Grant Unto Him Eternal Rest his body works differently from other people". The executives were bemused by an incomplete story where one of the main characters was dead, but commissioned the series soon after receiving the full script. In retrospect, Linehan and Mathews noticed that the plot was very similar to that of the "Fawlty Towers" episode "The Kipper and the Corpse". Despite being fans of the show, they only noticed the parallels afterwards, and would likely have abandoned the episode if they had seen them earlier. Kevin Sharkey, who plays the black Donegal priest, was a friend of the writers', and was brought in
Thornton Kipper of the Venezuelan Winter League (1953–54) and in the 1954 Caribbean Series. After his playing career, Kipper worked in a paper mill in Lewiston, Idaho. Later served as a pitching coach both at Lewis-Clark State College and Phoenix's Mountain Pointe High School. Kipper died in Scottsdale, Arizona at age 77. , or BR Bullpen, or Retrosheet, or East Valley Tribune - Paying tribute Thornton Kipper Thornton John Kipper (September 27, 1928 – March 29, 2006) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1953 through 1955 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at , , Kipper batted and threw