TONY EATS SOUP, AND PEOPLE LAUGH.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
It's Wednesday night - traditionally one of the deadest nights of the week for nightclubs - but Charlie O's jazz joint in Van Nuys is jumpin'. ``Feels like a Friday night, doesn't it?'' John Fio Rito said last week as he looked around the packed club, at tables filled with people laughing their heads off. His buddy, Tony Russell, was up on stage doing what he does best - bumping and grinding grinding, process by which surface material is removed from an object, usually metal, by the abrasive action of a rotating wheel or a moving belt that contains abrasive grains. as he belted out songs a la Louie Prima, told a few jokes, and threatened to break out into a full-blown strip tease tease (tez) to pull apart gently with fine needles to permit microscopic examination. tease v. any minute. When you're a short, fat, balding guy with a funny face and a big gut, the scene isn't just funny. It's Jackie Gleason Herbert John "Jackie" Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an iconic American comedian, actor, and musician. One of the most popular stars of early television, Gleason was respected for both comedic and dramatic roles. hilarious. ``Look at him - he thinks he's Paul Newman Noun 1. Paul Newman - United States film actor (born in 1925) Newman, Paul Leonard Newman ,'' Fio Rito said, laughing. ``This couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.'' After more than 25 years of banging around this town as a jack-of-all- trades - actor, comic and musician - the kid all the other kids used to laugh at in Newark, N.J., is finally getting his big break. Russell has landed a meaty role in the ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. hit sitcom ``Life With Bonnie Life With Bonnie is an ABC television comedy that originally aired from 2002-2004. The show outlined the life of character Bonnie Malloy, who juggled her personal life and a TV talk show position. ,'' playing the wise-cracking, piano-playing sidekick The first popular popup program for DOS PCs, introduced by Borland in 1984. Sidekick included a calculator, notepad, calendar, phone dialer and ASCII table and popularized the concept of a terminate and stay resident (TSR) utility. to Bonnie bon·ny also bon·nie adj. bon·ni·er, bon·ni·est Scots 1. Physically attractive or appealing; pretty. 2. Excellent. Hunt, whose character hosts a morning talk show. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , Tony's playing himself. ``I was hired to play piano at her Christmas party last year, and we hit it off,'' Russell said, taking a quick break between sets at Charlie O's, where he still performs one Wednesday night a month. ``Bonnie wanted to know if I did any acting, and when I told her I did, she said if she ever landed her own show, she'd give me a call,'' he said. Tony wasn't holding his breath. In L.A., telling people you'll give them a call for a job is like swearing on a stack of Bibles that you've never cheated on your taxes. But Hunt did land her own TV show, and one of the first people she wanted on it was the funny guy she hired to play piano at her Christmas party last year. ``For a long time, everybody's been telling Tony he's great, but nobody's put their money on him,'' Fio Rito said. ``Bonnie did. ``This is her big shot, too, and she believed in him. We all did.'' They grew up on opposite sides of Newark, N.J. - Tony, the funny-looking kid who played trombone trombone [Ital.,=large trumpet], brass wind musical instrument of cylindrical bore, twice bent on itself, having a sliding section that lengthens or shortens it and thus regulates the pitch. The descendant of the sackbut, it was developed in the 15th cent. , and Johnny, the good-looking guy who played piano. ``John and I got friendly in our 20s from playing in bands, and we started hanging out together,'' Tony said. ``We'd be sitting in a restaurant eating after a show, and I'd look up, and somebody would be looking at me from another table, laughing. ``Even as a little kid in school, the other kids would laugh at me,'' he said. ``It made me self-conscious. I thought they were making fun of me. Nobody told me I was just funny.'' Johnny did. He told his pal he had a gift, and he should use it. ``Tony thought he was a misfit mis·fit n. 1. Something of the wrong size or shape for its purpose. 2. One who is unable to adjust to one's environment or circumstances or is considered to be disturbingly different from others. because he couldn't understand why people were laughing at him,'' said Fio Rito, who now lives five minutes from his pal in Toluca Lake, and continues his own career as a singer and actor. ``I told Tony, They're laughing at you because you're a funny man. You don't have to say or do anything; you're just a funny person.'' Once he realized that, Tony says, life changed. You gain a lot of confidence when you suddenly realize you've been given a gift very few people have. You can sit in a restaurant eating a bowl of soup, and look up to see people laughing. The jacket is off, the shirt is open down to his navel, and Tony Russell is bumping and grinding as he sings, ``You're going to miss your short, fat, bald bald adj. Lacking hair on the head. bald 1. loss of hair, see alopecia. 2. in cattle and horses used to describe an animal with a white face. Called also baldy. daddy one of these days.'' Iris Lensch looks over at Kathie Laster, and gives her a grin that says, it doesn't get much better than this. The two women haven't missed a Wednesday night with Tony at Charlie O's in more than three years - always arriving early to get a good seat because they know the place will be packed. ``We've been supporting him for years here, and watch his show every week on TV,'' Iris says. ``Nobody puts more of himself into a show than Tony, and he deserves this shot.'' One by one, longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective fans of this multitalented man who has performed in the entertainment shadows of L.A. for more than a quarter-century come up and say much the same thing: Good luck, and make them proud. Tony takes it to heart because he knows there are a lot of talented people in their 50s, like him, still struggling to make it in this town. ``Hey, if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,'' he says. Johnny laughs, and gives his pal a hug. They don't get to hang out much together anymore now that Tony's working full time on a sitcom, so he's eager for the last set to end Wednesday night so they can catch up. They'll head over to Bob's Big Boy Restaurant in Toluca Lake and order a late dinner, just like old times after a show in Newark. Tony will order a bowl of soup, and look up to see someone laughing. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) When he's not being the always-on-the-phone piano player on ``Life with Bonnie,'' left, with star Bonnie Hunt, Tony Russell is performing at Charlie O's in Van Nuys, just being the funny guy his friends come to watch. Danny Feld/ABC Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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