Famous and Gravy – Details, episodes & analysis
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Famous and Gravy
Wondery | 14th Street Studios
Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 96

Think you know everything about some of modern history’s most recognizable figures? We’re Amit and Michael, two pop culture enthusiasts who upend your assumptions about the iconic and the famous. Because that’s where you find the “gravy” – the rich, flavorful sauce that brings out the best parts of the dish that is life.
Each episode we’ll put the lives of recently deceased celebrities under the microscope to consider the not-so-obvious ways these icons of culture left their impact and imprint on modern history. It’s a hilarious and fresh perspective on the celebrities you thought you knew.
Listen to episodes of Famous & Gravy early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting wondery.com/links/famous-and-gravy/ now.
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Apple Podcasts
🇺🇸 USA - history
17/01/2025#99🇺🇸 USA - history
15/01/2025#90🇺🇸 USA - history
14/01/2025#92🇺🇸 USA - history
20/12/2024#91🇺🇸 USA - history
19/12/2024#86🇺🇸 USA - history
18/12/2024#86🇺🇸 USA - history
25/11/2024#90🇺🇸 USA - history
24/11/2024#95🇺🇸 USA - history
17/11/2024#100🇺🇸 USA - history
17/10/2024#94
Spotify
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Shared links between episodes and podcasts
Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.
See all- https://www.afilmbypodcast.com/
183 shares
- https://www.famousandgravy.com/
112 shares
- https://deadoraliveapp.com/
96 shares
RSS feed quality and score
Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.
See allScore global : 79%
Publication history
Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.
More Respect (Rodney Dangerfield)
Episode 85
mercredi 28 août 2024 • Duration 57:36
This person died in 2004 at age 82. His big break came in 1967 when, at age 44 and relatively unknown, he won a spot on "The Ed Sullivan Show". At one point he quit show business for over a dozen years and worked as an aluminum salesman and house painter. On stage he portrayed a hapless, self-deprecating Everyman slapped around by life and searching for acceptance. He opened his own comedy club in New York, which gave early breaks to comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey. His first comedy album, "No Respect", won a Grammy Award in 1981. He starred in the classic comedy movies “Caddyshack” and “Back to School”. Today’s dead celebrity is Rodney Dangerfield.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 63 “America's Mustache” (Burt Reynolds), and Episode 58 “Best in Show” (Fred Willard)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Rodney Dangerfield
Top Rodney Dangerfield jokes superclip
Michael Bolton impersonates Rodney
Rodney Dangerfield Institute at LA Community College
Rodney’s Triple Lindy in “Back to School”
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Vocal Bedrock (Johnny Cash)
Episode 84
mercredi 14 août 2024 • Duration 57:30
This person died in 2003 at age 71, He is considered a pioneer of rock 'n' roll, and in 1992 he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, after he had also been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In the early 2000s, a video of his won six nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. He fought a long battle against addiction. His voice, which projected the fateful gravity of a country patriarch, and his signature look, which suggested a cowboy undertaker, led him to be known as “The Man in Black”. Today’s dead celebrity is Johnny Cash.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 50 “Golden Rose” (Betty White), Episode 36 “Singing Mailman” (John Prine), and episode 41 “Viva Bojangles” (Jerry Jeff Walker).
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash’s video for “Hurt”
Homer Simpson meets Johnny Cash’s Space Coyote
Photo of Johnny Cash jamming with Stephen King
“How Rick Rubin revitalized Johnny Cash’s career” video clip
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Love and OJ Jokes (Norm Macdonald)
Episode 75
mercredi 17 avril 2024 • Duration 01:07:26
This person died in 2021 at age 61. He almost joined the newspaper business as a young man, but deliberately botched an interview. By 1984, he spent four months opening for the comedian Sam Kinison. His sense of humor sometimes got him in hot water. A 2018 article about him said “The dedicated fan will identify two patterns in his television work: It is invariably funny, and it is invariably canceled.” He became familiar to millions as the Weekend Update anchor on “Saturday Night Live” from 1994 to 1998. Today’s dead celebrity is Norm Macdonald.
