Rob...

Like so many I’m still a bit numb from the tragic news of Rob and Michelle Reiner’s terrible endings in what appears to be a family tragedy beyond comprehension. I knew Rob but not as well or as closely as I would’ve liked. Though we were in the same business our paths didn’t regularly cross as most of my day to day was with his partners, especially Glenn Padnick, another person who defined class, intelligence and grace. But that was Castle Rock, a collection of wonderfully creative people who were as smart, kind and great to hang with as they were successful.

Rob’s work is a legacy of love. His stories and characters were always about showing a better way…and I was hooked right from the start. As a fellow boomer his personification of Mike Stivik and the battles that he fought with his father in law Archie were more than relatable, they could’ve been wiretapped from “conversations” I had with my own parents and dads of friends and the girls I dated. When All in the Family first premiered I was a Senior in College and it hit me like a punch in the gut as it was unlike anything I had seen before on Network TV. Little did I know it would change my life.

We talk about the “butterfly effect” where the slightest movement in the universe moves and changes everything in the reaction and affect of that movement. That phenomenon is well illustrated in the art of storytelling. We experience more than we have or might ever will experience when we submit to the narrative of a story. We enter it with the characters who introduces us to their world and their challenges and then as our imagination stretches, immersed in their journey we are moved, even though we know that it’s just a “made up story”. Rob’s ability to do that both as an actor and later as a director were at the core of the stories he helped to create; reflecting deeply American values…respect, compassion, and a constant affirmation in the power of love and friendship.

Way back when I was a young lawyer in my 20’s I had a sense that there was something else that would be the answer to the eternally asked question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” I had a strong intuition that at the heart of whatever that might be storytelling, clearly something essential for a trail lawyer would be at the heart of it.

On Sunday night March 5 1978, as I regularly did for almost all of its run, I tuned in to watch All in the Family knowing that this remarkable series was nearing its end. Having been part of this fictional family for so many years this scene hit me like a ton of bricks….

I remember thinking as I blinked through my tears, 40-45 million people had just shared that moment, and if only 1% were thinking “I’m going to call my Dad” or Mom or whoever loved one they needed to thank…well that’s the world I wanted to be part of…and so my journey began.

Years later, when I was helping to try to dig our CBS line-up out of last place, I was trying to get Jim Brooks interested in working with us and while he was too busy he reminded me of our history and how that should inspire us and give us hope. It sunk in and I pitched an idea to do a weekend of “re-union” celebrations. Ed Sullivan, Mary Tyler Moore and All in the Family were brought back. When I called Norman Lear to get his blessing he gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up as it would celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the show’s premiere. On show night we held a viewing party and Norman, Rob, Carroll O’Connor and the entire cast were there to hug and celebrate and for us a chance to reclaim a bit of history to help us on our way. It’s a memory that will always be a part of me as in addition to being in the presence of these amazing actors and creators, it seemed to complete a circle that reaffirmed that my life was on the right path.

As the years past and I would see Rob whether at movie premieres or just around town, he was as unfailingly friendly and authentic as he was to everyone he met and I felt glad that he was part of not only my world but more importantly in the larger world that so desperately needs people whose mission in life is to make things a little bit better for others. Now sadly he and his amazing wife and partner are gone and though they will be mourned and missed, their work is a loving legacy that will continue to move people to pause, and perhaps do something out of love, compassion or kindness, that even if just for a moment, makes their and our world a better place.

RIP and may their memory be a blessing.