Ed Asner on growing old and Mary Tyler Moore

by Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Earlier this year, the Pixar movie "Up!" delighted audiences with the story of Carl Fredricksen . He's a grumpy octogenarian who fulfills a life's dream of travelling to South America by attaching millions of balloons to his house and floating away.

"So long, boys!," he shouts. "I'll send you a postcard from Paradise Falls!"

Veteran actor Ed Asner provided Carl Fredricksen's voice. He was also the redoubtable Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" which put Minneapolis on the pop culture map.

Asner is in the Twin Cities tonight to appear at a screening of "Up" at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis.

He'll talk about the film, and about the issues of aging. Asner told Euan Kerr he didn't realize at first the all-encompassing aspect of Carl's story and its pertinence to all of us.