 --> 00:22:20,256 he doesn't disappoint. 573 00:22:20,256 --> 00:22:22,550 He comes in and he gets these enormous laughs. 574 00:22:22,550 --> 00:22:24,593 As a writer I'm always pretty nervous, 575 00:22:24,593 --> 00:22:26,178 and so anytime something gets a huge laugh, 576 00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:27,638 I'm pleasantly surprised. 577 00:22:27,638 --> 00:22:29,348 I'm sorry, Mr. Simpson, 578 00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:31,642 but you can't copyright a drink. 579 00:22:31,642 --> 00:22:32,893 Oh! 580 00:22:32,893 --> 00:22:35,896 Oh this all goes back to the Frank Wallbanger case of '78. 581 00:22:35,896 --> 00:22:38,023 How about that? I looked something up. 582 00:22:38,023 --> 00:22:40,192 Phil becomes a Simpsons regular, 583 00:22:40,192 --> 00:22:42,444 and goes on to voice some of the show's most 584 00:22:42,444 --> 00:22:46,031 memorable characters, like Lyle Lanley. 585 00:22:46,031 --> 00:22:48,701 And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. 586 00:22:48,701 --> 00:22:50,411 Probably the greatest. 587 00:22:50,411 --> 00:22:51,870 And Troy McClure. 588 00:22:51,870 --> 00:22:53,372 Hi, I'm Troy McClure. 589 00:22:53,372 --> 00:22:55,624 You may remember me from such nature films 590 00:22:55,624 --> 00:22:57,459 as 'Earwigs: Ew.' 591 00:22:57,459 --> 00:23:01,338 And 'Man Versus Nature: The Road to Victory.' 592 00:23:01,338 --> 00:23:03,465 Alongside these personal successes, 593 00:23:03,465 --> 00:23:05,926 Phil's marital problems intensify, 594 00:23:05,926 --> 00:23:08,345 and start to bleed into his professional life. 595 00:23:08,345 --> 00:23:10,389 Brynn would do anything to try to evoke 596 00:23:10,389 --> 00:23:11,974 a reaction out of Phil. 597 00:23:11,974 --> 00:23:14,018 We were all sitting around the table at SNL, 598 00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:15,811 all the writers and the actors, 599 00:23:15,811 --> 00:23:19,231 and she would come in and sit on guy's laps and 600 00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:22,067 try to get some jealous reaction out of Phil, 601 00:23:22,067 --> 00:23:23,402 and he was like, eh, 602 00:23:23,402 --> 00:23:25,529 you know, he just didn't care. 603 00:23:25,529 --> 00:23:29,700 If you asked the question, was Philip confrontational? 604 00:23:29,700 --> 00:23:31,952 I would answer absolutely not. 605 00:23:31,952 --> 00:23:34,580 The worst thing you could ever say to Phil is, 606 00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:35,914 "We need to talk." 607 00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:39,126 He would go away and you would not be able 608 00:23:39,126 --> 00:23:41,545 to have an adult conversation with him. 609 00:23:41,545 --> 00:23:44,632 He was unwilling to deal with trouble, 610 00:23:44,632 --> 00:23:46,342 any kind of trouble. He couldn't do it. 611 00:23:46,342 --> 00:23:48,636 He was emotionally unable to confront. 612 00:23:48,636 --> 00:23:50,596 ♪ 613 00:23:58,479 --> 00:24:01,732 Well, darling, I'm afraid you'll have to. 614 00:24:01,732 --> 00:24:03,943 You did sign a prenuptial agreement. 615 00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:06,236 [Laughing] 616 00:24:06,236 --> 00:24:08,489 We're getting a real look behind the scenes of 617 00:24:08,489 --> 00:24:10,491 Phil Hartman's life. 618 00:24:10,491 --> 00:24:12,910 In an appearance on Entertainment Television, 619 00:24:12,910 --> 00:24:14,870 Howard Stern confronts Phil about 620 00:24:14,870 --> 00:24:16,664 his troubled relationships. 621 00:24:16,664 --> 00:24:18,999 And what is it about you that is so difficult to live with? 622 00:24:18,999 --> 00:24:21,377 Are you a tough mate? 623 00:24:21,377 --> 00:24:24,546 Phil's response is uncharacteristically candid. 624 00:24:24,546 --> 00:24:27,132 What goes wrong is that 625 00:24:27,132 --> 00:24:29,510 I think that I know it all, 626 00:24:29,510 --> 00:24:33,514 and I marry women who get hysterical and 627 00:24:33,514 --> 00:24:36,433 extremely emotional, and men often think, 628 00:24:36,433 --> 00:24:37,810 "That's wrong. What's wrong with them? 629 00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:38,894 They're not like me. 630 00:24:38,894 --> 00:24:39,853 I'm cool, calm, and collected." 631 00:24:39,853 --> 00:24:42,064 But, I'm also passive-aggressive. 632 00:24:42,064 --> 00:24:43,440 I'm also... 633 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,860 I'm with a woman now who won't take that kind of bull. 634 00:24:46,860 --> 00:24:48,320 -She won't take any of that? -No. 635 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,408 She brought me out of a typical male neurotic mindset. 