When Bob Saget died unexpectedly in Florida last January at the age of 65, it seemed as if everyone who had ever spent any time with Saget had a story to tell about his generosity of spirit and his kindness and of course his ability to make you laugh and laugh. It’s a cliché to say a popular comic and actor was universally beloved by his peers, but in Mr. Saget’s case, the cliché really seems to hold true.
Little wonder, then, that everyone from Jim Carrey to Chris Rock to Paul Rodriguez to Michael Keaton to Jon Lovitz to Tim Allen and even John Mayer and Jackson Browne turned up in person or via video to pay tribute to Saget at the Comedy Store in West Los Angeles — and the memorial was recorded for a special titled “Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute,” directed by Mike Binder and dropping Friday on Netflix.
With comedian Jeffrey Ross and Saget’s “Full House” co-star and great friend John Stamos acting as de facto co-hosts, this is a raw, raunchy, funny, heartfelt and beautiful celebration of a man who starred in one of the most wholesome and enduring sitcoms of all time, counter-balanced that with a sometimes stunningly filthy (and hilarious) stand-up act, and left an indelible mark on all who knew and loved him.
“In this town full of cynics, I saw a good one,” says Dave Chappelle in a clip from a private memorial service at the home of “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin, and it’s a theme echoed by one guest after another at the Comedy Store special — which, in keeping with Saget’s fantastically warped sensibilities, also features heaping doses of dark humor. When Saget’s widow, Kelly, takes the stage, Jim Carrey cracks, “Keep it short.” A moment later, Rock cracks, “I think it’s sad that the mother------ had to die to get Jim Carrey back onstage.” Ross chimes in by saying, “Somebody had to knock that ---- Betty White off the Internet,” and away we go.
Stamos shares home video footage of Saget from the late 1980s and 1990s, while Michael Keaton contributes a video bit in which he starts off by wishing Saget a happy birthday, segues into a roast and then “realizes” Saget has died. Jackson Browne — who knew Saget was friends with Jackson Browne? — performs a beautiful rendition of “For a Dancer,” and one can’t help but choke up at the lyrics:
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now you’re nowhere to be found
I don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
Later in the evening, John Mayer — who knew Saget was friends with John Mayer? — contributes an equally touching number, “Stop This Train”:
Stop this train
I want to get off and go home again
I can’t take the speed it’s moving in
I know I can’t
But honestly, won’t someone stop this train?
Time and again, we’re reminded of how funny and how loved Saget was, and we’re left thinking of that great observation from Chappelle: In this town full of cynics, I saw a good one.
