Bob Saget returns home to bring his special brand of stand-up comedy to the Keswick Theatre. You’ll find out he’s much different than Danny Tanner.
By Rita Charleston
On stage, Bob Saget is quite different from Danny Tanner, the nice but wimpy dad he played for nine seasons on the ABC hit series, Full House.
In fact, when Saget does his stand-up routine, as he will Thursday night, March 30, at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, he’s all grown up and anything but wimpy. Some are surprised by his routines, and no one under 21 will be admitted.
“Some people say I’m dirty but I keep saying I’m not really dirty. I mean I don’t offend people, and I don’t have people walking out on me,” says the actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. “I remember one of my mentors, Rodney Dangerfield, telling me to keep the comedy coming so fast that the audience doesn’t have time to stop laughing or loving you. So that’s what I do.”
Saget was born in Philadelphia, moved with his family to Encino, California for a time, then back to Philly when he was a teenager to finish up his schooling at Abington Senior High School. He then headed off to Temple University to pursue his love of film.
While there, Saget made a short documentary, Through Adam’s Eyes, about a boy who undergoes surgery to correct a genetic defect. Well received, the film earned Saget a Student Academy Award in 1978.
Still wanting more direction, Saget headed back to California after graduation to attend the prestigious film school at the University of Southern California, but he didn’t last long.
“I quit after a couple of days. I was a cocky, overweight 22-year-old. Then I had a gangrenous appendix taken out, almost died, and I soon got over being cocky or overweight.”
But he never got over wanting to make it in show business. Staying in L.A., Saget started channeling his natural comic talents into a stand-up routine. By the mid-’80s, he was tapped to star in two of the most family-friendly network shows: Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos.
“Over the years, I’ve done a lot more, from my HBO special That Ain’t Right to my work in The Aristocrats, to the R-rated Farce of the Penguins to the NBC quiz show 1 vs 100. I’ve written a best-seller, done feature films and much, much more. And I’ve loved doing it all. And still do with many more projects still in the works.”
Today, Saget proudly points to his successful association with Netflix, the short film called Jake he directed and will star in and his next stand-up special.
Saget says he continues to work so hard because he inherited his father’s work ethic.
“My father was a supermarket executive and never stopped working hard. And that’s me. I wake up early in the morning wanting to do something creative. I just can’t wait. I used to work this hard because I wanted a sitcom. Or I wanted to be a bonafide movie star. But now I do it just because I love it.”
And when he’s not working hard on stage, he’s working just as hard off stage. For many years, Saget has been a proud board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation, helping to raise millions for the cause.
What the future holds in store for Saget is anyone’s guess. He says,”I don’t think I’ll be doing all this work in show business forever. But for the time being, I’m going to have a good time with it. I love having the privilege of performing.” ••
The show starts at 8 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 215–572–7650 or visit keswicktheatre.com