636 00:24:52,408 --> 00:24:53,909 His personal transformation 637 00:24:53,909 --> 00:24:56,662 isn't the only revelation of the interview. 638 00:24:56,662 --> 00:24:58,122 And Phil says that this will probably be 639 00:24:58,122 --> 00:24:59,873 his last season on Saturday Night Live. 640 00:24:59,873 --> 00:25:01,875 Yes, it will be, definitely. My eighth year. 641 00:25:01,875 --> 00:25:04,461 -I think this is a mistake. -Nothing against New York. 642 00:25:04,461 --> 00:25:06,922 I like New York, but I love California. 643 00:25:06,922 --> 00:25:09,258 He was thinking, "I'm 46 years old, 644 00:25:09,258 --> 00:25:11,802 I'm married, I've got two children. 645 00:25:11,802 --> 00:25:15,431 I want to go back to the west coast where my family is and 646 00:25:15,431 --> 00:25:17,349 I can make more money there." 647 00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:19,935 Plus he had movie connections, 648 00:25:19,935 --> 00:25:21,979 he had commercials he could do. 649 00:25:21,979 --> 00:25:26,191 Everything was pointing for him to go west coast. 650 00:25:26,191 --> 00:25:29,403 There's another major reason Phil is ready to leave SNL. 651 00:25:29,403 --> 00:25:31,905 No the truth is, I have a deal with NBC 652 00:25:31,905 --> 00:25:33,824 to do my own show in primetime. 653 00:25:33,824 --> 00:25:36,368 It's not exactly a sitcom, but it will be done 654 00:25:36,368 --> 00:25:38,078 in front of an audience with four cameras. 655 00:25:38,078 --> 00:25:41,457 It's gonna be very different and somewhat ambitious. 656 00:25:41,457 --> 00:25:45,127 He said, "Well, NBC is throwing money at me and 657 00:25:45,127 --> 00:25:48,422 they want me to do anything I want in primetime." 658 00:25:48,422 --> 00:25:51,800 So he asked me to help him develop something called 659 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:53,218 'The Phil Show.' 660 00:25:53,218 --> 00:25:56,638 The Phil Show promises to be a major step in his career. 661 00:25:56,638 --> 00:25:58,515 Even though he was well paid, 662 00:25:58,515 --> 00:26:01,018 and paid more than most cast members, 663 00:26:01,018 --> 00:26:03,479 it was still late night money and 664 00:26:03,479 --> 00:26:07,566 NBC wanted to make Phil primetime. 665 00:26:07,566 --> 00:26:09,151 And he plans to use it to launch 666 00:26:09,151 --> 00:26:11,320 Brynn's acting career as well. 667 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:15,574 It was basically our take on the old 'Jack Benny' show. 668 00:26:15,574 --> 00:26:18,577 'The Phil Show' will be you doing a variety show and then 669 00:26:18,577 --> 00:26:21,580 you come home to Brynn, and it will be really Brynn. 670 00:26:21,580 --> 00:26:23,499 And I thought, you know, this could really work 671 00:26:23,499 --> 00:26:25,083 because it'll make her happy. 672 00:26:25,083 --> 00:26:26,752 It'll make Phil happy. 673 00:26:26,752 --> 00:26:29,254 Everyone's getting something they want out of this. 674 00:26:29,254 --> 00:26:31,465 And she's funny, she's beautiful, 675 00:26:31,465 --> 00:26:34,009 she's fresh to the public. Why not? 676 00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:36,303 The gears are in motion for Phil to star in 677 00:26:36,303 --> 00:26:39,014 his own show and save his marriage. 678 00:26:39,014 --> 00:26:41,767 I thought we were going to discuss your hot butt. 679 00:26:41,767 --> 00:26:43,268 [Laughing] 680 00:26:43,268 --> 00:26:44,770 He performs in his last episode of 681 00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:46,396 Saturday Night Live. 682 00:26:46,396 --> 00:26:49,691 I can't imagine a more dignified way 683 00:26:49,691 --> 00:26:54,112 to end my eight years on this program. 684 00:26:54,112 --> 00:26:57,991 ♪ [Singing] Goodbye... ♪ 685 00:26:57,991 --> 00:27:01,495 ♪ Goodbye... ♪ 686 00:27:01,495 --> 00:27:05,457 ♪ Goodbye. ♪ 687 00:27:05,457 --> 00:27:06,458 [Applauding & Cheering] 688 00:27:06,458 --> 00:27:09,878 But then, NBC decides to shelf 'The Phil Show.' 689 00:27:09,878 --> 00:27:11,588 While we were waiting to hear whether 690 00:27:11,588 --> 00:27:13,507 we're going to a pilot, 691 00:27:13,507 --> 00:27:16,677 there was another team producing an ensemble show 692 00:27:16,677 --> 00:27:19,847 for NBC primetime called 'NewsRadio.' 693 00:27:19,847 --> 00:27:22,349 NewsRadio was a sitcom about a 24-hour 694 00:27:22,349 --> 00:27:24,977 news station in New York City. 695 00:27:24,977 --> 00:27:26,937 Despite scrapping Phil's variety show, 696 00:27:26,937 --> 00:27:30,357 NBC offers him the lead role as an amoral anchorman 697 00:27:30,357 --> 00:27:32,943 in their new series. 