"MY MAN TRIPPER"
As a kid mini Christmas came for me every Tuesday night.
8 pm Happy Days
8:30 pm Lavern and Shirley
And then one night...I saw John Ritter cycling across the (Santa Monica?) sand and fall...
Honestly with Happy Days and Lavern and Shirley as lead in shows ...Three's Company had me by the first time I heard "Come and Knock On Our Door."
And as my hormones raged with no where to go , when Suzanne Somers turned over in the opening, they had another fan...easy.
I loved Three's Company and every character...I liked The Ropers, Ralph Ferley, I liked Larry The Used Car Salesman (reminds me of how Potsie Webber was early on in Happy Days. ) Three's Company was so much fun, that I wanted to ride with Jack and Larry and pick up girls at The Regal Beagle.
Yeah...My Man Tripper.
John Ritter made the character of Jack Tripper one of he most fun but under rated characters in TV history. With his prat falls and jokes he should be remembered with Barney Fife and Rob Petry.
Tripper was like the Archie Bunker of 20 something sex on TV.
Tripper some how made me feel that even though I lived on the east coast...that he was just a short walk a way and that one day I would see him out and we'd have drinks.
John Ritter/Jack Tripper was cool with me.
I remember where I was when I heard the news.
I was buying records from Sound Of Market Street in Philadelphia and the guy who was ringing me up asked "if I heard the news?" (The internet was not the "thing" that it is now.) He literally said. "Jack Tripper died today. He had a heart attack." He said it with a smile...but like me clearly sad.
Even today I wish that John Ritter, Richard Pryor, Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were all still here. It is still very hard to reflect of their work and be ..."sad." I can not remember a time when I was younger and their art was fresh that a smile doesn't come across my face.
I just responded to the guy that broke the news to me..."Not My Man Tripper...?"
He responded.."I know...right?"
I did know.
In fact , he and I ...along with 3 other people stood and talked for about 20 minutes...sharing our favorite "Tripper" memories. On the subway, people were chatting about it as well.
Here we are September 11th, 2019 ... John Ritter is still missed and so is Jack Tripper.
So many years later I still feel like the next party or cheesy lounge I go in...My Man Tripper is going to stumble in and we're going to argue over hot girls...
John Ritter....Thank You.....
And also thanks to Don Knotts, Norman Fell, Audra Lindley and Ann Wedgeworth
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