Thursday, June 7, 2007

Unsung Characters

I've been thinking about posting this topic for a while now. I feel with the wealth of knowledge here people could really come up with some great characters that just get overlooked. Hopefully it can become a regular feature here. With that said, I was leaning a couple of different ways with my inaugural choice. But ultimately I am happy with my selection.



Squiggy from "Laverne and Shirley"

Obviously "Laverne and Shirley" was a classic sitcom. It was one of the many 70s staples that I grew up watching through syndication. It was full of great characters who helped make the show a hit. But of course some get more credit than others. So try to imagine that you are Squiggy. You are up against the two female leads who bring laughs with the best of them. Then on top of that you are partnered with a character played by one of the great improv geniuses of our time.

How could a character possibly compete with that? You become one of the most lovable losers in television history. Squiggy's confidence knew no bounds. Each line was delivered with irreverent delight. And all this despite Squiggy's obvious mental shortcomings. Plus, Squiggy is a hero to men with widows' peaks everywhere, even those of us who lost them due to receding hairlines.

Here is a clip that I find incredibly amusing. It also would go well in Eileen's topic about songs created for television. I find it quite catchy and Squiggy steals the show of course.




3 comments:

Jill said...

Hmm, I think I have trouble deciding whether supporting characters I like are “unsung” or not. Like I love Terry on Reno 911!, but he might be quasi-sung.

Eileen said...

Haha, "quasi-sung." (Terry is the man.)

I never watched much Laverne & Shirley when I was younger, so I cannot comment on this exact character. (Also, for some reason the video is not coming up on my screen...I think it's just this computer.)

Anyway, I think this is a great topic. There are a lot of characters out there who faded into the background but really gave some great laughs, cries, etc. It's great to salute these people!

James said...

To me being unsung is mostly in the eye of the beholder. If you feel a character is under appreciated then they are worthy of being unsung.

I think for me Squiggy stood out as well because that was David Lander's only major role. Whereas Penny Marshall and Michael McKean continued on to great success.