This person died in 2008, age 66. He changed his major from English to anthropology after a professor’s harsh critique, graduating summa cum laude from Harvard in 1964. He earned a medical degree five years later, then walked away from clinical science altogether. He used fiction to explore the moral and political problems posed by modern technology and scientific breakthroughs. His books sold in the tens of millions and almost routinely became movies, many of them blockbusters like "Jurassic Park", "The Lost World," as well as "Rising Sun." He juggled roles as a novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer in both film and TV. Today’s dead celebrity is Michael Crichton.

If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 97 "Time Pilgrim" (Kurt Vonnegut) and Episode 74 "Masterclass Act" (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode features guest co-host John Watts and is produced by Evan Sherer.

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NYT obituary for Michael Crichton

2007 Charlie Rose interview

1970s Dick Cavett appearance

1992 TED Talk

1999 Predictions about the future

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

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This person died in 2009, age 59. He began his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago. While visiting New York during his advertising days, he hung around the offices of National Lampoon magazine and was published when he showed a gift for comedy. As a writer, he occasionally wrote under his pen name, Edmond Dantès, the real name of the Dumas hero in The Count of Monte Cristo. He faded from Hollywood in the early 1990s, and some surmised that he had stepped away simply because, for all his successes, he did not particularly like the film business. His greatest professional effect came from a series of teen-oriented films he directed in the 1980s, but his biggest success, in box-office terms, was the Home Alone series, of which he was the writer and a producer. Today’s dead celebrity is John Hughes.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 104 Community Gardener (Penny Marshall) and Episode 29 Zen Comedian (Garry Shandling).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer and features guest co-host Jennifer Keishin Armstrong.

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NYT obituary for John Hughes

Rare 1991 interview with John Hughes

NPR remembrance of John Hughes’s legacy

Ferris Bueller Fight Club theory

Ferris Bueller Groundhog Day theory

John Candy tribute montage

Dead or Alive quiz game

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Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This person died in 2011, age 93. She spoke openly in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, endorsed legalized abortion, and discussed premarital sex. Her dependency on pills began in 1964 after a neck injury, and her drinking worsened as her husband’s political career advanced. When Gerald Ford lost the 1976 election, it was she who read the official concession speech with smiling grace. Today’s dead celebrity is Betty Ford.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Episode 48 What About Bob (Bob Dole) and Episode 47 Proud Mary (Mary Tyler Moore).

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer and features guest co-host Wiley Hodges.

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Transcript of this episode

CBS Remembrance of Betty Ford

Short segment of 1974 60 Minutes Interview

Betty Ford’s Lecture on Addiction and Recovery at Hazelton

Betty Ford cameo on the Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Simpsons I’m Checking In

Dead or Alive quiz game

Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads

Famous & Gravy official website

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.