698 00:27:32,943 --> 00:27:34,152 He called me and said, "You know, 699 00:27:34,152 --> 00:27:37,489 I'd rather do this show where all I have to do is show up 700 00:27:37,489 --> 00:27:39,867 and be an actor, and I don't have to worry about the 701 00:27:39,867 --> 00:27:42,578 scripts, and I don't have to worry about being a producer, 702 00:27:42,578 --> 00:27:45,247 and it's just what I would rather do." 703 00:27:45,247 --> 00:27:48,375 Sup y'all? Brother Bill McNeil in your ears. 704 00:27:48,375 --> 00:27:50,752 What's up y'all?! Bill McNeil here. 705 00:27:50,752 --> 00:27:51,879 Bill? 706 00:27:51,879 --> 00:27:53,505 So I was upset about it a little. 707 00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:56,175 You know, I mean, gee, it was a fun idea. 708 00:27:56,175 --> 00:27:58,260 -And I know what it is. -What? 709 00:27:58,260 --> 00:28:00,762 -Insanity. -[Laughing] 710 00:28:00,762 --> 00:28:04,099 But the person who was most devastated was Brynn, 711 00:28:04,099 --> 00:28:07,769 because that was her shot at fame working with 712 00:28:07,769 --> 00:28:10,230 her husband, and there goes that show. 713 00:28:10,230 --> 00:28:12,816 He did not support her career. 714 00:28:12,816 --> 00:28:16,153 He had no interest in promoting her career 715 00:28:16,153 --> 00:28:17,362 outside of the house. 716 00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:20,532 He wanted her home taking care of the kids. 717 00:28:20,532 --> 00:28:22,492 Listen to me, this stuff is available everywhere. 718 00:28:22,492 --> 00:28:24,828 I mean, if it were only sold through the classifieds 719 00:28:24,828 --> 00:28:26,413 in the back of porn mags. 720 00:28:26,413 --> 00:28:28,081 Porn mags have classified ads in the back? 721 00:28:28,081 --> 00:28:30,542 -Yes. -[Laughing] 722 00:28:30,542 --> 00:28:32,336 So I hear. 723 00:28:32,336 --> 00:28:34,463 Meanwhile, Phil gets to pursue the 724 00:28:34,463 --> 00:28:36,423 opportunity of a lifetime. 725 00:28:36,423 --> 00:28:39,176 Listen, to be a regular on a TV show is 726 00:28:39,176 --> 00:28:41,553 such a rarefied position. 727 00:28:41,553 --> 00:28:43,472 He did some movies before that. 728 00:28:43,472 --> 00:28:46,516 His career was just taking off in general. 729 00:28:46,516 --> 00:28:48,101 His work ethic was intense, 730 00:28:48,101 --> 00:28:50,520 and he was also just so impeccable. 731 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,357 He was a lot sillier, I think, than most people know. 732 00:28:53,357 --> 00:28:55,359 And he enjoyed laughing, he enjoyed when 733 00:28:55,359 --> 00:28:57,235 other people were being funny, 734 00:28:57,235 --> 00:28:59,821 and would often giggle uncontrollably 735 00:28:59,821 --> 00:29:03,033 when people did something that pleased him. 736 00:29:03,033 --> 00:29:04,660 With or without her husband's help, 737 00:29:04,660 --> 00:29:07,829 Brynn tries to revive her acting career. 738 00:29:07,829 --> 00:29:10,290 She lands a minor role as a cocktail waitress 739 00:29:10,290 --> 00:29:13,168 in Rob Reiner's movie 'North.' 740 00:29:13,168 --> 00:29:15,420 -One Coca-Cola. -Right here. 741 00:29:15,420 --> 00:29:17,339 And one sex on the beach. 742 00:29:17,339 --> 00:29:19,675 But the reviews are scathing. 743 00:29:19,675 --> 00:29:22,803 Phil told her that he would help her career, 744 00:29:22,803 --> 00:29:25,722 he'd introduce her to producers, 745 00:29:25,722 --> 00:29:28,225 but that never happened, and she was very 746 00:29:28,225 --> 00:29:31,186 frustrated by it and he used to joke about it. 747 00:29:31,186 --> 00:29:34,064 You know, he was Ricky Ricardo and she was Lucy, 748 00:29:34,064 --> 00:29:36,483 always trying to get in on his stuff. 749 00:29:36,483 --> 00:29:38,860 And that made her depressed. 750 00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:40,737 I think that was the beginning of the end 751 00:29:40,737 --> 00:29:42,280 for Brynn. 752 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,658 ♪ 753 00:29:50,998 --> 00:29:52,374 An inspection, sir. 754 00:29:52,374 --> 00:29:53,792 I wish we had a little more time. 755 00:29:53,792 --> 00:29:55,168 We're not really prepared. 756 00:29:55,168 --> 00:29:56,962 It just always gives me a thrill to see what a real 757 00:29:56,962 --> 00:29:59,381 first rate top kick can do with a platoon. 758 00:29:59,381 --> 00:30:03,093 Between seasons of NewsRadio, Phil stars in movies opposite 759 00:30:03,093 --> 00:30:05,637 actors like Steve Martin 760 00:30:05,637 --> 00:30:07,597 and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 761 00:30:07,597 --> 00:30:09,766 Ted, I need to speak to Liz. Could you get... 762 00:30:09,766 --> 00:30:13,270 Mm! Oh, Howard, excuse me, 763 00:30:13,270 --> 00:30:15,939 but your wife's cookies are out of this world. 764 00:30:15,939 --> 00:30:18,817 What? Who told you you can eat my cookies? 