Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lessons from My Third Parent

We have been watching and enjoying Laverne & Shirley reruns with our kids. The show airs on the new Hub channel at 11:30 pm and 5:00 am, Monday through Thursday.

L&S&L&S


Most of the show is just silly fun, but one thing they did try to do, in their own wacky way, is keep true to the fact that these characters were from the "other side of town" in Milwaukee. That is, not the nice suburban neighborhood that the Cunninghams and their friends lived in on "Happy Days." These characters had a tougher go at life, yet they always did the right thing, even if it would have been easier to look the other way.

And friendships were paramount. Whether it was the best friend bonds between Laverne and Shirley, or Lenny and Squiggy, or the bonds between all four. The girls always recoiled at the antics of the two guys, but they were always there for them when need be, and vice versa.

I know, "Wow. He reads a lot into a goofy show." Well, maybe. But I watched this show often as a kid and I think the lessons in friendship were good lessons to learn. My third parent (aka TV) stepped up again here, and I was the better for it.

This is a clip from a show that aired back in December of 1979 called "Testing, Testing." The owner of the brewery has all the employees in for testing, and the gang is worried they will be fired because they all have their own issues and problems that make them less than perfect. But the examiner sees through all this to the truth. Watch, the clip below is just the last 2 minutes of the show.



A good little bit from a wacky, goofy, fun little show.

You can view the whole episode here: YouTube: Testing, Testing

5 comments:

  1. Awww . . .a good lesson learned. If only there was a little more value for the blue collar worker.

    ReplyDelete
  2. smiles. we used to watch this in the afternoons...good shoe...that third parent was a whole lot better back in the day...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved this show. Thanks for the memories!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Baino: So true.

    Brian: Well, depends where you look. Modern Family and The Middle are taking up the "Third Parent" slack these days.

    Megan: Me too!

    ReplyDelete