In a similar vein to Tim Allen's Tool Time show, 1989 College graduate Ed Feldman recently found himself humorously installing a fireplace in a taping for his new show, Men in Tool Belts. Feldman, better known as one of Philadelphia's comedic duo "The Furniture Guys," currently co-stars with Joe L'Erario in Furniture to Go, which lights up the screen weeknights at 6 p.m. on The Learning Channel. Men in Tool Belts -- which like its predecessor combines comedy and how-to tips -- premieres October 4. While Feldman's East European History major did not necessarily help him with his career, he does give some credit to the University. "[A professor] gave me the best career advice I ever got," Feldman said. "He said, 'Put your life experiences together and sometimes you can create a job that only you can fill.' That's what I did. I was funny, and then I learned how to fix furniture." Since 1993, when the Learning Channel picked up Feldman's first show and changed the name from Furniture on the Mend, the program has propelled into success. Feldman -- whose furniture show was the subject of a New York Times feature article -- has appeared on Good Morning America, Extra and The Maury Povich Show. And Feldman and L'Erario -- an old friend whom Feldman met on a construction site -- received the trophy for Best Informational or Documentary Host at the 1994 CableACE Awards. The duo is also up for two categories in the 1998 CableACE Awards. Feldman's journey to fame began when a friend broke her ankle and asked him to fill in for her at her furniture-repair job. Impressed with his work, the company asked him to join the team in 1982. Soon after, he went solo and started Classic Furniture Services, a Philadelphia-based furniture-repair company. Feldman also began teaching furniture repair at a night school in Philadelphia. "I was filling class time with not only knowledge about furniture, but I also refined a rap [song for teaching]," said Feldman, adding that this sparked his idea to create "a how-to show that's funny -- not just dry toast with not a thing on top." He then submitted a pilot of his prospective show to Philadelphia's WHYY Channel 12 in 1989, which granted The Furniture Guys five minutes of occasional air time between regularly scheduled shows. Success knocked on Feldman's door when the Learning Channel called in 1993 with a proposal for a national 30-minute slot, which ultimately became Furniture to Go. Feldman and L'Erario -- who also sport a World Wide Web site at http://www.furnitureguys.com -- pride themselves on maintaining a comfortable, open work atmosphere in their 1503 Walnut Street office. "Ed and Joe are much more laid back and relaxed [than other people I've worked with]," Kelly Ryan said, the show's executive producer and director and a 1984 College graduate. "They're both very creative and intelligent guys and they're funny." Each episode of the show is un-scripted and taped on-location, resulting in improvisational humor. The viewer response reflects this flowing humor and witty personality. "Reading Ed and Joe's letters and e-mail is like doing independent study in anthropology, sociology, psychology and humorology," Gillian Rye said, the stars' personal assistant.
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