765 00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:22,029 I remember him as like the dad in 'Jingle All The Way.' 766 00:30:22,029 --> 00:30:25,240 He was that character, and he was really likeable too, 767 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,534 even when he was playing, like, kind of douche bags. 768 00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:30,203 He also continues his work on The Simpsons. 769 00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:33,040 As of this moment, Lionel Hutz no longer exists. 770 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:35,584 Say hello to Miguel Sanchez. 771 00:30:35,584 --> 00:30:37,669 And appears in many commercials. 772 00:30:37,669 --> 00:30:39,004 Actually, it's a premonition. 773 00:30:39,004 --> 00:30:40,922 Since the great American sandwich sale. 774 00:30:40,922 --> 00:30:43,842 Enthusiasm, I like that. 775 00:30:43,842 --> 00:30:47,054 Between TV, film, and commercial success, 776 00:30:47,054 --> 00:30:50,599 Phil has reached the upper echelons of fame. 777 00:30:50,599 --> 00:30:54,853 I was never surprised that Phil became who he became. 778 00:30:54,853 --> 00:30:56,480 He had that thing, he had that sparkle, 779 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,815 he had that star quality. 780 00:30:58,815 --> 00:31:00,984 Phil wasn't satisfied with all that he had achieved 781 00:31:00,984 --> 00:31:02,152 for a long time. 782 00:31:02,152 --> 00:31:04,154 I think he always felt frustrated that he hadn't 783 00:31:04,154 --> 00:31:05,906 quite crossed over into a level that 784 00:31:05,906 --> 00:31:07,240 he wanted to get to. 785 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:08,700 And during NewsRadio, 786 00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:10,118 Phil was actually starting to feel 787 00:31:10,118 --> 00:31:13,121 very content, creatively and career-wise. 788 00:31:13,121 --> 00:31:15,123 That was a frustration for Brynn. 789 00:31:15,123 --> 00:31:18,668 Phil's success I think was hard for her to deal with. 790 00:31:18,668 --> 00:31:21,088 Phil also becomes more emotionally distant 791 00:31:21,088 --> 00:31:24,299 from Brynn, spending more time away from home 792 00:31:24,299 --> 00:31:25,759 on his boat. 793 00:31:25,759 --> 00:31:27,886 The boat was his escape. 794 00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:29,179 When we went to Catalina, 795 00:31:29,179 --> 00:31:33,892 it was just to get away from the family. 796 00:31:33,892 --> 00:31:37,646 He took Brynn on the boat once when it was white caps, 797 00:31:37,646 --> 00:31:40,690 and it was going back and forth, and she said, 798 00:31:40,690 --> 00:31:42,400 "I'll never get on this boat again." 799 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,445 And I knew that that was his plan. 800 00:31:45,445 --> 00:31:48,115 It wasn't an accident, it wasn't fortuitous. 801 00:31:48,115 --> 00:31:50,117 [Indistinct chatter] 802 00:31:50,117 --> 00:31:52,494 Most comedians have a number of issues that 803 00:31:52,494 --> 00:31:54,121 they carry around with them in life, 804 00:31:54,121 --> 00:31:55,789 and that they bring to everything they do. 805 00:31:55,789 --> 00:31:58,542 Including, sometimes wonderfully, to their art. 806 00:31:58,542 --> 00:32:00,460 Pick a number between one and a hundred. 807 00:32:00,460 --> 00:32:01,628 -Seriously? -Yeah. 808 00:32:01,628 --> 00:32:03,171 Uh... 68. 809 00:32:03,171 --> 00:32:06,091 Popeye. Wow, all right, Olive. 810 00:32:06,091 --> 00:32:08,301 But he also goes- [Chuckling] 811 00:32:08,301 --> 00:32:12,514 There's this thin membrane between reality and 812 00:32:12,514 --> 00:32:14,307 dreams and dreamland. 813 00:32:14,307 --> 00:32:15,600 Uh... 81. 814 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,018 81 is Jim Nabors. 815 00:32:17,018 --> 00:32:19,479 You know, like, I got a Thanksgiving gift for you, 816 00:32:19,479 --> 00:32:21,565 Sargent Carter. -[Laughing] 817 00:32:21,565 --> 00:32:26,153 An artist like Phil has extremely thin membrane, 818 00:32:26,153 --> 00:32:29,114 because that allows him to go into 819 00:32:29,114 --> 00:32:31,533 another person's persona. 820 00:32:31,533 --> 00:32:34,077 Which is a gift, it's a blessing. 821 00:32:34,077 --> 00:32:36,705 But it also comes with a curse... 822 00:32:36,705 --> 00:32:39,040 and that is, there is nothing left of you. 823 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:40,834 You're going into this person, 824 00:32:40,834 --> 00:32:45,130 you're going into that person, but where's Phil? 825 00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:47,132 The real issue is very simple. 