Happy Birthday, John Ritter, one of the best physical comedians of all time!

 John Ritter was my first crush on an adult. When I was a little girl, my first two crushes were Ricky Schroeder, who was a few years older, and John Ritter, who was much older than me. He was probably in his late 20's at the time. 

He was very handsome and he had a cute smile, but what I really loved about him was how hilarious he was. He made me laugh in every episode of Three's Company. I don't think I even got ALL the jokes back then, as some of them were too adult for a little girl and went over my head. But, I knew that this was a man who was willing to go ALL OUT for a laugh. You could watch the show on mute and STILL laugh because his expressions were hilarious, and of course, he was willing to trip, fall down, crawl, flip over a couch, or do whatever he could to give us a laugh. He was a natural. He would dance too. Then, trip, if needed. 

His character's name was Jack Tripper, and he did trip often. I never got tired of his physical comedy. He was a part of my summer vacation. I would sit on the floor and watch a Three's Company re-run every afternoon. He made summer great!

Coincidentally, one of my other favorite TV characters of all time is also named Jack - Jack McFarland of the TV show "Will and Grace", played by Sean Hayes. 

There's something about Jack! 

I couldn't find a video on YouTube that shows the great physical comedy of John Ritter in Three's Company, however, I did find a clip from the game show $25,000 Pyramid. Even on a game show, John Ritter couldn't help but fall down. This is why I love John Ritter. He wanted to make the best of every situation. Why just sit there like the typical contestant? He couldn't help it. He had to DO something. He had to make the most of the opportunity. Thank you to bluelobster for posting that video on YouTube. 

And thank you to John Ritter, who made me laugh as a child, and continues to make me laugh, years after he is gone. John Ritter, you will always be one of my favorite comedy heroes! 

Visit the foundation in his name, the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health: http://johnritterfoundation.org/