A L S O_.T O D A Y Blue Glow Mickey Rourke is back; Bill Paxton stars in new Vietnam drama Lolita Reviewed by Charles Taylor Nymphet mania: Lyne's unprovocative film and America's sexual hysteria When Garry met Larry By Joyce Millman "The Larry Sanders Show" signs off after six seasons, but creator Shandling and his alter ego remain inseparable Y E S T E R D A Y The Last Days of Disco Reviewed by Laura Miller Whit Stillman flashes back to the heyday of Studio 54 (05/28/98) Celebrated Whit By Laura Miller Salon interviews "Last Days of Disco" director Whit Stillman (05/28/98) R E C E N T_. T E L E V I S I O N You go, girls By Joyce Millman Time's up for "Murphy Brown" and "Ellen," but they were once TV's women of the hour (05/18/98) Cheerio, "Seinfeld" By Joyce Millman Saying goodbye to the greatest sitcom of all time (05/04/98) Tubbythumping By Joyce Millman Let the Teletubbies bashing begin (04/03/98) Let my people go -- to the movies By Joyce Millman A new cable documentary profiles the Jewish immigrants who founded Hollywood, but lost their cultural identity (03/19/98) Dawson's crock By Joyce Millman Funded by deep-pocket publicity, the puerile "Dawson's Creek" has tricked some TV critics into treating it like a hit (03/16/98) Are you a crystal vase? By Joyce Millman If you can answer these 20 questions, you've watched way too much of the Olympics (02/18/98) BROWSE THE TV ARCHIVES COLUMNS FEATURES

BY JOYCE MILLMAN | Maybe it was his made-for-radio voice or his button-down, '50s sitcom dad looks, but on "Saturday Night Live," Phil Hartman always seemed like the adult chaperone at the school dance. He always knew his lines. He could play any character you threw at him, from Bill Clinton to Sinatra to Jesus. He was the unflappable guy who'd jump in to save guest hosts when they were in over their heads. He was solid. Which makes his strange death Thursday -- he was reportedly shot by his wife, Brynn, who then turned the gun on herself in their Encino, Calif., home -- so sucker-punch stunning. Belushi and Farley -- you could see those coming. But Phil Hartman? Hartman's death at age 49 comes just a week after NBC announced the renewal of his current series, "NewsRadio," the near-brilliant but low-rated ensemble sitcom on which he played arrogant, cranky, selfish anchorman Bill McNeal. McNeal was the best role he'd ever had, the perfect showcase for a comedy style that seemed to belong to another, subtler era. Hartman was a master of the deadpan-stare reaction, the effete put-down; on "NewsRadio," Hartman was evolving into the Jack Benny of his time. Hartman, who was born in Ontario, Canada, and raised in Connecticut and Southern California (he became a U.S. citizen in 1990), studied graphic arts at Cal State (Northridge). In 1975, he switched gears and joined the Groundlings, a Los Angeles improvisational comedy troupe that also included Paul Reubens. Hartman played the grizzled old salt "Cap'n Carl" in the Groundlings' "Pee-wee Herman Show" stage productions, and repeated the role on CBS' "Pee-wee's Playhouse." With Reubens, he co-wrote the 1985 feature film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." Hartman joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1986, and in his eight years on the show (he holds the record, with Kevin Nealon, for longest time served on the show), he played countless fathers, teachers, bureaucrats, politicians and other authority figures. But the Hartman Moment that was perhaps most characteristic of his subtle brand of madness, was a one-shot skit in which he played Albert Goldman, the rock 'n' roll-hating author of a famous hatchet-job biography of John Lennon. Hartman played him as a dour, jealous academic whose loathing of Lennon is traced in flashback to the early days of the Beatles -- when they numbered John, Paul, George, Ringo and Albert. At the sublimely silly climax of the skit, a bewigged Hartman/Goldman -- perfectly, wonderfully deadpan -- picks up a trombone and plays an awful solo in the middle of "I Saw Her Standing There." Hartman had supporting roles in dozens of movies -- the guy was in everything, from "Coneheads" to "So I Married an Ax Murderer" to "Sgt. Bilko" to "Jingle All the Way." He did a series of TV and radio commercials for McDonald's (playing news anchor Hugh McAttack) and 1-800-Collect (as gumshoe Max Jerome); recently, Californians have been hearing him as Stuart Smalley's ridiculously mellow announcer in a hilarious series of radio ads he did with Al Franken for a local bank. And of course, there was Hartman's voice work on Fox's "The Simpsons," as shifty lawyer Lionel Hutz and infomercial host Troy McClure. It's not clear yet how Hartman's death will affect "The Simpsons" or, more importantly, "NewsRadio"; he also appeared as a thug who abducts Harry in last week's season finale of NBC's "3rd Rock From the Sun," which was a cliffhanger episode. But just look at that list of credits -- Hartman was so prolific, so ubiquitous, it's difficult right now to take in his loss. He was the rare performer who stood out by blending in, and only recently, with "NewsRadio," were large numbers of viewers putting a name to his face and voice. He was Mr. Reliable, our familiar guide through sometimes very odd comedy terrain. Only now do we realize the vast space he occupied in our consciousness. SALON | May 28, 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - R E L A T E D_.S A L O N_.S T O R I E S A TV critic's mea culpa "King of the Hill" and "NewsRadio" look a lot better the second time around By Joyce Millman Aug. 11, 1997