Gallagher has taken his act on the road — and he’s not going home.
The iconic 1980s comedian, best known for smashing watermelons, recently did a show in upstate Oneonta and then went on a local radio station looking for someone to take him in.
“When I meet my fans, they seem really friendly, so I just thought I’d hang out with them,” Gallagher told CNY Central.
The Lanes, a couple from nearby Ilion, answered the call.
“We’ve got a couple watermelons and a sledge hammer,” Chrissy Lane joked. But the offer was serious and Gallagher — produce and all — moved in.
The 68-year-old plans to spend the holidays upstate brainstorming his next project.
“God thinks it’s a good idea to give me great ideas,” Gallagher told CNY Central, “and then I have a burden to make sure I plant that seed before I have my fifth heart attack.”
If it can be broken, dashed or smashed, then Gallagher has bashed it. The prop comic isn’t the hit he once was, beamed into living rooms thanks to countless Showtime comedy specials.
But not everything has worked out for the funnyman. He had to sue his brother to stop him from stealing the Gallagher brand, reportedly lost a fortune in the stock market and, as he alluded to, survived four heart attacks.
That guy in the produce section who looks a lot like someone who was once famous — yes, it’s Gallagher. He was spotted in the checkout line at a Utica Walmart on Saturday, waiting on a price check.
Finally, he told the cashier to use code 504.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the code for watermelons,” Gallagher said to the cashier, WIBX 950 reported.
It worked.
Now Gallagher is entrenched in Utica.
“I have a bucket list of things that will make the world a better place and I’ve decided to begin my work here in Utica,” Gallagher told WIBX.
No word on whether his work involves a sledgehammer. But Gallagher has made a living smashing watermelons for too long to stop now.
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