826 00:32:47,132 --> 00:32:50,468 I have mob ties. 827 00:32:50,468 --> 00:32:53,388 The answer is that he needed to be alone. 828 00:32:53,388 --> 00:32:56,725 Anything and anyone that interfered with that, 829 00:32:56,725 --> 00:32:58,810 and that person was Brynn, 830 00:32:58,810 --> 00:33:00,854 she wouldn't leave him alone. 831 00:33:00,854 --> 00:33:03,773 And that's marriage. 832 00:33:03,773 --> 00:33:08,445 He told me enough for me to formulate an opinion that 833 00:33:08,445 --> 00:33:11,615 he was suffering from attachment disorder. 834 00:33:11,615 --> 00:33:13,658 [Off-screen] What is attachment disorder? 835 00:33:13,658 --> 00:33:15,785 Attachment disorder stems from 836 00:33:15,785 --> 00:33:17,829 when you're abused as a child. 837 00:33:17,829 --> 00:33:19,915 It carries on into adulthood. 838 00:33:19,915 --> 00:33:22,751 Simply means that you have a very difficult time 839 00:33:22,751 --> 00:33:24,544 attaching to other people. 840 00:33:24,544 --> 00:33:28,006 Somewhere in his childhood he suffered, 841 00:33:28,006 --> 00:33:32,219 and that resulted in this attachment disorder. 842 00:33:32,219 --> 00:33:34,512 And the fact that he was married three times 843 00:33:34,512 --> 00:33:35,931 is a good indicator. 844 00:33:35,931 --> 00:33:38,183 You could love him, 845 00:33:38,183 --> 00:33:41,394 but you could only go so far. 846 00:33:41,394 --> 00:33:43,104 You weren't welcome in that little room. 847 00:33:43,104 --> 00:33:45,106 Phil's wife Brynn is a recovering addict 848 00:33:45,106 --> 00:33:47,192 who has been sober for a decade, 849 00:33:47,192 --> 00:33:49,486 but then she relapses. 850 00:33:49,486 --> 00:33:51,446 We were both married to addicts. 851 00:33:51,446 --> 00:33:52,656 I lived with Nick Nolte, 852 00:33:52,656 --> 00:33:54,658 I don't think it's a secret at this point, 853 00:33:54,658 --> 00:33:56,910 but when I met Nick, he was sober. 854 00:33:56,910 --> 00:33:59,788 We were all at the Golden Globe Awards at the table, 855 00:33:59,788 --> 00:34:02,332 and I was with Nick, Phil was with Brynn... 856 00:34:02,332 --> 00:34:05,168 all of a sudden, Nick and Brynn, 857 00:34:05,168 --> 00:34:07,087 like it was like an aberration, 858 00:34:07,087 --> 00:34:09,881 and they've both decided to take a drink. 859 00:34:09,881 --> 00:34:12,884 And it was like, what's happening? 860 00:34:12,884 --> 00:34:15,971 She went on to become an alcoholic. 861 00:34:15,971 --> 00:34:17,555 She did cocaine. 862 00:34:17,555 --> 00:34:20,558 She did Zoloft, which was an antidepressant. 863 00:34:20,558 --> 00:34:23,311 She was not in a good place, and that made Phil 864 00:34:23,311 --> 00:34:25,397 even more remote with her. 865 00:34:25,397 --> 00:34:28,650 She had been in rehab twice that I was aware of, 866 00:34:28,650 --> 00:34:32,529 and in each case it was regarding cocaine. 867 00:34:32,529 --> 00:34:35,156 Phil communicated to me more than once that 868 00:34:35,156 --> 00:34:36,783 if she continued with it, 869 00:34:36,783 --> 00:34:40,704 the marriage was gonna be over. 870 00:34:40,704 --> 00:34:42,914 One day at work when we were filming NewsRadio, 871 00:34:42,914 --> 00:34:44,958 he came in and I noticed that there were marks 872 00:34:44,958 --> 00:34:46,918 on his cheek, and I said, 873 00:34:46,918 --> 00:34:48,003 "Are you doing okay, buddy"? 874 00:34:48,003 --> 00:34:50,130 And he said, you know, 875 00:34:50,130 --> 00:34:51,965 "I slept on the house boat again." 876 00:34:51,965 --> 00:34:55,927 Implying it was another horrible night. 877 00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:58,096 I was sad for him. 878 00:34:58,096 --> 00:35:00,307 No one could project what would 879 00:35:00,307 --> 00:35:03,435 ultimately happen, but at one point I said, 880 00:35:03,435 --> 00:35:06,438 "Why don't you leave her? Or like get a divorce"? 881 00:35:06,438 --> 00:35:08,315 And he was like, "Honestly, 882 00:35:08,315 --> 00:35:10,525 I don't want to lose my kids." 883 00:35:10,525 --> 00:35:13,987 And I think he was genuinely so in love with her, 884 00:35:13,987 --> 00:35:15,363 that of course it was something 885 00:35:15,363 --> 00:35:17,574 he didn't want to consider. 886 00:35:17,574 --> 00:35:21,036 In 1998, Phil's marriage is as bad as it's ever been, 887 00:35:21,036 --> 00:35:23,580 but his career continues to peak. 888 00:35:23,580 --> 00:35:25,957 At NewsRadio we think big, big, big! 889 00:35:25,957 --> 00:35:27,751 He's everywhere on TV. 890 00:35:27,751 --> 00:35:29,878 I am like up to my elbows in a midlife crisis, 891 00:35:29,878 --> 00:35:31,254 let's be honest. 892 00:35:31,254 --> 00:35:33,256 I can't cheat on my wife, she's psychic. 