美国国家公共电台 NPR David Huddleston, The Real Big Lebowski, Dies At 85

David Huddleston, The Real Big Lebowski, Dies At 85

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The Big Lebowski is gone - not the guy who was mistaken for him in the 1998 Coen brothers film. Of course, that's Jeff Bridges. David Huddleston died at the age of 85, played the actual Big Lebowski in the movie. And as NPR's Ted¹ Robbins tells us, he played a lot of other characters, too.

TED ROBBINS, BYLINE²: If you saw a photo of David Huddleston, you'd probably say, oh, that guy. You might not know his name, but you knew his face and his voice.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GILMORE GIRLS")

DAVID HUDDLESTON: (As Mayor Harry³ Porter) We have leash⁴ laws, people.

LAUREN GRAHAM: (As Lorelai Gilmore) Daddy's getting angry.

HUDDLESTON: (As Mayor Harry Porter) Rover will not leash himself.

ROBBINS: That's Huddleston as mayor of Stars Hollow in an episode of "Gilmore Girls." Here he is as a senator on "The West Wing."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE WEST WING")

HUDDLESTON: (As Senator Max Lobell) Good morning, Mr. President. Please allow me to introduce Bob Simon, Peter Raftman (ph)...

MARTIN SHEEN: (As President Josiah Bartlet) Max, I don't need to know all the names. It's OK. Please sit down.

ROBBINS: Huddleston played a lot of authority figures, but he often played them in a way that let you know he was in on the joke. In Mel Brooks⁵' classic comedy Western "Blazing Saddles," he was a mayor rallying his people against lawlessness.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BLAZING SADDLES")

HUDDLESTON: (As Olson Johnson) What are we made of? Our fathers came across the prairie, fought Indians, fought drought, fought locusts⁶, fought Dix. Remember when Richard Dix came in here and tried to take over this town?

ROBBINS: In his best-known role, David Huddleston was the rich Jeffrey Lebowski who meets the slacker with the same name.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE BIG LEBOWSKI")

HUDDLESTON: (As The Big Lebowski) OK, so you're a Lebowski. I'm a Lebowski. That's terrific.

ROBBINS: He doesn't understand why he should reimburse⁷ Jeff Bridges' Lebowski for a rug some gangsters⁸ have ruined by mistake.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE BIG LEBOWSKI")

JEFF BRIDGES: (As The Dude) Man, I'm not trying to scam anybody here. You know, I'm just...

HUDDLESTON: (As The Big Lebowski) You're just looking for a handout⁹ like every other - are you employed, Mr. Lebowski?

BRIDGES: (As The Dude) Well, wait, let me explain something to you. I am not Mr. Lebowski. You're Mr. Lebowski. I am The Dude.

ROBBINS: Are you employed? Well, David Huddleston was. IMDb lists 145 acting¹⁰ credits for him over the last half-century. Ted Robbins, NPR News.

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

5 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。

8 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

9 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。