Saturday, May 28 marks the 18th anniversary of the day that Saturday Night Live star and comedy legend Phil Hartman was murdered in his sleep by his wife, Brynn Omdahl. So many years later and just typing those words feels so surreal and impossible, but that was the power and influence of Hartman’s genius – he simply seemed immortal. Hartman’s greatness as an actor, a coworker, and person has been well-documented over the years – unless that coworker was Rob Schneider – and that’s why his old SNL castmates and NewsRadio costars still speak so fondly of their time with him.
Amazingly, we have a new-to-us recording of Hartman from a fan named Dave Nelson (yes, like the NewsRadio character). Nelson wrote a letter to Hartman in 1993, asking him to record an outgoing answering machine message, according to his friend Mike Scott, who previously shared his own letter from Hartman. The comedian loved the letter and obliged, recording not one, but four answering machine messages for Nelson, including one as himself and other versions as Bill Clinton, Ed McMahon, and finally Frank Sinatra, which is arguably the best.
The video feels like a hilarious message from an old friend, and listening to Hartman critique his own effort is certainly bittersweet. But hold on to your tear ducts for the ending. You won’t be ready for it, no matter how much I warn you.
