Robin Williams: Remembering One Of The All-Time Greats


I heard the news of Robin Williams passing and it took me back instantly. My son had just messaged me and stated that a part of his childhood was dead. My only response was, “Mine too.”

For before Goodwill Hunting, Good Morning Vietnam and Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams was already a part of our lives; a part that made us laugh.

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My first experience with the hyperactive, uncontrollable bundle of excitement that called himself Robin Williams was on television. He stared in an awkward and strange show about an alien who struggled daily to adapt to our ways. This was, of course, Mork and Mindy. Pam Dawber played his costar; a friend turned love interest and, down the road, wife who found herself having to explain the finer points of human existence. Everything from how a toaster worked, to what a baby was, down to the darn right confusing nature of human relationships.

Every week we learned a bit more about ourselves through the eyes of this outsider. We were taught the absurdity of our ways as Mork was enlightened to the amazing potential of humans to love and be loved. His misunderstandings made us laugh and caused us to think about every aspect of who we were. His final observations made at the end of every show to his faceless superior would catch us laughing and leave us in awe of his wisdom and maybe wiping away a tear or two.

Robin and Pam Dawber also voiced their characters for a short lived cartoon (1982-3)

Robin and Pam Dawber also voiced their characters for a short lived cartoon (1982-3)

It was a philosophy lesson wrapped in nonsense. It was the study of our existence complete with three rings and a clown. And that clown, unbeknownst to us, was our guide and sage adviser. He was to lead us from just living life to actually thinking about who and what we were and, while not taking ourselves too seriously, treat life and the people around us with care and a deliberate, sober manner.

Was our guide perfect? No, he never claimed to be. In fact, he never claimed to be any more than just one of us struggling with the who and what and why of our existence. He never climbed on a soapbox and scowled down on us. He simply walked with us and became our friend.

Oh, what could have been...

Oh, what could have been…

And that is why he will be missed dearly. Fortunately, we have our ‘home movies’ to revisit. And, although we will never get to see him play any of our comic book heroes (Remember,, he was passed up as the Joker AND the Riddler as well as ignored years after as he pleaded for  a part of the Batman universe), thankfully, he can still make us laugh.

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“Robin was a lightning storm of comic genius and our laughter was the thunder that sustained him.

He was a pal and I can’t believe he’s gone.” — Steven Spielberg