I don’t know about you, but I’m really struggling with the news that comedian, poet and dancer Nipsey Russell was gunned down in L.A. on Sunday, March 31, 2019. Admittedly, one of the things that’s making it more difficult to process my grief is that I could’ve sworn Russell died a while back.

Anyway, instead of allowing this post to devolve into tears, I’d rather celebrate the life of this wonderful performer, beginning with his memorable appearances on the hit TV gameshow, Match Game.

For those unfamiliar with the 70s iteration of this laugh-fest, it went something like this: a regular-Joe contestant is asked a question by the show’s host, the inimitable Gene Rayburn. Upon revealing the contestant’s answer, Rayburn then compares it to those of his celebrity panel, a group consisting of the foremost practitioners of the arts of shtick and risqué double entendre, luminaries such as Richard Dawson, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Ruth Buzzi, Bert Convy, Charles Nelson Reilly, Gary Burghoff, Rip Taylor and, of course, Nipsey. Hilarity ensues as points are awarded for matching(!) answers.

Think I’m exaggerating? Try keeping milk from shooting out your nose when Nipsey addresses a waterbed query in the form of a poem:

https://youtu.be/TIRwlaRydUc

For all the joy he spread with his game-show appearances, Nipsey was, first and foremost, a thespian, his formidable talents gracing America’s flickering 19″ color TV screens via shows such as Car 54, Where Are You?, Spin City and, most memorably, The Love Boat. Who among us could ever forget his turn as “Dapper” Dan Manhoney in a 1980 episode of the latter entitled “Sergeant Bull/Friends and Lovers/Miss Mother”?

For those whose memory needs a little jogging, here’s a quick IMDb synopsis:

Three Army buddies (Harvey Lembeck, Nipsey Russell and Jack Somack) reunite with their former sergeant, Harry Beluski (Vic Tayback), who does not talk about anything but the Army. When they tire of listening to him reminisce about the old days, they introduce him to an attractive widow named Rose (Doris Roberts), who works on the ship as a steward. Gopher (Fred Grandy) poses as Julie’s (Lauren Tewes) lover to help her fend off the unwanted advances of his abrasive former fraternity brother Rick Martin (Tom Hanks), but then a real spark appears between them. Single girl Gwen Hutchins (Shelley Smith) romances fellow passenger Dennis Grant (Dennis Cole) but fears that he won’t react well when he hears that she is pregnant.

Of course, this is a movie blog, so let’s wrap our tribute by acknowledging Nipsey’s big-screen triumph, 1978’s The Wiz, a clever reimagining of Frank Baum’s classic The Wizard of Oz.

For his role as the Tin Man, Nipsey not only does a little soft-shoeing, but also gets to belt out one show-stopper after the next, including “What Would I Do If I Could Feel?” and, my favorite, “Slide Some Oil to Me,” which can be seen in its entirety in the clip below.

So, goodnight, sweet prin—

Wait…what? Nipsey Hussle? The rapper? Oh… (50-year-old author pensively rubs at his chin stubble with thumb and index finger.) Nevermind, I guess.