This show has become a popular trivia question because of the cast, most of whom became much more famous later. This was one of three series (so far) with the same title, including one from the UK. Mickey Rooney played an irascible (what else?) old man who moved in with his sedate grandson (Carvey) and the grandson's roommate (Lane). The younger men were college students; Ryan played Carvey's girlfriend. The sitcom wasn't particularly laugh-packed--this was before Carvey and Lane found out they were funny, and Mickey Rooney stopped being cute around the time Judy Garland was singing "If you like-a me like I like-a you..."
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budikavlan13 October 2002
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Hard to believe it's been almost 30 years since this show was on. I was working a lot of evenings back then, and had to videotape the nighttime TV shows to watch later. I've discovered I actually still have parts of 3 different episodes of this show on old VHS tapes! Mickey Rooney, in trying to fit in and be "one of the boys" in college, was rather obnoxious and overbearing (in his usual way) and tried to steal every scene. Future comic Nathan Lane threw off most of one-liners in typical sitcom fashion, usually at Rooney's expense. Surprisingly (in retrospect), a very young-looking Dana Carvey ended up playing "straight-man" to Lane & Rooney. He was given the more serious dialog, usually chastising his foolish grandfather for his latest scheme. Unfortunately, even back in 1982 folks had seen it all before, and that, coupled with Mickey Rooney's bombastic persona, killed this show off. Since I'd known Carvey & Lane only from this TV show, I was later so surprised to see them make it big in comedy.
For those who might actually remember (and care), the shows I have portions of involve: 1) Rooney being mistaken for a neighborhood cat burglar; 2) Rooney going on a faddish diet (called the "Bombay Diet") which causes health problems, and 3) Rooney asking landlady Mrs. Greene (who of course had a major crush on him...yuck!) to a local senior citizens dance, then dumping her for a "hot chick".