Jack Arnold of the Wonder Years is My Pick for the Top Sitcom Dad from the 1980's

The Wonder Years was a 1980's sitcom that was centered around the 1960's and 1970's. I was mostly about the Arnold family consisting of Kevin (Fred Savage), his older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), Kevin's sister Karen (Oliva d'Abo). Their parents are jack (Dana Lauria) and Norma (Alley Mills). The main focus of the show is Kevin growing up as a teenager and dealing with family and love for a neighbor named Winnie. There is a narration voice that is an adult Kevin throughout the show. Because of the time frame many shows have hippie and Vietnam themes to it including one of Kevin's neighbors being killed there.

Jack Arnold is what many people could find in their own dad. He was very set in his ways but loved his children and wanted the best for them, sometimes they did not realize it at the time. He is a former U.S. Marine who fought in Korea and firmly supports the war in Vietnam as a fight to protect freedom. His old ways are in direct conflict with the hippie peace and love sub culture that was starting to take place in the time period the show was based on. He is married to Norma who is the direct opposite. She is much more open to new things. She quit college and moved to the other side of the county to be with him as a stay at home mom as this was very common at the time.

He had many moments like most fathers do. He had the disagreements with his wife over raising the kids as he was the strict one and Norma was a little more in touch with the younger generation. There were two main incidents that really stuck out that involved Jack. The first was how he comforted Kevin after one of he and Winnie's break ups. He is a macho dad type, but he told his son that breaking up hurts and he wishes he could tell him it was not. He hugged and consoled Kevin and made him feel better. Another that really stuck in my mind was when Karen brought home this hippie named Louis. It was an interesting episode as it was because Kevin overheard Louis with another girl and was confronting him. Karen seemed to know about it, but did not know of the sexual element. In some lapse of sanity Karen had Louis over for dinner with the family. Being hippies Karen and Louis were strongly against the war in Vietnam and of course the subject gets brought up. Jack and Louis debate it. Jack of course thinks fighting for freedom is worth the cost and that if your country calls you to serve then you go and serve. The hippie then pulls out a draft card. He informs jack that he has three choices of what to do. He says that he can go to jail, go to Canada, or go to Vietnam and get shot full of holes. He basically said he was not decided, but knows he was not going to Vietnam. Jack made great points in the argument but was set in his ways and could not see the other side of the issue over Vietnam had some valid points.

Jack Arnold reminds me a bit of my late father. He was your standard clean cut all American guy. Loves his God, family, and country and would defend all three. He has confrontations with his children and wife, but at the end of the day he is a loving father that is there for them. That is how fathers should be I guess.

My sources are watching the show and DVDs that are just coming out of the