893 00:35:33,256 --> 00:35:34,841 [Laughing] 894 00:35:34,841 --> 00:35:37,302 If I look at another woman, she comes home: 895 00:35:37,302 --> 00:35:39,346 "Who's Laura?" I go, "I didn't get a name"! 896 00:35:39,346 --> 00:35:40,221 [Laughing] 897 00:35:40,221 --> 00:35:41,556 "She's a Sagittarius, you know." 898 00:35:41,556 --> 00:35:44,351 Okay, okay. Geez. 899 00:35:44,351 --> 00:35:47,020 So I, I, I... I buy toys. 900 00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:50,774 On Brynn's 40th birthday, she and Phil have dinner. 901 00:35:50,774 --> 00:35:52,692 What did he give her for a present? 902 00:35:52,692 --> 00:35:54,069 A gun. 903 00:35:54,069 --> 00:35:55,862 He may have given her other gifts too, 904 00:35:55,862 --> 00:35:58,448 but the gun was the one that would make 905 00:35:58,448 --> 00:36:01,368 a devastating appearance later on. 906 00:36:01,368 --> 00:36:04,287 She wanted a gun for protection. 907 00:36:04,287 --> 00:36:05,830 It was a pearl handle gun. 908 00:36:05,830 --> 00:36:09,459 You know, as the pieces fell together after that 909 00:36:09,459 --> 00:36:13,505 horrible day, I was like, "Oh my god." 910 00:36:13,505 --> 00:36:15,882 ♪ 911 00:36:23,264 --> 00:36:26,267 At 6:20 this morning, residents of this upscale 912 00:36:26,267 --> 00:36:29,187 Encino neighbourhood called police to report gunshots 913 00:36:29,187 --> 00:36:31,439 coming from the Hartman's gated estate. 914 00:36:31,439 --> 00:36:34,109 I was home, I was watching television, 915 00:36:34,109 --> 00:36:36,986 and the reports said that there was a fatality 916 00:36:36,986 --> 00:36:38,905 at the home of Phil Hartman. 917 00:36:38,905 --> 00:36:40,573 Phil was the one with the guns, 918 00:36:40,573 --> 00:36:42,784 so I called my friend and I said, "Oh my god, 919 00:36:42,784 --> 00:36:44,994 I think Phil shot Brynn." 920 00:36:44,994 --> 00:36:47,122 And then I watched more TV and it 921 00:36:47,122 --> 00:36:50,500 turned out that, no, Phil was the victim. 922 00:36:50,500 --> 00:36:53,002 Officers arrived to find a nine-year-old boy and 923 00:36:53,002 --> 00:36:55,130 a six-year-old girl by the front door, 924 00:36:55,130 --> 00:36:57,173 both obviously upset. 925 00:36:57,173 --> 00:36:59,426 As they were taking the children out of the house, 926 00:36:59,426 --> 00:37:02,137 officers heard a gunshot in the master bedroom. 927 00:37:02,137 --> 00:37:05,348 There they discovered comedian Phil Hartman dead. 928 00:37:05,348 --> 00:37:08,435 Authorities say it appears his wife Brynn shot him, 929 00:37:08,435 --> 00:37:10,520 then the turned gun on herself. 930 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,940 Word of Phil's tragic murder is all over the news. 931 00:37:13,940 --> 00:37:16,818 One of TV's favourite funny men is dead. 932 00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:18,445 Phil Hartman, who gained fame 933 00:37:18,445 --> 00:37:19,654 on Saturday Night Live, 934 00:37:19,654 --> 00:37:21,448 was found shot dead in his home. 935 00:37:21,448 --> 00:37:23,741 Police are still trying to figure out exactly what 936 00:37:23,741 --> 00:37:26,953 happened, but clearly something went very wrong. 937 00:37:26,953 --> 00:37:29,664 After the initial news bulletin, 938 00:37:29,664 --> 00:37:31,374 I'm glued to the television. 939 00:37:31,374 --> 00:37:34,043 I'm sitting on the floor weeping and weeping. 940 00:37:34,043 --> 00:37:36,880 I'm just... just the pain. 941 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,215 'Cause it... 942 00:37:39,215 --> 00:37:41,342 ♪ 943 00:37:41,342 --> 00:37:44,220 He was, he was my husband. 944 00:37:44,220 --> 00:37:47,724 I was in court. My wife called me and said 945 00:37:47,724 --> 00:37:52,187 Phil had been shot. I got as far as the tree 946 00:37:52,187 --> 00:37:56,524 outside the courthouse before I started crying. 947 00:37:56,524 --> 00:38:01,237 I thought I had lost my whole world. 948 00:38:01,237 --> 00:38:04,240 Jon Lovitz hosts an impromptu ceremony in Phil's honour 949 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:07,285 with his friends and former castmates. 950 00:38:07,285 --> 00:38:11,080 Jon was furious, and all the friends who gathered at 951 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,834 Jon Lovitz's house that night were mad at Brynn and 952 00:38:14,834 --> 00:38:17,712 just couldn't believe that she would be 953 00:38:17,712 --> 00:38:20,089 so cruel to do this. 954 00:38:20,089 --> 00:38:22,509 Jon was heartbroken and angry, 955 00:38:22,509 --> 00:38:24,302 and I'm sure in that moment, 956 00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:27,180 wanted somebody to be able to blame. 957 00:38:27,180 --> 00:38:29,057 You always want to, like, "You did it! 958 00:38:29,057 --> 00:38:31,226 You're the reason." You know, when it was really just a 959 00:38:31,226 --> 00:38:33,770 complicated, perfect storm 960 00:38:33,770 --> 00:38:37,899 of horrible, horrible things. 