The late great  CHARLES NELSON REILLY was known by most of the general public as one of the funniest men of American TV shows in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  He was however so much more than that.

He was a serious stage actor, starred in many Broadway musicals winning a Tony Award in the original production of  How To Succeed in Business; stage director, film actor, acting teacher and one of the greatest story raconteurs ever.

First, here is a totally hilarious clip of him stealing the show at the Tony Awards in 1974.

 

 

Although Reilly never hid his campness in his countless TV appearances, he didn’t publicly come out as gay until the Match Game was eventually canceled.  He had never hidden his homosexuality but it wasn’t until he wrote and starred  in  his  one-man show Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly that he talked about it.  O’Reilly’s life partner was Patrick Hughes  a set decorator and dresser and the two lived happily together in Beverly Hills for years.

His one man show was a huge critical success and the very last two performances were filmed in 20O4 , and the movie version premiered at SXSW in 2006.  O’Reilly died a year later.

Queerguru thinks so highly of O’Reilly’s tour-de-force performance that the movie is actually on oor Top Ten List of all time :  it simply is that good. It’s not only a great way to introduce this legendary performer to new generations, but also for others to remember and celebrate his enormous talent, the likes of which we will never see again.

It is available streaming on Amazon. and is the perfect antidote to this troubled times.