Hanging out on the set of 90's hit show, Family Matters

     It's a beautiful sunny day on a Friday afternoon at Warner Brothers studios in Burbank, California. It's 1993, and the Chicago Bulls have recently won their third consecutive championship. In that same year, we watched Michael Jordan announce his sudden retirement from the NBA. I'm leaning on a stair rail leading to one of four entrances to Sound Stage 10 where the hit Show Family Matters is filmed every week. Suddenly Mark Curry, the star of the TGIF hit show,  Hangin' with Mr. Cooper,
approaches from Sound Stage 9 where that show is filmed, sporting a bandanna around his head and wearing basketball gear. He says "what's up" to everyone and goes inside. Curry is met by NBA star, Larry Johnson of the Charlotte Hornets, and also the star of the  "Grandma ma" ads for Converse. Johnson is also the guest star for this week's episode; a basketball court has been built on the set this week, making Sound Stage 10 a popular spot to visit for some pick-up games. I'm really feeling this; basketball is my passion! Not only am I hanging with the stars of the show, but I'm also being featured on this episode as one of the basketball players.
     My best friend, Shavar Ross, who played the recurring character "Weasel," got me a spot on the show this week. Ross also starred in the '80s hit show, Different Strokes, as "Dudley." He often brought me to the set with him whenever he was scheduled to be on the show. Jaleel White, who played the character "Steve Urkel,"emerges from his dressing room to greet Johnson, who we often referred-to on the set as "LJ," along with Curry.
     We all form teams and began playing some pick-up games with Darius McCrary, who plays the character "Eddie Winslow," and his little brother, Donavan McCrary, who is guest starring on this week's show. Donavan also appeared in the film, Boyz in the Hood, as the younger "Ricky." The games are very intense. Everybody can dunk it seems; I played above the rim, for sure. Jaleel and I would battle each other often; he was very competitive and could really play the game. He did not like to lose; he was quick and had a sweet jump-shot. He could take you off of the dribble too. Jaleel loved to talk trash, but it was fun trash talk. I was very privileged to have the opportunity of being on that set often.
     Today is tape day, so a live audience will be attending tonight's show. I loved tape days, because thats when Stage 10 came to life. The energy from the crowd was overwhelming. Usually after dinner, around 6:00 PM, the audience would start lining-up to be seated; the taping would began around 7:00 PM and would be done around 10:00 PM.  As the audience members began approaching the sound stage, their eyes suddenly lock-in on a jet-black, 5-series BMW with tinted windows and chrome star rims. The driver window is slightly down, revealing Darius McCrary. They begin screaming his name as he waves to them. The music is thumping loud, and Ice Cube's "Bonnie and Clyde," featuring Yo Yo, can be heard clearly. A few minutes later, a jet-black Range Rover with tinted windows pulls up to the sound stage, and the audience members are overwhelmed to see Jaleel White emerge from the vehicle, waving to the group as he returns from dinner to get ready for the show. At 6' 6", Mark Curry was somehow able to sneak past the crowd and return to Sound Stage 9, un-noticed. Hanging out on the Family Matters set was one of the highlights of my life. I have never been around such humble, nice and down-to-earth people. That set was like a family; everyone got along well and everything went smooth. Everyone knew each other by name; I remember 2 of the PAs, Kathy and Kevin. You usually had to check-in with them first, when you walked on set.
     Its been a long time since the good old days of TGIF. Time has truly flown by. I have not seen most of the cast in years, but I will cherish the memories forever. The next time you watch a rerun of Family Matters think about Sound Stage 10, where everlasting memories were built and shared. Stay tuned for part 2 of This blog series.