There have been so many Comedic TV characters over the years but I am going to try and narrow it down to my absolute 10 Favorites. This is going to be difficult because I have so many Favorites and I hate to leave so many off of the list. So, I will start by just presenting all of them in any order and then give my Top 10.
Kramer on Seinfeld is high on my list. His physicality and mannerisms are totally captivating and hysterical to watch. I laugh everytime I see him. Michael Richards will always be known for that character no matter what else he ever achieves in his career and he should be proud of that accomplishment. While I know, as an actor and comedian myself, how hard it is to deal with being 'pidgeonholed' in this business, it is still incredible to become so strong in the mainstream consciousness and to become a household name.
Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton are classic characters and so relatable. They will live on for eternity. They were supposed to be The Bensonhurst version of Laurel & Hardy but they surely surpassed that by creating their own paths. Jackie Gleason & Art Carney both achieved so much more in their careers as actors but those characters will live on forever.
Sidney Fields from The Abbott & Costello shows was a tremendous talent. He was so instrumental in that shows humor and plus he would play other parts too. When the boys had to go to the employment office or somewhere else, Sidney Fields would play his cousin or brother and all it was, was him with a toupee on and maybe a mustache. A very funny man indeed.
Abbott & Costello, of course, were so great on the TV stage. Whether they were doing their classic vaudeville bits or not, it didn't matter. Their chemistry was terrific and a joy to watch in any situation they would put themselves in.
Hawkeye Pierce was one of my favorites to watch. Alan Alda's timing was impeccable and you could tell that he was very influenced by Groucho Marx in his delivery. Pierce was impish, cute, clever and smart. As much as I loved everyone on MASH, his character was the catalyst for everything. MASH was one of the few shows that survived constant cast changes during its' run but I don't think it ever would have survived without Hawkeye.
Basil Fawlty of Fawlty Towers is one of my absolute favorites of all time. John Cleese has always been one of my Favorite Pythons but with Basil Fawlty he absolutely struck gold. Fawlty was so loud and over the top and his interaction with the other characters like Manuel, his wife Sybil, the Major and everyone else that appeared on the show as guests was great to watch. It was so unfortunate that there were only 12 shows. I hungered for more but after Cleese's divorce from Connie Booth, who played Polly the maid, the show had an unavoidable demise.
Reverend Jim of Taxi is a TV classic. Christopher Lloyd must have really enjoyed playing him to the hilt. He didn't have to shave or dress up and he just had to act like an old druggie that never really completely recovered. He was so lovable and you just couldn't help but like Jim no matter what he did. The scene at the DMV where he is taking his written test is one of the best TV moments of all time.
Barney Fife was a great character and Don Knotts played him better than anyone else could have done. You just can't imagine anyone else in that role. Don Knotts first came into the Television mainstream as one of Steve Allen's second bananas on The Original Tonight Show. He was always the nervous guy on the street and you could see how he developed that character to later become Barney Fife. Barney was always a guy who you would have sympathy for and couldn't help but laugh at him for his screwups. He was always trying way too hard and building himself up bigger than he was to impress girls or other people and it always seemed to backfire on him.
Now here are a few characters that I had to mention but I don't know if they fit into this because they weren't real. So, even though I am not going to put them in my Top 10, I have to honor them. There used to be a show on in the 50's called 'Andy's Gang' and there was a rubber puppet on the show called Froggy the Gremlin. I remember laughing my head off as a little kid at the things this Frog would say and make people do. He had power over guests with the power of suggestion. Whatever he would say they would ultimately do and it was hysterical to watch as a boy of 3. So even though Froggy wasn't real, per se, he was real enough for me and a character I loved to death. On the old Soupy Sales Show in the 60's was a man named Frank Nastasi and he played all of the charcaters on the show. Black Tooth, White Fang, Pookie, Rheba and the hand at the door. He was brilliant and I think all of those charcters should be mentioned as one, Frank Nastasi. He was terrific and he made coming home from school a race for me. I only had 15 minutes to get back in time to watch the show so the challenge was to get home as quickly as possible.
Where would any list be without the incomparable Archie Bunker? He was a one of a kind character that broke so much ground on race relations in this country during a time when it was needed. And as bigoted, racist and stupid as the character was, Carroll O'Connor made Archie able to still be loved by the viewing public. That was amazing in of itself. A tribute to Carroll's talent as an actor.
Alfalfa was a great character that everyone knows, no matter what age you are. Every kid is introduced to the Little Rascals during childhood and Alfalfa is definitely one of the most memorable of the cast. He was always the one that was getting himself in trouble and it was always over Darla or some other girl. And how could you not love that squealing singing voice. 'Just an echo.....yoo hoo!(ribbitt ribbitt)'.
Ted Baxter was a great 'love to hate' kind of charcter and Ted Knight played him superbly. He was always the stingy, egotistical, idiot fool. But even with all of those foibles, Ted Knight made you laugh, enjoy and sympathize for him. You somehow knew that it was all a front and that deep inside was a caring human being that was just afraid to let his guard down. You could see Baxter's vulnerablity.
My honoroable mentions on the list are Louis DePalma, Latka, Fonzie, Lucy, Rob Petrie, Newman, Mike The Cop, The Three Stooges, Alice Kramden, Lou Grant, Sue Ann Nivens, Frasier & Niles Crane, Sgt. Bilko, The Kingfish, Edith Bunker, Meathead, Robert Barone, Klinger, Homer Simpson and of course, Jerry Mathers as the Beaver.
So here they are:
My Top 10 List Of Favorite Comedic TV Characters
1. Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton
2. Kramer
3. Basil Fawlty
4. Sidney Fields
5. Abbott & Costello
6. Reverend Jim
7. Ted Baxter
8. Hawkeye Pierce
9. Archie Bunker
10. Barney Fife
Now I know that Abbott & Costello and Kramden & Norton are 4 people, but I count Comedy Teams as one person because I feel each team is one and without each other, the comedy doesn't work.
So, if I left out any of your Favorites, please let me know. There are so many to choose from in this category and I am sure that some have fallen along the wayside in my mind over the years. Thanks for reading, from THE COMEDY TORNADO!!
No comments:
Post a Comment