Debuting tomorrow on HBO is If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast. Carl Reiner (age 95) chats with old people who are still working like Dick Van Dyke, Betty White, Mel Brooks, Norman Lear and even Stan Lee.
I don't know if I've said this before but I think Carl Reiner is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Here's a man who is universally loved and respected and who has always been working. Since shortly after he got out of the Army in 1946, his career has never had a "nobody wants me" moment…and yet at no point has he ever done anything called The Carl Reiner Show. The unsold pilot that turned into The Dick Van Dyke Show might have been that had it sold but instead, he has had this long, long run making other people look good.
He made Sid Caesar look good on Your Show of Shows. He made Dick Van Dyke and others look good on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He made Mel Brooks look good on all those 2,000 Year Old Man records. He made Steve Martin look good in several hit movies. And so on. He has done occasional leads but basically he has worked in service of others through seven decades without being unemployed or making an enemy.
If I were a young actor today starting out, I don't think I would want to emulate the career of Leonardo DiCaprio or Robert Downey or any of the top box office stars. I think I'd want to grow up to be Carl Reiner.