Comedian gives back for holiday

Louie Anderson based much of his comedy career on his large family. But he will spend much of his Thanksgiving on Las Vegas Boulevard, at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.

"I find that the most interesting thing of all," Anderson says of his annual volunteer shift. He serves as a glorified greeter, filling water glasses for the down and out. "That's the thing my mom used to do. We were a big ice-water family."

A lot of people recognize him. "Obviously they have not always been homeless. Some of them say they're comedians, too."

The Excalibur's resident headliner has long been an advocate for the homeless. Two of his 10 siblings were "off-and-on again homeless," leading him to eventually co-found the Michigan-based HERO, an acronym for Homeless Empowerment Relationship Organization.

Anderson grew up in Minnesota housing projects and remembers: "People always used to bring us baskets from the church. I always found that really nice that somebody who didn't know us cared about us."

And even though his late father was an underemployed alcoholic -- their complex relationship fueled his book "Dear Dad: Letters from an Adult Child" -- he remembers his dad having the grocery checker separate some food into extra bags.

"Then he would stop at somebody's house that I didn't necessarily know," and drop them off.

"As much of a tough guy as he could be, he never forgot that whole thing," Anderson recalls. "When you live with somebody who is somewhat of a tyrant, their acts of kindness are just such a wonderful ray of light shining down."

For those who choose the more conventional path of spending Thanksgiving with their families -- like it or not -- Anderson is optimistic. "I think for a lot of people, this is going to be their best holiday ever," he says.

"First of all, opening presents is going to take a lot less time," he quips.

But what he really means is: "People are gonna figure out what's really important to each other. I think these economic times might have taken a lot of pressure off people at holidays."

If your family get-togethers tend to degenerate into a sitcom or Lifetime movie, he has some simple advice:

"It sounds cruel, but get there a little late, leave a little early -- before Uncle Harry gets too drunk."

"And quit thinking that the outcome of what you say is going to be different than it ever has been. Quit looking for different results, excepting yourself. Your reaction could be better. I don't think you have to get mad at the same situations," he adds.

"When I was a teenager, I would get really embarrassed by my mom sometimes, the dumb stuff she would say. But now I think, 'I'd give anything to hear that stupid stuff.' "

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.