You've probably seen my photo of him all over the Internet, usually without a photo credit.
He often said that he appreciated my profile of him in my book WHO'S WHO IN COMEDY. If anyone wanted press material on him, he handed a xerox of that article, or the earlier one I did for RAVE MAGAZINE. I was glad that my publicity photo of him, and my WHO'S WHO piece, were useful in his lifetime. I had no idea they would be useful even after.
When Theodore died, his girlfriend and his accountant (two different people) expected an obit in the New York Times. One of them called up, asking when it might run. The response was, "Theodore...who?" Theodore WHO? A cab ride down to the office of the New York Times cleared that up...along with a copy of a certain coffee-table-sized reference book.
If Theodore was good enough to get a big entry in the book WHO'S WHO IN COMEDY, then The New York Times MUST give him the obit he deserves!
The Times quoted one line in particular. In 1990, Theodore underwent a nasal operation to correct breathing problems he suffered ever since he had his nose broken by the Nazis at Dachau. He left a message on my answering machine about his upcoming hospital visit: "If I die, best wishes for the rest of your life. If I don't — I'll phone you."
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