This episode originally published March 22, 2023
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 69 “Foul House” (Bob Saget) and Episode 53 “Heartwarming Humor” (Louie Anderson)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Norm Macdonald
“Norm Macdonald” was the real thing from The New Yorker
Trailer for Norm Macdonald’s posthumous Netflix special
Norm Macdonald returns to SNL as Host
Norm’s appearance on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” explained
Norm Macdonald lists his Santa Monica condo for sale
Marc Maron interviews Norm Macdonald on WTF
“Norm Macdonald Live” video podcast
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
The Masterclass Act (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
Episode 74
mercredi 3 avril 2024 • Duration 58:30
This person died in 2014 at age 46. His mother was a former family court judge, and his father worked for the Xerox corporation. The New York Times once said “He does terminal uncertainty better than practically anyone.” He was a sleepy-looking man with uncombed hair who favored rumpled clothes. He was perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation. He earned Oscar nominations for his performances in “The Master”, “Doubt”, and “Charlie Wilson’s War”, and won as Best Actor for “Capote” in 2005. Today’s dead celebrity is Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Megan Palmer, and features guest co-host Michael Warburton. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 71 “Defiant One” (Sidney Poitier) and Episode 44 “Inner Soprano” (James Gandolfini)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Philip Seymour Hoffman
Mimi O’Donnell’s Vogue article
Philip Seymour Hoffman on Charlie Rose in 2002
Top 10 Philip Seymour Hoffman performances
Bill Burr on Philip Seymour Hoffman
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Professor on Elm Street (Wes Craven)
Episode 73
mercredi 20 mars 2024 • Duration 47:48
This person died in 2015 at age 76. He taught English at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, and was also a high school teacher. He directed the drama “Music of the Heart”, based on the true story of a woman who taught violin to underprivileged children in Harlem. He directed his first feature film In 1972, “Last House on the Left”. He also directed the first four movies of the “Scream” franchise starring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. His most famous creation was the serial killer Freddy Krueger, who, with his razor-blade glove, haunted the dreams of teenagers in “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. Today’s dead celebrity is Wes Craven.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer, and features guest co-host Morgan Honaker. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 34 “Zombie Mastermind” (George Romero) and Episode 62 “Lord of Horror” (Christopher Lee)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Wes Craven
”Master of Cinema”, Wes Craven documentary
1997 Charlie Rose interview with Wes Craven
Wes Craven interviews on Fresh Air archives
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Mind Traveler (Oliver Sacks)
Episode 72
mercredi 6 mars 2024 • Duration 59:03
This person died in 2015 at age 82. When he moved to California in the early 1960s, he befriended the poet Thom Gunn, began entering weight-lifting competitions, and joined the Hells Angels on motorcycle trips to the Grand Canyon. As a medical doctor and a writer, he achieved a level of popular renown rare among scientists. He first won widespread attention in 1973 for his book “Awakenings”, about a group of patients with an atypical form of encephalitis or “sleeping sickness” who experienced a partial rebirth. In the film adaptation, his character was played by Robin Williams. Today’s dead celebrity is Oliver Sacks.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Evan Sherer, and features guest co-host Nicholas Weiler. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 26 “Wild Thing” (Maurice Sendak) and Episode 52 “Electric Vanities” (Tom Wolfe)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Oliver Sacks
Live interview with Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich
From Our Neurons to Yours podcast from Stanford Neuroscience
1989 PBS Newshour Profile of Oliver Sacks
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Defiant One (Sidney Poitier)
Episode 71
mercredi 21 février 2024 • Duration 58:27
