Taxation & Estate Planning

A Will Reading on "30 Rock"

By Joel A. Schoenmeyer

I've talked before about the TV show "30 Rock" (here and here), back when I thought it was the funniest show on TV. I don't think that anymore (I prefer "Community" and "Modern Family" and maybe even "How I Met Your Mother" at this point), s I rarely tune in. But I did watch last evening, and the show included a pretty funny reading of a deceased person's Will. (The deceased person in question is Don Geiss, an NBC executive - played by Rip Torn - who is the mentor of Jack Donaghy, the character played by Alec Baldwin.)

The clip can be found here:

Or you can watch the entire episode at Hulu -- it starts at the 3:33 mark. A transcript:

Estate Lawyer: That concludes Mr. Geiss's financial disbursements. I believe all have been accounted for. His daughter, his lovely wife, his even lovelier mistress, his secret Canadian family, and his even more secret attic family. [Nice V.C. Andrews shout out. -JAS] All that remains are a few personal items.

[Reading from the Will] 'To my daughter Kathy I bequeath my pocket watch. It comes with very specific instructions for care, the most important of which is to not let the piece get wet.' [Kathy - who's a little "touched" - looks around guiltily and takes the watch out of her mouth.]

[Continuing to read from the Will] 'To my protegee and friend John Francis Donaghy, I leave a gift from the gardens of my estate in Connecticut. My beloved pet peacock, Argus.'

Jack Donaghy [chuckling and addressing Argus]: Oh! Hello, old friend.

*****

So why don't real-life estate attorneys hold Will readings more often? Mostly because most Wills don't have a bunch of "strange" beneficiaries. If you're married, your beneficiaries are probably your spouse and kids. If you aren't, your beneficiaries are probably parents, siblings, or friends. There aren't many surprises in a typical Will. (And that's a good thing, since surprises usually equal litigation. Don Geiss's widow doesn't seem to mind the presence of his mistress, his secret Canadian family, and his secret attic family. Most spouses aren't so calm about these matters.)

Another reason for the dearth of Will readings: no one wants to pay an attorney his or her hourly rate to read a Will out loud. (Note: If you DO want an attorney to read your Will upon your death, please let me know -- I'm happy to oblige.)

Full post as published by Death and Taxes Blog on April 30, 2010 (boomark / email).