RIP Rob Reiner

By Roger Paradiso

The death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, has caused great sadness. Yet, during his life, he brought us many moments of laughter and tears because he was a tremendous actor and director.

Rob’s only connection to the Village seems to be the famous When Harry Met Sally scene at Katz’s Deli on the Lower East Side (more on that later). But there is one profound connection to New York City. This Hollywood icon was born in the Bronx. His father, Carl Reiner, was a legendary writer, performer and director who worked on sitcoms, plays and films, including the Sid Caesar Show, Dick Van Dyke Show, Where’s Poppa?, The Jerk and Oh God.

Rob’s show business family moved to Los Angeles where he went to Beverly Hills High School. No surprise that Rob studied film at UCLA and had some minor parts in the Hollywood landscape when he was young.

However, it was the television show, All in The Family, that brought young Rob to a national audience. The Norman Lear production was groundbreaking in its presentation of Archie Bunker, a bigoted character who brought us to laugh at him without mocking him. Lear was trying to open doors not burn them down. Rob played the son-in-law called “Meathead” by Archie Bunker played by Carroll O’Connor. Meathead, the young idealist son-in-law, tried to bring out the humanity in Archie. This endeared Rob to a national hit TV show audience—and it provided all of us with great comedy that tried to project a viewpoint that we were “all in the family.”

Rob then went on to direct some classic films. His first film, This is Spinal Tap (1984) was the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll satire. Who could forget Nigel, the guitar player, bragging about how loud his amp was? When challenged by Marty, the mockumentary director played by Reiner, Nigel points to the volume knob of the amp and says, “These go to eleven.”

He went on to do Stand By Me (1986) partly funded by his second “father” Norman Lear. The young actor, River Phoenix, plays a boy moving towards adulthood. The most famous lines of the movie were reportedly written by Rob: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?”

When Harry Met Sally (1989) featured the famous Katz’s Deli on the Lower East Side. Out of the blue, Meg Ryan stuns Billy Crystal by faking an orgasm in the filled-to-capacity deli. Rob’s mother, Estelle, cast by Rob, turns to a waiter, and says, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Rob was a political figure, and he had legendary clashes with President Trump which in a strange way mimicked his clashes with Archie Bunker.

He will forever be remembered for his creative work in film and television. Thank you, Rob, for your classic contributions to our film and television history. Rest in Peace.