ALL RESPECT DUE..JALEEL WHITE AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK NERD!

Say what you want about Jaleel White, corny, whack, soft but after you finish saying those words one adjective you better use is PAID! 

Or how about PIONEER! 

As Steven Urkel the nerd that lived next door to the Winslow family Jaleel White was something that America had never seen before...A Black Nerd. 

On television Black characters were either buffoonish (JJ EVANS from Good Times), oversexed (Martin Lawrence as Martin Payne on his show Martin), adorably annoyingly percocious (Gary Coleman as Arnold on Diff'rent Strokes) Loud and boarish (Sherman Hemsley as George Jefferson) or just plain dumb (Kyle from Damon Wayans' show my wife and kids). 

But never before had America seen a Black Nerd. A smart kid that worked on science projects and had a wholesome crush on the girl next door. The show Family Matters was not the best show but it was entertaining. 

What started out as a family show with an annoying neighbor quickly became a vehicle for White's talents of physicality, funny looks and the repeat of the classic (albeit hacky) one liner, "Did I do that?". 

At one point White became so tall that he was forced to kneel as he called Reginald Winslow's character the father "Big Guy." Sadly, White got so tall and big in the role that the writers were forced to become up with the alternative and yes shark - jumping character Stefan Urkale the debonair alternative to Steve. He got the girl and the show ended on CBS after ending it's run on ABC. While I haven't seen Jaleel White since, he will remain a pioneer and classic sitcom character. He carried the show on his back for the last five or six years. 

HE IS LEGEND!

One of the best that ever did it!

I loved Nell Carter. She was such a good actress that she made me forget that the show that she starred in was about a Black maid working for a white family. Now that I am older I am sure that she was fucking Chief Kiniski but at that young age I didn't pick that up. Before she died, Nell Carter had bouts with depression, cocaine and lesbianisn. Talk about a trifecta. She is no longer with us so alas there will be no reunion show. Rest In Peace, Nell I will always love you.

FATHER FIGURE

Got to give a father figure shout to my man Joel Higgins. He played Richard Stratton, head of a million dollar toy company and father of little ricky stratton played Ricky Schroeder. If you were fatherless and let's face it even if you had a dad you had to at least imagine what it was like to have a dad like Richard Stratton. He had a train that traveled around through the house, he gave his son a race car bed and to top it all off he was fucking the chick that played Wilma on Buck Rogers. How can you find a cooler dad than that?

The Blackest Television intro ever!

Remember 227 the show that starred the ultra talented Marla Gibbs as a mom that helped raise her family in building 227?

I loved this show. Not only was it refreshing to see a family on television that was happy to be together, but it was also great to see a show that starred a Black family that did not live in the projects. Regina King of all people became the star of that show. the supporting cast was solid including of course, the ultra sexy Sandra played by Jackee Harry. My only problem with the logic of the show was that the husband/father was a construction manager. He built houses. So why was he not in a house with his family instead of an apartment building with a bunch of nosy neighbors? Some things you think about when you have way too much time on your hands, not to mention way too much chronic.

Enjoy!

FATHER FIGURE

Growing up without a father is common these days but unfortunately male role models like Michael Gross are not. Since I didn't have a dad and a mom that worked all the time I really turned to the only other thing that understood me: television to find the lessons that men could teach. Michael Gross was that guy. He played Steven Keaton, father of three and husband of Elise. He was liberal, worked for P.B.S. and seemed like an all around good guy. Those of you that watched Family Ties remember him. Remember the season when he grew the beard out of nowhere. He actually got funnier. Of course everyone was in the shadow of Michael J. Fox but hey, that's the way it was. Peace and Good cheer to Michael Gross as one of the men that taught me how to b a man at a young age. "ta -da-da"