Growing Up Tanner

Let me start by saying that I’m not the best person to be writing this.

Like most of us, no, I never personally knew Bob Saget. (My connection with the Tanners, like many of ours as we watched from our living rooms, was more akin to Kimmy Gibbler's interaction with them; WITHOUT physically barging into their home but the message remains the same).

I never even watched “Full House” until Fox 17 in my local market picked up reruns; and even then, I must have started with Season 2 or 3 (let’s just say that Uncle Jesse had the short haircut and I was shocked when the reruns began anew; but this isn’t about John Stamos).

On January 9th, 2022, the New Year robbed us of our first celebrity of lore; and that loss was a doozy for 80s/90s kids. At age 65, the world had lost Bob Saget; “Mr. America’s Funniest Home Videos” 🇺🇸 😆 📹 , “Danny Tanner,” “America’s Dad.”

As I write this, we've now lost Meatloaf and Louie Anderson as well; and I have sat on my laurels to gather my thoughts on the loss of Mr. Saget for long enough.

Without a personal connection to the man himself, it is perhaps best to honor the best memories of the character that brought him into many American households each Friday Night (and, eventually, Tuesday night) on ABC...

OUR VERY FIRST SHOW.

Meet Danny Tanner, aspiring sportscaster, and recent widow.

His three girls are D.J., Stephanie and Michelle.

Then, his younger brother-in-law, Jesse, and college bud, Joey, drop in.

Suffice it to say, the girls have just traded in their recently deceased mother and a departing grandmother for the arrival of extra household help while D.J. is hit with the news that she's losing her own room to a "slumber party; with one guest...who NEVER leaves."

But, hey, "things are going to work out super great," right?

...Once D.J. is coaxed back in from living in the garage that is.

"Full House" has just aired its debut episode; and we're already being hit with the loss of a loved one. Also, in that approximately 25 minutes, we know that D.J. is the precocious big sister, Steph the obnoxious middle child, Michelle is...well, still a baby-in-arms, Uncle Jesse is the hip, cool guy, and Joey is...well; a comedian and, obnoxiously, the master of a million obscure cartoon voices. We also meet Danny, simply struggling to hold the family together with a contagious optimism.

His contagious optimism was not a one-shot personality tick (seen over and over again as he tries to convince Steph that Joey's reiteration of the "Wizard of Oz" would be just as good as the movie, when he tries to substitute a trip to Disney Land with a night at home RECREATING what Disney Land WOULD HAVE looked like, as he tries to pull off the family's first Thanksgiving as a larger unit, a family boating trip, and "Tanner Family Fun Night" as only a few memorable occurences).

OUR VERY FIRST NIGHT

This episode is kind of a misnomer as it's no longer the extended family's first day together. Nonetheless, the title is the only concern that I have for the episode.

Here, we not only see Uncle Jesse trying to juggle babysitting the girls with rehearsing his music, we get to see Danny finally actually yell at one of his new parenting partners; a man who has given up everything to move in and help raise his kids, off of zero experience. Nonetheless, this DOES show how deeply Danny cares for his family; and, besides, he does a role reversal and forgives Jesse as soon as the truth of the girls' bad behavior and manipulation comes to light...

DADDY'S HOME

Michelle first utters "Dada;" in honor of Jesse and Joey!

Stunned, Danny is convinced that he's working too often and missing too much of the girls' lives.

What follows are day after day of the girls MISSING SCHOOL to hang out with Danny!

It shows his charm as a character, it (once again) reveals his infectious love for his kids, and leads to a dad-daughter heart-to-heart with D.J.

Then, at long last, Michelle caps off the episode by correcting the record as to whom she's convinced her father is.

KNOCK YOUSELF OUT

At long last, we get to see a "pre-Wake-Up-San-Francisco" Danny Tanner hard at work in his first role as a sportscaster. His very first prime time, coast-to-cast interview: Reggie "The Sandman" Martin. And, well-studied sportscaster that Danny is, he has even done his homework on the human side of Martin; via the tabloids, thereby INTRODUCING the world heavy-weight champ to the family turmoil that not even HE's aware of from tabloid yarns.

Then, Danny treats a heavyweight BOXER with the care and concern that he would one of his own kids going through an emotional crisis; and coaxes him into GIVING EVERYTHING UP to go home and patch things up with his wife!

THAT was the person, even professionally, that Danny Tanner was...

THE MIRACLE OF THANKSGIVING

As referenced above, Danny tries his hand to pull his newly extended family through their very first holiday as one larger unit; and without the girls' mother (and Uncle Jesse's big sister).

