Joey Gladstone

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Joseph Alvin Gladstone (born 1958) was a character on the TV series Full House. Gladstone is portrayed by Dave Coulier on the series. Joey, a professional comedian and children's TV host, was the best friend of Danny Tanner. It's revealed he's a military brat who traveled around while his father served in the military early in his life thus pushing him to be a comedian.

Joey and Danny became best friends on February 23, 1968 when they were around eleven years old. A student was harassing Danny so Joey insulted the student in Danny's defense. When the other student told a teacher, Danny denied that Joey insulted the other student, preventing Joey from getting in trouble. Since both Joey and Danny saved each other, they decided to be best friends.

Joey was engaged to be married at one point in his early to middle twenties. Patty, the woman he was engaged to, left him for someone else. (Patty returns in a season two episode.) He has several other girlfriends throughout the series, but is mainly known for his love of cartoons and other childlike things. It’s likely that part of this stems from his parents’ divorce. In addition, before the divorce, Joey's father was a very domineering and serious type. (Joey's father is shown in one episode, "Viva Las Joey.") It may very well be that his desire to be funny is really his attempt to make up for a "lost childhood." Joey's father may have taught him his trademark Popeye laugh; yet, he never saw any point in things funny, something children love and which Joey especially enjoyed.

A further look, however, shows Joey to be quite multi-talented. He has a pilot's license and can fly a two-seater, out of which Jesse skydives the day of his wedding. Once on "Wake Up, San Francisco" he answers a question about cartoon violence with professorial mastery. It's also later revealed that he has a teaching license; he substitutes for Michelle's class a few times. He can give quite good advice at times. It’s just that his comical nature makes him seem like Peter Pan, the boy who never wanted to grow up. At times he tries too hard in serious situations: he once became so fierce in preparing for a hockey game that he scared Michelle (season six). And, on several occasions, he overdid the comedy part of his work with Jesse in an ad agency. It is the warm, sensitive, occasionally naïve Joey that the family loves. Joey loves being in the Tanner household - and not just because he is surrounded by the large family he always wanted as a child. In the Tanner household Joey can act silly and childlike, and nobody minds. Even Jesse, the tough guy who at times cannot stand Joey's comedy, feels like Joey is a brother. Their relationship is best described as the rocker rebel older brother and the comedic immature little brother, even though Joey is 6 years older than Jesse.

In the second season, an old videotape revealed a list of Joey's comedy career goals, and we saw all but one of them fulfilled. He went on his first comedy tour in the first season, played Vegas in fourth season by opening for Wayne Newton, and for most of the fifth season, he realized his dream of his own TV series, hosting a cartoon show as "Ranger Joe" with his puppet sidekick, Mr. Woodchuck. However, the closest he came to meeting Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show was a perfect-scoring performance on Star Search. At least he got to meet Ed McMahon! His catchphrase, used mainly in his stand-up act, is "Cut-It-Out!", accompanied by hand gestures.

Full House
Episodes/Seasons
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight
Characters
Danny | Jesse | Joey | D.J. | Stephanie | Michelle | Becky Nicky and Alex | Kimmy | Comet | Steve
Other
Full House books | Full House Family Tree