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WALDO, THE UNDERAPPRECIATED BLACK COMEDIAN
TV Show commentary by Jeff Swenson

When Waldo appears on Family Matters reruns, I always laugh.

   

I know this article may provoke the ire of some African-American fans of Black Comedy but then I do not claim to be an expert on this subject. I am simply trying point out what many of us Family Matters re-run watchers know--we like Waldo. And the lack of Waldo pictures on Google and the lack of site shrines to this pop icon is disappointing. This guy is a beloved character from a sappy sitcom that made people feel good, whether the critics want to admit it or not.

The reason Waldo will never get respect from the black community is because there are several unwritten rules about what you can do and what you can't do in black comedy. One of the rules involves the Spike Lee or Bill Cosby mentality that a black comedian should not come off as undignified or stupid or poor. And in comedy this can make it very hard to get laughs. That is why many stand-up artists in black comedy are well-dressed, sporting jewelry and looking like rappers versus many of the goofy looking white-guys who look unemployed.

To me, being cool is not funny. At best it works in a team effort using the device known as the "Straight Man". Well known acts in the past like Abbott and Costello exploited this technique to their benefit when possibly a solo career for either member would not have garnered such success. You need one guy who is serious, the smarter of the two, and one guy who is a goofball and not very bright. The not-so-bright guy plays his antics off of the straight man who then may slap him around for being so stupid. I can't even think of a black duo that comes close to this comedy setup except for maybe the Wayan's Bros in their television show, but that's a weak example.

I certainly understand where this mentality came from. Black comedians of the past had to play dumb scaredy-cats in Bob Hope movies and an infamous radio show enjoyed mainly by white audiences. However, we're in a new era and I think most white people understand that not all black people are idiots eating chicken, throwing dice, acting lazy and picking up welfare checks. We can point to numerous examples of successful black men and women.

That is why I think it is time to come back to Waldo on Family Matters. He never got his fair share of praise. He was funny! Maybe it wasn't original comedy but old-fashioned one-liners and gags still make me laugh if they're performed well.

Waldo Geraldo Faldo, as played by actor Shawn Harrison, was an idiot, and a lovable one at that. If you asked him a question you were left with more questions. He was the king of misunderstanding and his relatives had long names that all rhymed. Most infectious was his earnest smile when he thought he was on the right track, and most humorous was his quick switch to his chastising face even as he was the one in need of sorting out.

He redefined his blackness so that he wasn't a stereotype, contrary to what the character might be accused of by those who look for racism in TV enjoyed by whites (at least I'm guessing that Family Matters has a large white following). Instead of being good at basketball, Waldo shows he's good at cooking and tap dancing-- wait, maybe those aren't the best examples.

Okay, what I'm really saying here is not that Waldo is a great black character. He isn't. And I'm not saying Shawn Harrison is a brilliant comedian for playing Waldo. I'm saying Waldo is an underappreciated part of pop culture that we secretly enjoy. He's dim-witted but sincere and he makes us laugh when we watch a show that presents a vision of family life unobtainable by most of us. Don't we all wish we had a neighbor like Waldo to come over every once and awhile and give us a smile or have our back in a difficult situation or just make us feel smart because he's so dumb?

As a character actor I'm giving kudos to Shawn Harrison for his portrayal of Waldo. I'm sure he's never gotten any respect from fellow black comedians and black sitcom actors. He let himself play a dumb guy and dumb guys usually are acted by smart guys. Character humor is not as easy as it looks and slapstick humor written by white scriptwriters (I'm only guessing) has to be pretty difficult to interpret. However he did it, it worked. Waldo is a character you look forward to when he comes on screen. I could say the same about the more obscure Weasel character but I think he was only on two episodes.

And one last thing. You can poo-poo on Waldo all you want for being stupid, but he got himself a hot girlfriend with Laura's best friend Cherie. Woo-hoo!
Shawn Harrison -- BIO

Shawn Harrison (born December 28, 1973 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor best known for playing Waldo Geraldo Faldo on the sitcom Family Matters. He appeared on the ABC series from 1990-1996 as the dim-witted but lovable best friend to characters Eddie Winslow and Steve Urkel.

Harrison has also made occasional appearances as the effeminate stylist "Peaches" on the UPN sitcom Girlfriends, and made several guest appearances on other series prior to that, including Moesha.

He currently provides the voice of Timber Wolf on the animated series Legion of Super Heroes which premiered in the Fall of 2006.

Bio is reprinted by permission from this link







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