FULL HOUSE: One Father's Grudging Recommendation...

FULL HOUSE: One Father's Grudging Recommendation...

Recently, thanks to a windfall of EIC money [God love it!], I was able to fulfill a long-promised obligation to my daughters by completing their collection of the show FULL HOUSE on DVD.  Yes, the 8th and final season is now in our hands, and of course a marathon of these episodes and all their favorite from SEVEN earlier seasons is now fully under way, and probably this program will dominate the cathode viewing in our humble house for at least the next 2 weeks or so.

The girls became FH fans through nickelodeon several years ago... and it it is, oddly, one of those rare obsessions that seem to take years to run their course.

Is it annoying?  Somewhat.  Do I wish they loved ROCKFORD or NORTHERN EXPOSURE more?  Perhaps.  Could it be worse?  Oh yes.

  

Actually it could be way, WAY worse.

In fact, there is, I have decided, much about FULL HOUSE to appreciate, especially from a parents' point of view.

First the negatives. FH is a fantasy about family life.  No real and uncomfortable conflict seems to exist at the Tanner home.  They live, they learn, they hug... and then they hug some more!  And even the title is a bizarre understatement!  By the 8th season, that is one stinkin' FULL house!!  


Uncle Jessie takes on a wife an twins and still choses to live in the attic, even though he is now a recording artist and his wife is an anchorwoman.  

Joey is also a children's TV star, but is similarly happy in his single bedroom.  I understand loving your friends and relatives... but... come on!  LOL
 

And... Bob saget and the Olson twins are... well... Bob Saget and the Olson twins... basically the three most annoying TV presences of the 1990s [and that is saying a LOT!]

Still... I have to like the cleanness and positiveness of this program. It really is good to see a family that loves eachother on TV nowdays.  And even the bizarre premise of three "Dads" raising 3 daughters works because two of the guys [guess which two? lol] make it at least a LIKEABLE fantasy.  

Dave Coulier was actually a talented comedian and impressionist, and working John Stamos' real life Elvis fixation  into the show was responsible for FH being quite possibly the only program of the last twenty years to have the word "rockabilly' in a script every season or so.   That gets high marks from me.

Also, the featured kids, as sugary as they were,  were better than most child actors, then and now.  The two older Tanner girls were competent at relaying melodrama in a reasonable and understated way... something even adult actors can struggle with.  And that kid that played Kimmy Gibbler was  a scream.  That actress not only turned an early walk-on into an established and crowd-pleasing character, but also managed to, in time, create one of the better comic relief side-roles in sit-com history.  What ever happened to that kid anyway?

The gueststars are interesting too... 80's late night TV legend Rhonda Shear played the adult Kimmy in one early dream sequence [Yowza!] and underground comic Bob Odenkirk was featured as Joey's rival in the Star Search episode.  [Yes...I have watch a LOT of FULL HOUSE, partner... lol]

In any case, here's to FULL HOUSE... If your kids have to watch somethin'... it could, indeed, be a LOT worse.