Remembering "Family Matters", it was the flagship show of the old "TGIF" line-up that came on every Friday night. The show "Family Matters" revolved around one man:
Jaleel White. A.K.A.: Ultra-Pimp.
There've been many characters like "Steven Q. Urkel", the character we all remember him as. Other shows had their pale comparisons, like "Screech" from "Saved By The Bell". However, none of them ever came close to being anywhere near as funny or entertaining to watch as Steve Urkel. The "Family Matters" writing staff gave the character some brilliant lines; furthermore, the pratfalls were choreographed in expert and spectacular fashion. But none of this would be possible, if Jaleel wasn't just a great goddamn actor.
Jaleel White's comic timing was superb; his performance was even more amazing when you consider that he was about 12 years old when he first started the show. At a young age, White's ability to do physical comedy was on par with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. Few actors on television, regardless of age, could deliver jokes like Jaleel. And absolutely no one on TV could pull off a physical comedy like he could. In fact, how many shows have ever featured someone who was even good at physical comedy, let alone great?
Let's see: there was Bronson Pinchot ("Balkey" from "Perfect Strangers") who was great, but still not as good as Jaleel; though I do have to give credit to his co-star Mark Linn-Baker, who pretty good himself; still not on Jaleel's level.
And then there was this guy:
John Ritter, who was "Jack Tripper" from "Three's Company. (Come to think of it...was Jack "Tripper" a pun because the character was so clumsy?) He's one of the best physical comedians in T.V. history, and could give the Jaleel a run for his money; but that was pretty much it. Dick Van Dyke okay, but nowhere near the level of these guys.
So there we have it: only two peole in T.V. history are anywhere close to Jaleel's level. White's physical talent probaby comes from the fact that he's an athlete; he's a great basketball player, and has even showcased his b-ball talent on the show.
Unfortunately, the character that made Jaleel White famous also made him infamous. The show was such a success, that White stayed playing the same character way beyond the time he should've stopped. As White got taller and bigger, he looked more and more rediculous as Urkel. This is a good lesson about show business: you have to strike while the iron's hot, rather than sit back and be comfortable with a role. Unfortunately, $100,000 per episode is a little too hard to walk away from (and who can blame him; most people have to get a PHD just to make that over the course of year...and most PHD's still don't come close to doing that.)
There's an episode of Family Matters where Urkel is trapped on a fire escape. This was one seriously awesome display of choreography on the part of the show. This scene shows that it wasn't just Jaleel that was great, there were some really inventive minds on the show too.
Jaleel White guest-starred on an episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". This was around the time when he started playing a cool, sauve version of the Urkel character, named Stephan. Stephan was a huge hit with the audience, and he was totally believable playing a similarly cool character on "Fresh Prince". This was around the time that Jaleel should've left the show. Had Jaleel left, he could've definately made it big in movies, and no one would see "Urkel" when they see Jaleel White today. Take the star of "Fresh Prince" for example; had Will Smith stayed much longer rather than persue movies, people would still see the goofy, silly character he played, rather than Will Smith: Successful Actor. Will left while the show was still hot; Jaleel, unfortunately, didn't. In my opinion, the last great episode was an awesome one, where the Urkel character turned into Bruce Lee, and kicked some ass. The show should've ended on that high note.
Still, Jaleel White is responsible for one the greatest television characters of all time. All I have to say to this awesome guy is: Thanks for the memories.
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