MovieChat Forums > Too Close for Comfort (1980) Discussion > Very creepy episode where Henry foretold...

Very creepy episode where Henry foretold his own DEATH!!

posted 13 years ago by megafauna005
17 replies | jump to latest

They just showed the episdoe "Nearly Departed" yesterday on Antenna. It's the episode where Henry's father (Huey) dies and there are many people there and it's like a party atmosphere.

Then Henry starts getting concerned about his own funeral and who will say the eulogy and he realizes he doens't have many friends.

He says his only friend is Herb and he invites Herb over to talk about it and says he has 25 to 30 years left to live!!

OMG!! In reality he only lived 3 or 4 more years!!

This was a few years into the series since Huey had been in quite a few episodes early on. So I'm guessing it was in 1983 or so and Ted died in 1986 right?

He hardly lived anywhere NEAR 25 to 30 more years. He also said in this episode that he's only 54. IRL Ted must've been at least 65 right?

[–] lunarose 13 years ago

According to the statistics here on imdb, he was only 62 when he passed.

"Qui conduisait la voiture?"

[–] megafauna005 13 years ago

But he looked at least 65 even in the first season.

[–] cactusheart-239-131269 12 years ago

Sadly, 25-30 years was wishful thinking. Knight had battled with cancer for some time, even WHILE the show was on, probably had some foreboding sense that his number would be up sooner than he might've wanted, but for the sake of the character he portrayed...stretched out the number by a couple dozen years.

Think about it! If Knight were honest about his actual life expectancy and expressed it through his character, that would be CREEPY!! If he were to say 3-4 years instead of 25-30? Henry Rush and Ted Knight are 2 different personnas and he was well aware of it...unlike you, apparently LOL

[–] megafauna005 12 years ago

But Ted Knight did appear pretty healthy though. It's too bad because with today's medical care he would've probably lived a few more years so we would've had a few more years of Too Close!

[–] EntertainMe463 12 years ago

Yes :( too bad I loved him and am enjoying the show all over again.

As the previous poster said, he knew was battling cancer already and was just reading lines written for his character. I saw that episode that night and had the SAME thought and feeling as the OP. It just totally jumped out at me and I felt sad for him :(

[–] megafauna005 12 years ago

What sucks is they were all set to do a season 7 with Mrs.Stinson had Knight lived.

It would've been the 2nd season at the Marin Bugler and the show was really taking off!

[–] TMC-4 (19416) 6 years ago

A theory of the production schedule during the first-run syndication seasons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJYwH9z_ugk&lc=Uggf3VL09gkj0XgCoAEC.7-H0Z7-EU0B883nCKdTK4B

The fourth season episodes (that began airing in April 1984) I think were produced in late 1983 into 1984. Then, I think it's safe to say that the two subsequent seasons were shot between August 1984-March 1985 and August 1985-March 1986, respectively. The August-March time table is usually when shows shoot, especially those that air typical September-May seasons. However, that schedule clearly worked even for this series, which was airing its seasons from April to November in syndication (or, in the case of the final season, April to the next February).

Keep in mind, Ted Knight was obviously still in enough shape to act in the Season 1 finale of The Ted Knight Show (which I assume was "Lisa Goes Lottery Loco", unless the production order was different), so that must have been a safe 3-4 months before Knight's passing.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (22250229) 12 years ago

On Season 5/Ep 20, Ted also uttered a remark foretelling of his death:

Paraphrasing here: "I'll just enjoy my life, or what's left of it."

This really stuck out to me, seeing as he only had a year left. Pretty sad to hear him utter the line and watching it all, after the fact, knowing what was to be was just around the corner.

Quit that snifflin' or the boogeyman'll be gettin' ya.

[–] megafauna005 12 years ago

Wow! Creepy!

What's amazing is that the obese Mrs.Stinson is still alive!

[–] megafauna005 10 years ago

I bet that line he said about "enjoying life or what's left of it" was ad libbed by Knight. The "what's left of it" part anyway.

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!

[–] Mr. Hole 12 years ago

The final season is full of mentions of him dying, at least one an episode. Very sad.

[–] megafauna005 12 years ago

What?? They never mentioned he was dying during the final season. Not on the show anyway!

[–] superpsychicspychick 12 years ago

That's pretty retarded to consider a statement like that a prophecy, especially when all it really was was a recited line off of a script written by somebody else.

Hold it, I feel a "prophecy" coming on: I forsee that you will die...someday.

I am sensing...your name...has at least one vowel in it.

And...there's a 50% chance your next child will be born male. I have spoken LOL

"This world would be a far more pleasant place to endure, if stupidity hurt."

[–] megafauna005 11 years ago

I just want to know what Mr.Hole meant by the last season has at least 1 mention per episode of him dying since I don't recall that at all!

[–] rerunwatcher 10 years ago

Last night I saw the one when he dreamed he had died without leaving a will, and the family was living in poverty.

[–] jclifford4 9 years ago

I remember that episode. Muriel then was able to get in touch with many of Henry's friends, over the years, and them come over to the house, so that they could share their memories and keep up their friendships.

The theme of that episode was that Henry realized that he was NOT alone.

[–] megafauna005 9 years ago

Wow Clifford, that almost sounds like a eulogy episode!

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!