One of the first things I wrote about my father after he died in 2019 was his favorite movie. It was one of the easiest blogs to write because he rarely took a break for the two hours needed to watch a film.
It also was easy because he watched his favorite, “Lonesome Dove,” dozens of times, including two days before he died. Ironically, it’s a miniseries that runs more than six hours.
“My old man loved Westerns, and in our house when I was a kid, that’s what he was watching when he was home,” Dad said. “So, I guess it reminds me of watching John Wayne and the old cowboys with him.”
Even though my father watched little TV, he tuned into a few shows religiously. I can still hear the theme music to “Hill Street Blues,” “M*A*S*H*,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “MacGyver” and “The Cosby Show.”
In particular, I remember an episode of the latter that the old man belly-laughed watching. The famous scene with Theo trying to shame Cliff into accepting him despite his poor grades hit close to home, as Dad had high academic standards for my brother and I.
“I’m going to take $350 for taxes,” Cliff tells Theo. “Because, see, the government comes for the regular people first.”
That reminds me of so many conversations with the old man. These days, I see the wisdom in those talks.
There was one other show my father absolutely loved, one that seemed surprising: “The Wonder Years.” It was must-see TV in the Webb household, but I didn’t understand why at first.
“The Wonder Years” is set in the late 1960s and early 1970s, an era several years beyond Dad’s youth. Though I didn’t know about the old man’s sorted past at the time, I knew his family didn’t have much. Kevin Arnold grew up in a middle class family with the quintessential mother of that generation, a stark contrast to my father’s upbringing in a barely above poverty household with an overly strict mother.
I later realized that Dad enjoyed “The Wonder Years” because it was a childhood he didn’t have and one that he hoped to give his boys. The other reason he loved the show also was a surprise.
“One of the reasons I like this show is because Kevin reminds me of you,” he said. “And Paul reminds me of your buddy Steve.”
A lot of fathers probably saw Kevin Arnold in their sons. Of course, I didn’t see it. Aside from my freshman year of high school (maybe), I was never as cute as Fred Savage was playing Kevin. I didn’t have a Winnie Cooper until I was in my mid-30s. And Steve was a hell of a lot cooler than Paul. Beyond that, I always thought Kevin was a bit of jerk.
“Kevin is a good kid, humble, loyal,” the old man said. “That’s why I think of you when I watch this.”
We watched “The Wonder Years” until high school came along. By that time, I had a car and wasn’t home that much. Years later, I go through stretches of spending way too much time watching clips of Kevin interacting with this father. Dad had a lot of Jack Arnold in him, namely the sensitive side in this classic scene.
The series finale, “Independence Day,” summarizes life perfectly. There’s quite a bit of happy ending in it, with the bullying older brother maturing and running the family business, the mom being a community leader and the older sister having a little boy.
But there’s also plenty of heartbreak in the ending. Winnie and Kevin don’t end up together, and Jack dies fairly young. Ultimately, of course, it’s realistic, which is why “The Wonder Years” was and is so damn good.
TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SERIES 2022
Part X: A book excerpt on Brenda Keller and her late grandmother
Part IX: Fast times at Maplecrest Elementary
Part VIII: Dad and St. Charles, my favorite craft show
Part VII: Coming home from K-State
Part VI: Going back to the well
Part V: Bloomer where you’re planted
Part IV: How the heck did I misspell that?
Part III: A partridge and an electronic sign