The word
“ampersand” seems needlessly stuffy for the simple “&” symbol it describes.
But that’s
neither here nor there, and really I don’t want to get too deep on this. It’s
just a fun little exercise in tracing the history of classic television from
its origins to the end of the Comfort TV era through famous pairs of characters, whose names are linked by our friend the ampersand. Fans loved them both
individually, but they were always more fondly recalled together.
If you
love the Comfort TV era as much as I do, you are already on a first name basis
with all of these iconic duos. And after another week of distressing headlines, hopefully these names and photos will bring back some happy memories. If I missed any, feel free to add to the list.
And no, “Pink Lady & Jeff” and “Mr. T. & Tina” do not count.
Lucy &
Ethel
Kukla,
Fran & Ollie
Amos & Andy
Ozzie
& Harriet
Spin &
Marty
Matt &
Miss Kitty
Buddy
& Sally
Andy &
Barney
James
& Artemus
Rocky
& Bullwinkle
Batman
& Robin
Rowan
& Martin
Huntley
& Brinkley
Steed
& Mrs. Peel
Pebbles
& Bamm-Bamm
Friday
& Gannon
Max &
99
Kirk &
Spock
Gilligan
& Skipper
Buffy
& Jody
Bert &
Ernie
Felix
& Oscar
Scooby
& Shaggy
Archie
& Edith
Hawkeye
& Trapper
Luke &
Laura
Sonny
& Cher
Sanford & Son
Mary &
Rhoda
Bob &
Emily
Laverne
& Shirley
Starsky
& Hutch
Donny
& Marie
Ponch
& Jon
J.R &
Sue Ellen
Bo &
Luke
Sam &
Diane
Blair
& Jo
Kate &
Allie
Ross &
Rachel
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