961 00:38:37,899 --> 00:38:40,777 I think that he died in his sleep because I think that 962 00:38:40,777 --> 00:38:44,322 he did that thing he does, which is in the middle of 963 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:46,616 the most intense experience, 964 00:38:46,616 --> 00:38:48,910 he blacks out. 965 00:38:48,910 --> 00:38:51,579 I think that he did that in the middle of some 966 00:38:51,579 --> 00:38:53,998 knockdown drag out with Brynn and 967 00:38:53,998 --> 00:38:58,253 she got a gun and did it. 968 00:38:58,253 --> 00:39:01,839 Listen, it's time I let you in on a little secret, Marge. 969 00:39:01,839 --> 00:39:04,175 While the world grapples with the tragedy, 970 00:39:04,175 --> 00:39:08,680 the shows Phil was working on find ways to pay tribute. 971 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:10,348 It was Mike Scully who said 972 00:39:10,348 --> 00:39:11,849 he didn't want to continue the characters. 973 00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:13,601 I think that was totally the right decision. 974 00:39:13,601 --> 00:39:14,936 His characters on The Simpsons have 975 00:39:14,936 --> 00:39:17,689 never come back out of respect for Phil. 976 00:39:17,689 --> 00:39:20,024 NewsRadio, which revolved around 977 00:39:20,024 --> 00:39:22,277 Phil's character, Bill McNeal, 978 00:39:22,277 --> 00:39:23,903 will never be the same. 979 00:39:23,903 --> 00:39:27,198 When Phil died, as a group, 980 00:39:27,198 --> 00:39:29,242 we decided we didn't want to 981 00:39:29,242 --> 00:39:31,494 move on with the show. 982 00:39:31,494 --> 00:39:34,914 He was the grounding force in it, 983 00:39:34,914 --> 00:39:37,625 and to think of doing it without him was... 984 00:39:37,625 --> 00:39:41,379 you know, nobody wanted to entertain that. 985 00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:43,756 I think it was our director, Tom Cherones, who said, 986 00:39:43,756 --> 00:39:44,966 "Brynn took Phil away from us. 987 00:39:44,966 --> 00:39:47,468 Let's not let her take each other away." 988 00:39:47,468 --> 00:39:49,304 I think I kind of agreed with that argument and 989 00:39:49,304 --> 00:39:51,598 I think everyone had mixed feelings about it. 990 00:39:51,598 --> 00:39:53,141 "...That about wraps it up for me." 991 00:39:53,141 --> 00:39:55,810 Um... 992 00:39:55,810 --> 00:39:57,478 "Farewell, 993 00:39:57,478 --> 00:39:59,480 take care of each other, and I'll..." 994 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:02,692 ♪ 995 00:40:02,692 --> 00:40:04,402 "...see you all when you get to wherever it is 996 00:40:04,402 --> 00:40:07,030 that I am now." 997 00:40:07,030 --> 00:40:08,990 That's it. Um, Matthew- 998 00:40:08,990 --> 00:40:11,117 I remember watching the episode of NewsRadio 999 00:40:11,117 --> 00:40:13,411 where he died, and I don't think I've ever cried 1000 00:40:13,411 --> 00:40:15,246 at a TV show as much as that episode, 1001 00:40:15,246 --> 00:40:16,706 and you could just tell, 1002 00:40:16,706 --> 00:40:20,126 it was the actors were not even being the characters. 1003 00:40:20,126 --> 00:40:21,628 They were just themselves. 1004 00:40:21,628 --> 00:40:24,172 Too bad we don't have any marshmallows. 1005 00:40:24,172 --> 00:40:25,423 [Laughing] 1006 00:40:25,423 --> 00:40:26,841 For everyone close to Phil, 1007 00:40:26,841 --> 00:40:29,385 the big question remains unanswered. 1008 00:40:29,385 --> 00:40:31,721 What led Brynn to take his life 1009 00:40:31,721 --> 00:40:33,598 and her own that night? 1010 00:40:33,598 --> 00:40:35,391 Phil was murdered by his wife, 1011 00:40:35,391 --> 00:40:38,561 and as much as I'm angry at her for doing that, 1012 00:40:38,561 --> 00:40:40,772 you don't want to kill your husband and then yourself. 1013 00:40:40,772 --> 00:40:43,066 No one wants that life, right? 1014 00:40:43,066 --> 00:40:45,526 Like, no one wants that to be their story. 1015 00:40:45,526 --> 00:40:48,196 ♪ 1016 00:40:54,702 --> 00:40:56,621 Whatever you've done, whatever you were, 1017 00:40:56,621 --> 00:40:59,082 doesn't matter to you, or me, 1018 00:40:59,082 --> 00:41:01,084 because I love you. 1019 00:41:01,084 --> 00:41:03,961 While friends and family continue to mourn Phil, 1020 00:41:03,961 --> 00:41:07,256 more details emerge about the night before the murder, 1021 00:41:07,256 --> 00:41:10,718 sparking speculation about what happened to Brynn. 1022 00:41:10,718 --> 00:41:14,097 Her friend who she had dinner with was a writer on SNL... 1023 00:41:14,097 --> 00:41:16,432 You know, it was just a normal dinner. 