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| By Erin Maxwell |
The loss of Robin Williams is great. A man of immeasurable genius whose rapid-fire comedic stylings defined new generations of comedians. Regarded as a gentle soul by peers and all those who had the honor to work with him, he was a giant in the industry who will be greatly missed.
Before box-office hits, Academy accolades and cross-dressing nannies, Williams was a regular of the small screen. He was a staple of late ‘70s and early ‘80s comedies, be it sketch comedy shows, sitcoms or Saturday morning schedules. Before he landed the plum role of Mork, Williams has a known comedic talent who spread his skills amongst primetime shows.
Here is a brief look at the early TV years of Robin Williams:
1978: America 2-Night
1978: Happy Days
1978: Mork and Mindy
1982: Faeire Tale Theatre: The Frog Prince
1982: Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour
Because in the early ‘80s, every hit show had a cartoon counterpart on Saturday mornings.
1982: SCTV – “The Church of Unlimited Credit”
Thank you very much for unearthing all these early Robin Williams films. I never heard of him before "good morning Vietnam" (which I did not see at the time) and the first I ever saw was his "Doubtfire" classic. Indeed, "a gentle soul" describes him well and had he not been, then he could not have given empathic life to the estranged father in that, well, tragicomedy. But gentle souls and depression seem often to go together and because they can seem unassuming, help may not be forthcoming when needed which I believe was his tragedy.