Earlier today, my former radio colleague and forever friend Kevin Horn posted on Facebook his list of The Top 10 TV Characters Of All Time. Here is Kevin’s list:
10. Sheldon Cooper
9. Jonny Quest
8. Lou Grant
7. Archie Bunker
6. Andy Taylor & Lucy Ricardo (tie)
5. Columbo
4. Barney Fife
3. Bugs Bunny
2. Fred Flintstone
1. Ralph Kramden
Some true icons of classic television there, to be sure! On our “Coffee Talk” segment this morning Mike Glesinger and I discussed the list and shared some of our own picks. A few of Gles’ selections jogged my brain and, having had the afternoon to think about it, I am prepared to present my list. Let’s go down Kevin’s list line-by-line and see where we agree and disagree:
10. Sheldon Cooper. As much as people love this character, I cannot allow him onto my list. There are too many great characters from the golden age of television. Also, it may be that I don’t find the same humor as others may in a socially-awkward, pop-culture obsessed nerd.
My 10. Sally Rogers and Buddy Sorrell. The incredibly talented Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam made every office scene a classic on “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. In addition to razor-sharp comedy timing, the pair had musical chops that came in handy:
9. Jonny Quest. While a classic Boomer animated favorite, as a character Jonny Quest doesn’t do much for me. Soooooo…since Gles and I both cited “Cheers” as a show that needed to be included:
My 9. Norm Peterson. Always dependably hilarious and the surprising focus of some of the funniest “Cheers” episodes, Norm was the everydrunk with a ringside seat to relationship drama; the addle-brained philosophies of Coach and Woody; the acid-tongued Carla; and the rest of the gang.
8. Lou Grant. I am on board with this choice! Lou Grant is an incredibly complex character who went through all kinds of trials during the 7-year-run of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”…but he always had a soft spot in his heart for Mary, even when he suspended her for an obituary-based mishap.
I’ll always remember the character of Lou Grant for the lines he spoke in the first (“I hate spunk!”) and last (“I treasure you people”) episodes of MTM.
7. Archie Bunker. “All In The Family” is not in my top 5 sitcoms, but I’m letting this stand because the show obviously was a game changer in so many different ways.
6. Andy Taylor and Lucy Ricardo (tie) Well, this is impossible to deny! “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show” are essentially the two remaining sitcoms filmed in black and white that get any kind of attention in rerun syndication. “The Honeymooners” was the third in that list for years but it just isn’t being seen as much as it should. Lucy the character was birthed by many mothers and fathers: the brilliant writing team of Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis; the production skill of Jess Oppenheimer; and of course, the superb clowning of Lucille Ball.
The fact that CBS can dust off two “Lucy” episodes every Christmas, computer-color them and handily win the ratings for the night is a testament to how well-made the original “Lucy” series is.
With Andy Taylor, you have a character that was created as a very stock, almost hillbilly persona. The “Andy Griffith Show” backdoor pilot, an episode of “The Danny Thomas Show”, features Andy as the wily small-town sheriff who also serves as newspaper editor, justice of the peace and Mayor.
When Don Knotts was added to the mix, Griffith realized his role would be best played as a straight man, and from that point forward begin refining his character in the scripts. One of the all time great comedy teams was born.
5. Columbo. A classic creation by Peter Falk.
4. Barney Fife. Well, of course ol’ Barn has to stay. Just watch him talk about dogs and giraffes.
Okay. Now we’re gonna do some serious excavation to The Horn List. Everybody put their safety goggles on!
3. Bugs Bunny. I grew up watching the wabbit. But his adventures were produced for exhibition in movie theaters. The TV appearances were all reruns. Ergo, ipso facto, nom de plume, feliculi felicula.
My 3. Richie Cunningham. The temptation here is to go with The Fonz. But here’s my take: Without Richie the Fonz as a character is set adrift. I am reminded of the episode where Richie tries to expose Fonzie’s fear of liver in the college newspaper. It sets off a fight between the two friends,and when they reconcile Fonzie explains his disappointment: “A lot of people tried to pull the mask off The Lone Ranger. Tonto never tried.”
As much as Ron Howard later claimed difficulty playing some of the sillier plots, Richie is a a really fun character. In the earlier single-camera episodes he experiences such rites of passage as a rigged poker game, fraternity pledge shenanigans, and the like. In the multi-camera Fonz-a-palooza years Richie is the core of believability. We believe Fonz is this bigger-than-life persona through the way Richie, the other Cunninghams, and to a lesser extent Potsie and Ralph react to him.
2. Fred Flintstone. Fred Flintstone is a cartoon knock-off of Ralph Kramden. Jackie Gleason almost sued Hanna-Barbera over it. But he decided he didn’t want to be the man who killed the Flintstones. And neither do I! Buuuuuuuuttttttttttttttt…….
My 2. Joe Friday. Yeah, again, it’s a “Dragnet” thing. I love me some “Dragnet”. Here, watch Joe Friday bring the truth to a young cop who’s going through tough times:
1. Ralph Kramden. The King Of The Castle! The hardest working man who drusses a bive in Gotham. Dreamer, schemer, husband of Alice, pal o’ mine of Ed Norton. Jackie Gleason’s most beloved creation first appeared on “Cavalcade Of Stars”, a variety show so old that the network it originally aired on no longer exists. But in 1952 Gleason, Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph moved up to CBS where they did a one-hour weekly comedy-variety series. “The Jackie Gleason Show” eventually devoted most weekly episodes to long “Honeymooners” sketches (these along with some shorter sketches are known and syndicated today as “The Lost Episodes”).
In 1955 Gleason agreed to film 39 episodes of a “Honeymooners” sitcom. The deal originally called for a second season order, but after one year–and those perfect 39 episodes–The Great One went back to variety. Honeymooners sketches were on-and-off attractions on his various series through 1970, later done from “THE SUN AND FUN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD MIAMI BEACH!” But those 39 filmed episodes were syndication monsters, airing for decades night-in night-out on local stations all over America. You’d think people would get tired of 39 episodes, but not this 39. Every rerun makes the heart grow fonder.
All this preamble might make you think I’m saying that Ralph Kramden is a slam-dunk. Well…..50% of one.
My 1. Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton. I thought seriously about replacing Kramden with Norton. But the truth is, like peanut butter and chocolate, french fries and ketchup, and Buddy and Sally….you can’t have one without the other. I said earlier that Andy Griffith and Don Knotts were one of the all time great comedy teams. Gleason and Carney? Baby…they were the greatest!
And so, there it is. My adjustments to Kevin’s list of the 10 Greatest Television Characters. I do have Honorable Mentions of course!
-Dr. Johnny Fever, Les Nessman, “WKRP In Cincinatti”
-Dr. Frasier Crane, “Cheers” & “Frasier”
-Maynard G. Krebs, “Dobie Gillis”
-Thurston Howell III, “Gilligan’s Island”
-Alice Nelson, “The Brady Bunch”
-Edward Stratton III, “Silver Spoons”
-Max, “Hart to Hart”
-Murray, Ted, Sue Ann, “Mary Tyler Moore”
-Artie, “The Larry Sanders Show”
-Troy McClure, “The Simpsons”
-Jay Sherman, “The Critic”
Aaaaaaaaaaaand that seems like a good place to stop.