Though it may be more appropriate to watch videos of his comedy routines, particularly of his classic “Seven Dirty Words” bit or his routine on death, this is a film blog, so I’m sharing a clip from … an animated television series. But it’s a cartoon spun-off from a movie, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which is probably Carlin’s most memorable film, so I find it worthy. Especially because Carlin reprised his role as Rufus.
The first season of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures actually featured the voices of Carlin, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, as Rufus, Ted and Bill, respectively. It wasn’t completely rare for cartoon spin-offs to retain the lead actors of the original movies/TV shows, and it’s not like any of the principals were too big for Saturday morning (Reeves didn’t really become a big star until a few years later), but in retrospect it at least seems surprising.
The main reason I wanted to share this clip was to recognize Carlin’s ability to transcend his iconic status as a pioneer of obscene stand-up in order to do a lot of kid-friendly work. In addition to appearing in the Bill & Ted movies and the first season of the animated series (none of the stars stayed on for the second, much-altered season), Carlin lent his voice to Pixar’s Cars, Disney’s Tarzan II, the Weinstein Company’s Happily N’Ever After and the children’s program Thomas the Tank Engine and appeared as the conductor on the Thomas spin-off Shining Time Station.
And in the above clip Carlin’s two sides meet, as the animated Rufus comes across a George Carlin comedy album. Were kids suddenly introduced to the obscene Carlin? Did they run out and buy his albums only to discover that he had a filthy mouth? Probably not. I had grown up with his comedy, hearing his routines before I was even as old as there are dirty words, but I’m sure that when this episode aired, I failed to see the true genius of the joke. Now I appreciate it to its fullest. To quote the animated Carlin, the reflexive moment is indeed “most amusing.”
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