RIP, Bud

Sad news from the television world this week. Calvert DeForest passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 85. What? You've never heard of Calvert? Oh, my apologies. Calvert is better known to most insomniacs, angry loners, the unemployed, and other subgroups of Late Night with David Letterman fans as the character of Larry "Bud" Melman. Bud would often turn up in and at the most unexpected times on the show, and was hilarious during those times he was on the show. Twenty years later I still remember the product he pitched during the program: "For a late night snack that won't make you sick, try Mr. Larry's Toast on a Stick!"

After Letterman left for CBS, NBC got in one last laugh and claimed the character of Larry "Bud" Melman as "intellectual property" of the network, so Larry "Bud" Melman didn't make the move with the show to a new network in 1993--but Calvert DeForest did, for the first time having to use his real name on the Late Show. But if you've never seen Larry in action, here he is in a November 1983 segment where he hands out hot towels and questions to the huddled masses arriving at the NYC Port Authority bus station.

Rest in peace, Calvert. You certainly were one of a kind.