Fernwood, Goodnight

Remembering the great Martin Mull.

Before Larry Sanders, there was Barth Gimble.

My dad and I watched the irreverent Fernwood 2 Night whenever it aired. It was my introduction to how far and deep comedy could go into its subject. Fernwood was a parody of a local TV show in a small made-up town in Ohio, hosted by Barth Gimble (Mull) and his cluelessly sincere sidekick, Jerry Hubbard, played by the always hilarious Fred Willard.

From the brilliant mind of Norman Lear, Mull’s character was the twin brother of Garth from Lear’s soap opera parody, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman. He moves back to Fernwood in the wake of his brother’s untimely death (from being impaled on an artificial Christmas tree) and ends up hosting this late-night show. Guests included local citizens with the occasional big name who happened to be reluctantly in the area that evening. In that respect, the show also acted as my introduction to Tom Waits…

According to the storyline, Fernwood 2 Night got picked up nationally, so Gimble and Hubbard moved out to Southern California to broadcast America 2 Night over the fictional UBS Network.

Around this time, I also remember watching Mull’s HBO special, On Location, complete with the wingback chair, lamp, and side table - all thrift store acquired.

Much like Steve Martin, Mull’s comedy was self-centered, ironic, clueless, and hilarious. And like Martin with his banjo, Mull was no slack on guitar.

Of course, in that respect, Mull had been around long before Mary Hartman or Fernwood. He had an MA in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. He opened for Frank Zappa at the Armadillo World Headquarters. He also released albums on legendary labels such as Vanguard and Capricorn, including 1973’s Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture in Your Living Room!

Both Mull’s role as a rock DJ in the movie, FM and Howard Hesseman’s Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati pretty much inspired me down the hole into a 30-year radio career. So I can thank - or blame - them both for that.

As much as I loved Mull, I always felt he was underrated and underutilized after the ‘70s ended. He never again hit the same level of hilarity after his Fernwood and HBO specials. He’s probably remembered by a whole other generation for his stint on Rosanne. Yet, I remember feeling that they should’ve used him more, that here was Martin Mull, dammit! He’s much funnier than Rosanne! But that’s just one guy’s opinion. Thankfully as the years wore on, those in the know would always tip their hat to him.

I’ll leave you with one of the best and most biting satires that ever aired and one that, sadly, still holds relevance today, although it may fly dangerously over the heads of some.

Rest in peace and laughter, Martin, and here’s hoping you and Fred can reunite and start sending down episodes of Heaven 2 Night to us.

(For more on Mull’s legacy, I highly recommend this piece in the Washington Post from Geoff Edgers.)