This person died in 2022 at age 94. In 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Although often simmering with repressed anger, his characters responded to injustice with quiet determination. He once wrote “I felt very much as if I were representing 18 million people with every move I made.” In a departure from acting, he directed the 1980 comedy “Stir Crazy”, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. He was the first black performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. His acting credits include “Blackboard Jungle”, “The Defiant Ones”, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”. Today’s dead celebrity is Sidney Poitier.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 43 “Poetic Justice” (Maya Angelou) and Episode 31 “The Greatest” (Muhammad Ali)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Sidney Poitier
Trailer for ‘The Defiant Ones’
“How many African Americans have won an Oscar in all of history”
“Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Fierce Resolve”
“When Sidney Poitier Risked His Life For Civil Rights”
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
SYCBS x F&G
Episode 70
mercredi 7 février 2024 • Duration 01:07:20
Special crossover episode! Imagine this: You’re on a desert island, and you can choose one actor or actress – and ONLY ONE – for whom you get their entire IMDb catalog to pass the time. It’s just you, a palm tree, a DVD player (streaming hasn’t reached this desert island), and the IMDb catalog of a single performer. Who would you choose? This thought experiment was first proposed by co-host Michael Osborne in our Bill Paxton episode, and now we take the experiment live. Today we bring you a crossover showdown between the hosts of the “Surely You Can’t Be Serious” podcast and the Famous & Gravy hosts. Moderated by Jeff Johnson of the podcast “A Film By”, we humorously debate, argue, and ultimately find out who is in fact the IMDb MVP.
Our nominees in this special episode were inspired by Episode 58 “Best in Show” (Fred Willard) and Episode 51 “Goofball Stud” (Bill Paxton)
LINKS:
“Surely You Can’t Be Serious” podcast and on Facebook, Twitter
“A Film By” podcast and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Foul House (Bob Saget)
Episode 69
mercredi 24 janvier 2024 • Duration 54:39
This person died in 2022 at age 65. In his last year of college, he won a student Academy Award for a documentary. After his sister died of a rare autoimmune disease called systemic scleroderma, he became a board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. He was cast in the 1987 Richard Pryor film, “Critical Condition.” He directed “Dirty Work”, a comedy starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange. He said he was drawn to jokes with foul language and raw anatomical references because he wasn’t supposed to talk that way in his youth. He played Danny Tanner on the long-running sitcom “Full House” and was the host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos”. Today’s dead celebrity is Bob Saget.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 53 ”Heartwarming Humor” (Louie Anderson) and Episode 47 “Love and OJ Jokes” (Norm Macdonald)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Bob Saget
Best moments from the Comedy Central roast of Bob Saget
John Posey as Danny Tanner in ‘Full House’ pilot
“Inside John Mayer's Incredible Friendship With Bob Saget”
“The Duality of Bob Saget is What Made Him Special” from The Ringer
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.
Sentient Princess (Carrie Fisher)
Episode 68
mercredi 10 janvier 2024 • Duration 56:41
This person died in 2016 at age 60. She was just 19 years old when she acted in her most iconic role. She offered wry commentary in her books on the paradoxes and absurdities of the entertainment industry. Her first book was made into a movie directed by Mike Nichols. She had a recurring role on the British comedy “Catastrophe”. She dated Dan Aykroyd and was once married to Paul Simon. Her mother was the actress Debbie Reynolds. She played Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movies. Today’s dead celebrity is Carrie Fisher.
Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Jacob Weiss, and features guest co-host Jennifer Keishin-Armstrong. Visit our website at famousandgravy.com and also enjoy our free mobile quiz game at deadoraliveapp.com
If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 56 “Sleepless Sally” (Nora Ephron) and Episode 44 “Inner Soprano” (James Gandolfini)
LINKS:
New York Times Obituary for Carrie Fisher
“Good Morning America”, Carrie Fisher interviewed with her dog Gary
“30 Rock” highlights from Carrie Fisher cameo
“Charlie Rose” 1994 interview with Carrie Fisher
’So Fetch’ book on Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s website
Famous & Gravy on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
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.