It culminates in Danny and Jesse having a REAL heart-to-heart about how much he really misses the girls' mother; and a woman whom he has spent more Thanksgivings with than anyone else in the house.

THE BIG THREE-O

Danny struggles with turning 30; and ending up with a new car as he says goodbye to his very first car.

Today, it's DANNY's turn to have a dilemma once again; and have to turn to the family for THEIR support.

PAL JOEY

The very-same Danny Tanner who brought Joey and Jesse together in the first place now laments the fear of being left on the outside of their budding friendship.

We then get to see a CHILDHOOD Danny and Joey; oh, and a pint-sized Romeo called Jesse.

Moral: "You're never, necessarily, too old to feel jealous of your friends; but TRUE friendships have plenty of room to expand."

TANNER'S ISLAND

Danny plays "skipper" and hijacks the family on an Island Vacation; which he tries to schedule every moment of for three other adults and three kids.

Danny Tanner had a lot of lovable eccentricities for his relentless optimism; it made him almost human.

...AND THEY CALL IT PUPPY LOVE

The Tanner family meets Minnie (and, eventually, her puppies; including Comet); and we REALLY meet Danny Tanner's neat-freak side.

Nevertheless, for his neat-and-tidy demeanor, he bent the rules one final time and allowed his family to keep a puppy. Welcome, Comet!

CRIMES AND MICHELLE'S DEMEANOR

Three (...I think)...Year Old Michelle is being an even bigger brat than usual for this entire episode and Danny is left concerned about what's "really bothering" his last little princess (Three-year-old answer, since this question comes up at her bed time: "I want to PLAY!")

DEEPLY troubled child.

Finally, Michelle crosses the final line that even Danny is willing to entertain and he has to face facts that Michelle maybe his "last little baby" (he had only once been married; and is now widowed); but is finally old enough to be punished. This was a growing moment for both Danny AND Michelle together.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS.

This episode contains a B-List story that has Danny and Becky at odds about a fresh season of "Wake-Up San Francisco."

It wouldn't be the first, or LAST, time that this pair of cohosts were at odds; it may have been the most visual, thanks to them actually shooting a commercial. However, they do come out of a brief spat over notoriety as closer friends than ever, upon trying to help D.J. and Kimmy salvage THEIR friendship...

DANNY IN CHARGE

Danny is reminded, rather grimly, what life is like as a single parent when Joey and Jesse leave for a weekend and Steph and D.J. have CONFLICTING school functions.

Being "Full House" means that this conflict reaches a happy ending, complete with touching music and canned "awwws."

THE TROUBLE WITH DANNY

It's Spring Cleaning day (Danny's personal "Christmas") and the rest of the family is grousing about doing a bit of Spring Cleaning; including "meh; just innocently blowing off some steam" within earshot of Danny.

He takes a lonely ride on a burrow, to whom he confides his heartbreak that the people that he loves the most think of him as a "neurotic rambling..." well, you get the point.

"Captain Clean" returns home in a guest role as "Sergeant Sludge" as the family learns that their whining had been overheard by the recipient of their words. Finally, the family understands and accepts Danny for all of his eccentricities...

WHERE, OH WHERE, HAS MY LITTLE GIRL GONE?

...wonders Danny when a teenaged D.J. is going through a "mega-crisis" without telling him about it.

Eventually, Danny and his oldest daughter finally understand one another a little bit better and D.J. vows to continue to come to Danny if she should face a problem she can't handle while Danny promises to step back from prying.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: "DANNY'S DATES."

Of course, it was universally understood from day one that Jesse was the ladies-man of the house. Though Danny never remarried, however, THAT didn't stop him from his OWN whirlwind romances; from Steph's Honey Bee "Hive Mother", to her dance teacher, to (briefly) her best friend's divorced mother; from one of Jesse's exes, to (le gasp) a slob, to a college aged coed! Briefly, he was even the Bay Area's "Bachelor of the Month!" However, most famously (and the longest lasting) was the day that Danny Tanner met Vicky Larson.

For eight seasons, Bob Saget portrayed lovable, pristine, optimistic, at-times-rambling Danny Tanner, the Tanner family (true) patriarch and "America's Dad." Admittedly, the Bob Saget portrayed on ABC was very different from the Bob Saget of the stand-up stage; and the fact that he could so seamlessly transition from his adult-rated stand-up routine to a squeaky-clean comedian is a testament to true talent.

We'll miss you, Bob; and thank you for the laughs, "Danny."