In West Hollywood in the early 1990s, if we were home on Tuesday or Wednesday nights, we watched Who's the Boss (Tony Danza, sigh), Roseanne, and Doogie Howser (Max Casella, sigh), but certainly not that show that bounced around between them, The Wonder Years (1988-93). Who wanted to watch some dumb kid in the 1960s trying to win the Girl of His Dreams? And with the most gravelly, unpleasantly off-key theme song imaginable:
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
The dumb kid, Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) got so much teen idol adulation. At 5'4", Jason Hervey was a member of the Short Guys Brigade, and so supremely cute that we were tempted to watch the show just to see him smile.
Or on the off-chance that he would take his shirt off.
Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, Jason began his acting career at age 7, with a guest spot on the medical drama Trapper John, MD. He went on to The Buddy System (promoting a romance between Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon), Meatballs II (with a pre-Pee Wee Paul Reubens), The Rating Game (with a pre-Always Sunny Danny DeVito), and Back to the Future (with Michael J. Fox).
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He played Charlie (the one in the chicken suit), a friend of "What you talkin' about?" Gary Coleman in nine episodes of Diffrent Strokes (1985-86), and Curtis Spicoli in four episodes of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High adaption (1986)
The Wonder Years brought Jason some teen idol fame (not much), and made him a recognizable face, at least in West Hollywood, where according to rumor he was a regular at Mickey's, the twink bar.
More after the break.
