I was trying to explain to my kids where I got a certain quote and turned to YouTube to save me. Some of you may remember the catch-phrase “Well of course not, don’t be ridiculous!” So while I was introducing them to “Perfect Strangers” I ran across this little ditty, which I also use frequently.
Yeah, the series was short on distinct plots (there were basically only two, Balki gets carried away and Larry has to rescue him, or Larry gets carried away and Balki has to bring him back down), but they were funny. This clip reminds me that we used to be able to laugh without getting crude or crass. I kinda miss the sweet simplicity of “Perfect Strangers”.
I also came across an interview the two actors did twenty-five years later. I had just been thinking that shows back then were more “kind and gentle” compared with shows today. Around the mid-point of the interview they discuss how the director aimed purposefully for “heart moments” in each episode, and then end the show, whereas now-days, if they have that moment at all, they then undercut it with more digging humor before they cut away. It’s a telling observation.