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Health & Fitness

The Top 10 TV Dads

Remember those days of sitcoms and TGIF? One man sure did! Enjoy this Top 10 list of TV Dads.

TGIF when I was a kid didn’t just mean a restaurant. It was FRIDAY night. That meant grab some McDonald’s or Pizza (that was Friday night meals in my house) and prepare for two hours of entertainment. It was better than the movies. It was TGIF. I loved it, every moment. I had a boyish crush on Stephanie from “Full House,” laughed at Urkel, and that was just the first hour.

Over the course of many years after I began to realize that I didn’t have my own studio audience behind me to laugh at my jokes or have an orchestra on hand for some background music during life’s touching moments, I began my quest to television mastery. My goal was sitcoms. I watched as many as I could, old ones, new ones, ones that made NO sense (Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper). I became the guru of situation comedy. Nothing beat the TV Dad though. They made the show with their quirky characteristics yet omniscient sense of world well being.

So, after years of contemplation I have arrived at this week's Top Ten list for the Patch. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you my Top 10 TV Dads:

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10) Archie Bunker  (Carroll O’Connor, “All in the Family”) – Archie Bunker was a unique man. This guy was rough, tough, smoked cigars, and had his “seat,”in which no one else could sit in. He smoked cigars and often said some things rather “uncouth” about his neighbors. He makes the list because of his longevity and personality. Everybody remembers him. He was a classic New Yorker with a short temper, but a heart of an element close to gold, but NOT quite…

9) Dr. Huxtable  (Bill Cosby, “The Cosby Show”) – Who doesn’t love Dr. Huxtable? First of all, he had a sweet house. It seemed like rooms there just never ended. Dr. Huxtable made a good TV dad for many reasons. First, he had A LOT of kids, yet never seemed like he ran out of advice or love. He was a good man who taught his family to strive for their best always and enjoy some jello-puddin’.

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8) David Bryan (Sinbad, “The Sinbad Show”) – No one expected this one, eh? Sinbad got on this list because of one reason; he’s the only foster father on the list. I admire that. He shaped his very short-lived television sitcom on the basis of being a foster father to kids. Now that’s class. He went out of his way to be a good example of a father to someone (played by Ray J). Sinbad’s not doing too much these days…but I’d go see him if he was performing. Plus, I’ll never forget his performance in “Necessary Roughness.” Classic.

8) George Lopez (George Lopez, “The George Lopez Show”) – George Lopez is a great TV Dad and very underrated. First, he broke onto the sitcom scene really as the first Latino TV dad. Second, George Lopez, despite his somewhat sarcastic tone, was a hard worker. Son is dyslexic – he gets him extra help. Daughter has trouble at school – he works double to get her in a better school. Yet, he maintained that one should never shy away from proud heritage or family, no matter what they do or who they are. Plus, Sandra Bullock had a recurring role on his show.

7) Frank Lambert (Patrick Duffy, “Step by Step”) – This guy is one of my favorites. He gave new meaning to the term “nuclear family.” Frank Lambert knew how to provide. Hard work and dedication to him was a value and way of life, not an afterthought. He loved football, loved his wife, loved his kids, but always made sure he kept his sense of humor. It almost makes us forget his time as J.R Ewing on “Dallas”.

6) Danny Tanner (Bob Saget, “Full House”) – There was a time in the world when people revered Danny Tanner as an all around great guy and terrific TV dad. What most people don’t know is that Saget was actually the second  choice to place Danny Tanner after the first guy tanked in the pilot. Most people also don’t know that Bob Saget was so dirty in his attitude that he wasn’t allowed around the children. Aside from those issues, no one can forget the detail Danny Tanner put into everything and how he made sure his kids were always taken care of despite the loss of their mother. He made a point to make sure his kids were always happy and was extremely supportive. Eventually however…too many people lived in the house. HOW BIG was this place? Seriously? How did they keep adding and changing rooms and yet when you saw the house in the credits it stayed the same size?

5) Steven Keaton (Michael Gross, “Family Ties”) – This is an interesting choice for me for a few reasons. First, it was slightly before my time. Second, it’s more of a recent realization. Thanks to the “HUB” channel on FIOS I’ve begun to catch old episodes of “Family Ties.” Steven Keaton was an all American type of guy. Very sincere, loving, and generally well tempered. He had a good supporting cast in Michael J. Fox and Justine Bateman, too. I recommend checking out his demeanor on “Family Ties” and stay away from his movie career – where his performance in “Tremors 2: Aftershocks” was less than Oscar worthy.

4) Jack Arnold (Dan Lauria,“The Wonder Years”) – Anyone who can talk TV Dads had to mention Jack Arnold. First, he's totally a rough hard working guy who married his high school sweetheart and head cheerleader. What I loved about Jack Arnold was his coy way of teaching you a lesson. Granted, he had the always awkward Kevin Arnold and Wayne Arnold, but are a lot of good qualities about Jack Arnold and I feel like he is often forgotten about. What saddens me most though is how he is said to have died in the last episode.

3) Tim Taylor (Tim Allen, “Home Improvement”) – This guy makes this list because he made grunting cool. He’s one of the only men on the list to have a legitimate sidekick as well (Richard Karn as “Al”). What I loved about “the Toolman” was that he was quick to admit a mistake and take advice from Wilson, his omniscient neighbor whose face we never see. What was great about Tim was how he never got anything right the first time, his advice, his construction, his car…nothing. However, what made it work was that he, in some way, was able to make a point and teach a good life lesson. My favorite will always be the safety episode in which taught the world, “What Not To Do.” I miss this show a lot.

2) Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson,“Family Matters”) – By far my favorite on the list. Carl Winslow was a Chicago police officer who was dedicated to his family and overall just a great guy. First, he took care of his aging mother, had a wife who understood him, and had three…sorry….I mean two excellent children (Season 4 saw the obliteration of Judy Winslow, who in the last episode went upstairs and never returned). Carl later adopted an orphan and was never too far from his family. He taught us all how to relieve anger and even learned to love his annoying neighbor, Steve Urkel. He had some ups and downs, but even when faced with all sorts of trials always found a way back home. Funny enough, Reginald VelJohnson who played Carl Winslow is actually from Queens and starred in bit parts in Die Hard and Crocodile Dundee.

1) Mr. Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley, “Happy Days”) – This was an easy choice for #1. Mr. Cunningham represented a man who taught other TV Dads how to be TV Dads for the modern era. He was a driven man and enjoyed dressing properly. He embraced his son’s best friend, Fonzie, and had such impeccable comic timing. He also had three…I mean two children in Richie and Erin (remember how Chuckie Cunningham went away on a Basketball scholarship?!) I grew up watching “Happy Days” and some of my favorite memories were enjoying this with my family. Tom Bosley knew how to get things done and teach a lesson with love like no other. He set the stage for the next few decades of TV Dad’s and for that, he is #1. Unfortunately, Tom Bosley passed away several years ago.

Honorable Mentions in a class of their own: Gil Jones ("Thunder Alley" played by Ed Asner), Alan Matthews ( Boy Meets World) Fred Sanford (Sanford and Sons) and Alan Thicke (Growing Pains).

There are always television shows that we know and love and the above simply represent a collection of some of the best. To me, there is nothing like the comedy these men had. They were brilliant and yet, didn’t have to be dirty. They knew how to make us laugh or cry with just a look and that’s what made for sitcoms the way they were.

Stay tuned next week when we tackle some new topics and a great new surprise Top 10!

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