One Day At A Time
Schneider's Pride and Joy(First aired: 1976)
One of the most popular shows on television in the 1970s was a sitcom called "One Day at a Time". Bonnie Franklin starred as a single mother (Ann Romano) of two teenage daughters, portrayed by Mackenzie Phillips (Julie) and Valerie Bertinelli (Barbara). A constant in their lives was the heart-o'-gold maintenance man (Schneider), played by Pat Harrington.
In 1976, audiences met Harvey, Schneider's nephew, who assisted with maintenance in the building. As the title of the episode says, he was "Schneider's Pride and Joy." One look at Harvey and the once-reluctant Barbara hurriedly agreed to a date. The "cute boy" for this one episode? Of course, none other than Mark Hamill.
This young man had a secret: a problem with kleptomania. Oh, how the audience groaned when Harvey carefully slipped Barbara's new tape player into his toolbox. The victims of Harvey's thefts voiced their suspicions, but (quite predictably) young Harvey denied the accusations. His doting uncle stood by him, forsaking all friendships in the face of his family bond.
Two things about Harvey proved a bit annoying, besides his sticky fingers. Like Uncle Schneider, Harvey was in constant and loud possession of a wad of chewing gum. Plus, he had a grating accent...one of those nasal twangs that Hollywood presses upon such characters. I mean, he's a punk kid, so he must have a Brooklyn accent, right? However, it did accomplish an instant impression of Harvey; other devices would have failed in the 30-minute time.
Given the limitations of one appearance, Mark Hamill pulled off Harvey cleanly and effectively. The audience grasped both the injustice and the humor in the entire situation. He achieved a rapid, complete picture of the character and allowed for a feeling of hope for him, as the show said goodbye to the brief character. Thus is the life of a sitcom episode.