1024 00:41:16,432 --> 00:41:19,686 She actually told the waiter, 1025 00:41:19,686 --> 00:41:21,854 "Oh, I'll bring Phil in next week." 1026 00:41:21,854 --> 00:41:24,399 So, you know, it was like a happy dinner. 1027 00:41:24,399 --> 00:41:26,818 It wasn't foreshadowing of anything that 1028 00:41:26,818 --> 00:41:27,944 was gonna happen... 1029 00:41:27,944 --> 00:41:31,406 so something set her off when she got home. 1030 00:41:31,406 --> 00:41:33,491 What I believe from what I heard, 1031 00:41:33,491 --> 00:41:35,201 'cause obviously I wasn't there, 1032 00:41:35,201 --> 00:41:37,161 I don't think that she would've 1033 00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:38,913 come home sua sponte, 1034 00:41:38,913 --> 00:41:41,207 just, and shoot him. No. 1035 00:41:41,207 --> 00:41:43,084 He had told me that 1036 00:41:43,084 --> 00:41:45,169 there wasn't gonna be a third rehab. 1037 00:41:45,169 --> 00:41:47,964 So if she came home and she was high, 1038 00:41:47,964 --> 00:41:50,591 and he would've said to her, "We're done." 1039 00:41:50,591 --> 00:41:55,012 And that would've left her in a terrible place. 1040 00:41:55,012 --> 00:41:57,098 But could cocaine and an argument really be enough 1041 00:41:57,098 --> 00:41:59,142 to lead to this tragedy? 1042 00:41:59,142 --> 00:42:01,018 Or could something else have sparked Brynn's 1043 00:42:01,018 --> 00:42:03,354 final act of violence? 1044 00:42:03,354 --> 00:42:04,939 ♪ 1045 00:42:04,939 --> 00:42:07,734 Brynn's autopsy results lead to more speculation 1046 00:42:07,734 --> 00:42:09,569 about what happened. 1047 00:42:09,569 --> 00:42:13,573 She had Zoloft in her system in therapeutic amounts. 1048 00:42:13,573 --> 00:42:15,241 That's an antidepressant. 1049 00:42:15,241 --> 00:42:18,619 She had a high blood content for alcohol 1050 00:42:18,619 --> 00:42:20,705 as well as cocaine. 1051 00:42:20,705 --> 00:42:22,457 Brynn's brother, Greg Omdahl, 1052 00:42:22,457 --> 00:42:25,001 files a wrongful death suit against Pfizer, 1053 00:42:25,001 --> 00:42:28,129 the manufacturer of Zoloft. 1054 00:42:28,129 --> 00:42:29,964 His lawyers argue that the drug was 1055 00:42:29,964 --> 00:42:32,717 improperly prescribed and its violent and 1056 00:42:32,717 --> 00:42:36,429 suicidal side effects led to her and Phil's deaths. 1057 00:42:36,429 --> 00:42:38,014 The only person who will ever know 1058 00:42:38,014 --> 00:42:40,391 what went on that night was Brynn. 1059 00:42:40,391 --> 00:42:42,977 Obviously she was dealing with terrible problems. 1060 00:42:42,977 --> 00:42:44,771 Whenever I saw her, she was lovely 1061 00:42:44,771 --> 00:42:47,106 to her children, lovely to Phil... 1062 00:42:47,106 --> 00:42:49,108 and she must've been tormented, 1063 00:42:49,108 --> 00:42:52,069 and you have to feel great compassion for her. 1064 00:42:52,069 --> 00:42:55,907 Still makes me sad, 1065 00:42:55,907 --> 00:42:57,700 you know, to think about the 1066 00:42:57,700 --> 00:43:00,828 kids losing him and their mom. 1067 00:43:00,828 --> 00:43:05,124 And, uh, you know, still miss him. 1068 00:43:05,124 --> 00:43:07,627 The children were adopted by 1069 00:43:07,627 --> 00:43:09,629 the sister and her husband 1070 00:43:09,629 --> 00:43:11,798 who lived in Minnesota, 1071 00:43:11,798 --> 00:43:13,382 and they raised those kids, 1072 00:43:13,382 --> 00:43:16,052 and they're wonderful adults today. 1073 00:43:16,052 --> 00:43:18,012 There's no question in my mind that Phil's 1074 00:43:18,012 --> 00:43:20,640 greatest achievement was his children. 1075 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,643 That was what he came to Earth for, 1076 00:43:23,643 --> 00:43:26,312 and he knew that. 1077 00:43:26,312 --> 00:43:28,356 Phil's last wish, should he die, 1078 00:43:28,356 --> 00:43:30,691 was to have his ashes scattered over 1079 00:43:30,691 --> 00:43:32,610 the southern California ocean. 1080 00:43:32,610 --> 00:43:34,779 People just weren't ready to say goodbye to him. 1081 00:43:34,779 --> 00:43:36,155 We didn't get enough of him, 1082 00:43:36,155 --> 00:43:38,074 and we were just getting started, I felt like. 1083 00:43:38,074 --> 00:43:39,367 Look, would you two just shut up and 1084 00:43:39,367 --> 00:43:41,494 get back into the booth? 1085 00:43:41,494 --> 00:43:44,914 Look, you can say whatever you want to me, 1086 00:43:44,914 --> 00:43:47,375 but you do not tell the lady to shut up. 1087 00:43:47,375 --> 00:43:49,585 [Laughing] 1088 00:43:49,585 --> 00:43:52,129 I think his real legacy is just the number of people 1089 00:43:52,129 --> 00:43:54,632 around the world that he made laugh repeatedly. 1090 00:43:54,632 --> 00:43:56,968 And that's a fine thing to do, 1091 00:43:56,968 --> 00:44:00,054 but I'd rather he had a long life than a legacy.