A critically-acclaimed one-man
show recreating the late Lewis
Grizzard onstage will be the
featured entertainment at 6
p.m. April 11
at Southwestern Community College’s
Jackson Campus.
“Lewis Grizzard: In
His Own Words” stars
actor Bill Oberst, Jr., who
has been called “a dead
ringer” for the author
and humorist who died in 1994.
“It’s a southern
thing and it will be an evening
of southern humor,”
said SCC foundation director
Sonja Haynes. “Many
folks remember how Grizzard
always liked being introduced
as ‘American by birth
and Southern by the grace
of God.’”
The cost of the show is $40
and includes heavy hors d'ouevres
and desserts. “This
is one of our big foundation
fundraisers and the money
goes for student scholarships,”
said Haynes. For tickets,
contact her at 586-4091, ext.218.
“Grizzard was called
‘a Mark Twain for our
time’ and I think one
of his funniest books was
‘Elvis Is Dead and I
Don’t Feel So Good Myself,”
said Haynes, adding, “Grizzard
made being a Southerner cool.”
The performance consists
entirely of Grizzard’s
own words and features his
best jokes and stories, and
a few excerpts from his columns
and books, including the famous
“Definition of a Redneck.”
“Lewis Grizzard: In
His Own Words” was created
by Grizzard’s widow,
Dedra, and his manager, Steve
Enoch. The two began thinking
about a stage portrayal of
Grizzard after being approached
by fans who missed the humorist’s
annual concert tours of Southern
cities.
After some initial hesitation
over whether anyone could
convincingly play Grizzard,
they selected actor and impressionist
Oberst, who bears a striking
resemblance to him. As a final
touch, they presented Oberst
with Grizzard’s own
Gucci loafers, which he famously
wore without socks.
“The first time I saw
Bill onstage in costume, wearing
those shoes and looking and
sounding so much like Lewis,
I cried,” says Dedra
Grizzard.
Enoch said, “I was
with Lewis at hundreds of
these concerts. Bill does
a great Lewis Grizzard. There
will never be another Lewis,
but this is as close as we
will ever come to enjoying
him onstage again. I think
Lewis would be proud.”
Bill
Oberst, Jr. as
Lewis Grizzard |
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Grizzard’s daily column
for the Atlanta Constitution
appeared in 450 American newspapers
from 1979 to 1994, making
him America’s most widely-syndicated
columnist. His concerts and
18 best-selling books led
him to TV appearances on The
Tonight Show, Larry King Live
and Designing Women. Some
of his more popular books
included “Don’t
Bend Over In The Garden, Granny,
You Know Them Taters Got Eyes!,”
and “When My Love Returns
From the Ladies Room, Will
I Be Too Old To Care?”
He once described himself
as “the only person
from Moreland, Ga., ever to
appear on the New York Times
bestseller list.”
His millions of readers felt
a personal connection with
a man they had never met.
Four months before his own
death, scores of Grizzard
fans sent him flowers and
cards after reading the column
describing the death of his
dog, Catfish, on Thanksgiving
Day.
Grizzard wrote in one of
his columns, “A dog
don’t care where you’ve
been, who you’ve been
with or what you’ve
been doing. A dog is just
glad you are home. You can’t
say that about a lot of people.”
He also said, “Life
is like a dogsled team. If
you ain’t the lead dog,
the scenery never changes.”
“I carried around
a column of his in my wallet
until it fell apart,”
Oberst, a big fan, said. “It
was about the Southern custom
of pulling over to the side
of the road for funeral processions.
The title of the column was
‘It’s Called Respect.’
This show is a way to respect
him and the South he loved.”
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