Wizard Wednesday: Harry Anderson

It’s Wednesday, and our wizard today is Harry Anderson. Harry lovingly embraced magic’s cheekier side in theatrical con games, cheating, hustling, bamboozling, and scamming his way to a laugh. Harry the Hat could throw monte with the best and pull the Fast & Loose chain faster and looser than the rest. Instead of the typical menacing con-man character, he performed with a twinkle in his eye while surrounded by a crowd always kept in stitches. Many thought his material or style were the reasons why he was so great, but there are a lot of performers who aren’t as noteworthy as he was. Others say it must have been the fact that he was a true comedian. It was just up the street from Tannen’s at 30 Rock that he famously (or infamously) seemed to devour a guinea pig on Saturday Night Live. But there are a lot of comedians who are forgotten real quick, and yet he wasn’t. Others remember him because he starred in NBC’s Night Court. And while starring in prime time comedy is something to write home about, television celebrity fades quickly too. What made Harry Anderson so charming was Harry Anderson. And some things really are that simple.