I had the great privilege and pleasure of working closely with Cloris Leachman four times in my acting career. I played her son in all four of those projects which were starring roles for both of us. We worked on "The Loretta Young Show", "Going My Way" (with Gene Kelly) and "The Twilight Zone" (in the classic episode, "It's A Good Life" and the sequel 40 years later, "It's Still A Good Life" which also starred my daughter, Liliana Mumy). I've been fortunate to work with many iconic talents over the course of my life, but NONE were better than Cloris. She was an amazing talent. Any actor who was lucky enough to work with her will immediately know what I mean when I say she truly bumped up your game. You rose to the occasion when acting alongside Cloris Leachman because she wouldn't accept anything less than the very best you had inside to bring and she helped you find it. Cloris was a force to be reckoned with. I can't say I ever knew anyone bolder than her. She was bawdy and brave and sassy and hysterically quick and funny and she took no prisoners. She taught me a lot about acting when I was only a very young child. We remained friends over the decades. Her son, George, and I were in a band together. My kids went to Easter Egg parties at her home when they were little. I will always appreciate her greatness and I will never forget how lucky I was to work with her multiple times. Thankfully, Cloris' immense talents were very well acknowledged and she lived a long, uncompromising life. I'm sorry she's gone but I am grateful she was here for so long and left us so much. Lastly, I'll add that many people are not aware of the fact that Cloris was an incredibly talented pianist. I consider myself blessed to have heard her play. Thinking Real Good thoughts for you, "Mom"... You had a good life... A Real Good life.
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