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Mister Geniality

Back in the '70s I watched a lot of crappy TV, which is one of the reasons I don't catch most '70s shows on various nostalgia channels. It was pretty bad the first time around, I don't really feel the need to pretend it wasn't because it's now old and therefore somehow venerated. But like a lot of folks I had a few guilty pleasures. And one of them was Three's Company. I wasn't so into it that I can recall any actual plots, I don't really remember too many variations on the theme "guy moves in with two sexy girls and has to pretend he's gay so their landlord doesn't toss him, zany hijinks ensue," but I do recollect that I found it pleasant enough, mostly because of its affable star, John Ritter.

I never particularly followed Ritter's career, but whenever I did catch him on a talk show or whatnot he was the kind of TV personality who always made me feel comfortable watching him. He seemed modest, had a great sense of humor about himself, and had terrific comic timing. He was almost the epitome of "taken for granted" geniality. And now he's gone, felled by a dissection in his aorta. And while I never knew him, I find that I cared about him a lot more than I'd realized. He always seemed so familial. My condolences go out to his friends and family.