Title
Honoring the life and legacy of comedy legend Bob Saget, a Philadelphia native and Temple University graduate, on the occasion of his passing.
Body
WHEREAS, Robert “Bob” Lane Saget was born in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 17, 1956. His father, Benjamin, was a supermarket executive, and his mother, Rosalyn, was a hospital administrator at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, In his early life, his family moved to New York and Virginia, before ultimately moving back to Philadelphia prior to his senior year, allowing Saget to graduate from Abington Senior High School; and
WHEREAS, Saget began his stand-up career when he was just 17, while attending Temple University in the mid-1970s. Saget also worked up a sketch show, which he and a partner would perform at the University of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Around the same time, he befriended Stephen Starr, then a nightclub promoter, who had a club in Queen Village called Stars and allowed Saget to be an opener at the club; and
WHEREAS, Saget attended Temple University's film school, where he created Through Adam's Eyes, a film about a nephew who received reconstructive facial surgery, and was honored with an award of merit in the Student Academy Awards; and
WHEREAS, Saget found the experience of making people laugh so gratifying that he began taking the train to New York for open-mic nights at comedy clubs such as the Improv and Catch a Rising Star; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Temple in 1978, Saget moved to Los Angeles and became the emcee at the Comedy Store, working among such comedians as David Letterman and Robin Williams, Michael Keaton, Billy Crystal, Jay Leno, Johnny Carson, and Richard Pryor; and
WHEREAS, Saget was eventually hired to portray Danny Tanner on Full House, on which he portrayed a widowed morning TV host in San Francisco raising his three daughters. The show was highly popular and became known as the Brady Bunch of the 90s; and
WHEREAS, Saget also hosted a 1989 TV special, America’s Funniest Home Videos. The special was never intended to be a series, but viewers loved watching Saget introduce home videos with his unique style of jokes, and it was picked up in 1990 and ran until 1997; and
WHEREAS, His career saw continued success as he continued to perform in everything from feature films, stand up specials, an autobiography, and a Netflix reboot of his hit show, called Fuller House; and
WHEREAS, Saget’s comedy made millions of people around the world laugh and is remembered as one of “Temple’s all-time funniest Owls.” His impact on Philadelphia and the entertainment industry will not be forgotten; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors the life and legacy of comedy legend Robert “Bob” Lane Saget, a Philadelphia native and Temple University graduate, on the occasion of his passing.
End