Henry Garson Movies
- 1972
While moonlighting as a cabbie, Archie witnesses a mugging. For a variety of reasons, Archie is reluctant to come forth with his testimony -- but has no qualms about fabricating a story that the mugging was Mafia-related. This bit of prevarication places the Bunker family under the scrutiny of a suspicious-looking anti-defamation organization, headed by the sharkishly charming Mr. Ralph Sylvestri (Val Bisoglio). First telecast on January 29, 1972, "Archie Sees a Mugging" was scripted by Philip Mishkin and Don Nicholl, from a story by Henry Garson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
Everybody in the Davis household is a member of an exclusive club--except for Buffy (Anissa Jones), who is denied admission in the "Mod Maidens" because she is too young. In a surprising lapse of judgement, Bill (Brian Keith) approaches "Mod Maidens" president Shirley (Pamelyn Ferdin) and bribes her to let Buffy join, on condition that Buffy never find out. This subterfuge works until Buffy runs against another member for club secretary, leading to an embarrassing situation which proves to have dire consequences for Buffy's brother Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) as well! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Buffy (Anissa Jones) befriends a deaf Puerto Rican girl named Juanita (Diana Holly), who is forbidden to attend school by her overprotective mother (Margarita Cordova). Hoping to help Juanita and put her mom on the right track, Bill (Brian Keith) seeks the advice of a children's doctor--who is also hearing-impaired. The role of Dr. Robinson is played by Audree Norton, in real life a member of the National Theater of the Deaf. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) takes Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Buffy (Anissa Jones) to Vermont to visit Uncle Bill (Brian Keith). En route, the butler and the kids are trapped in a blinding blizzard, and for a while things look pretty grim. Eventually, the "castaways" find a deserted cabin and have a high old time playing Robinson Crusoe--while Bill in Vermont and Cissy (Kathy Garver) in New York all but chew their nails to the bone in anguish! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
When Cissy (Kathy Garver) declares that she and Gregg (Gregg Fedderson) are going to be married, Bill (Brian Keith) decides to take the family with him on a business trip to Hollywood. The idea is to put as much distance between Cissy and Gregg as possible, so that she will forget all about marriage. But the plan backfires when Cissy falls for handsome TV star Steve Hunter (Aron Kincaid)--who turns out to be even a worse matrimonial prospect than Gregg! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In his third Family Affair guest appearance, Benson Fong plays restaurant owner Eng Ho, an old friend of Bill Davis (Brian Keith). About to enter into an arranged marriage with a girl from Hong Kong named Ming Lee (Irene Tsu), Eng Ho asks Bill to let the girl stay with the Davis family until the wedding. This nearly sets off an international incident as Ming Lee not only becomes "westernized" in record time, but also falls in love with her escort, Mike Wong (Brian Fong). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
In this sequel to the fourth-season episode "Maudie", Ida Lupino returns in the role of wealthy British widow Lady Marchwood. As established in the earlier episode, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) had been in love with her ladyship way back when her knew her as a humble London barmaid named Maudie. Having come to New York to enter a horse in the International Cup, Lady M. once more touches bases with Mr. French--and once more, the object is matrimony. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fifth season of Family Affair was also the series' last season on CBS. Any series which features a pair of cute little children runs the risk of wearing out its welcome the older those children become, and it could not be denied that Anissa Jones and Jody Whitaker, respectively cast as twin orphans Jody and Buffy, weren't quite as spontaneous and appealing at age eleven as they'd been at age six. This burst of maturity was less injurious to costar Kathy Garver, cast as the twins' older sister Cissy, inasmuch as there were more story possibilities for a blossoming 19-year-old than there'd previously been for a slightly awkward 15-year-old--especially in terms of Cissy's social life with erstwhile boyfriend Gregg (Gregg Fedderson) and other eligible beaux. And of course, the added years could hardly affect Brian Keith as the kids' bachelor uncle Bill Davis, nor Sebastian Cabot as Bill's imperious British butler Mr. French. Still, viewership dropped off considerably during Season Five, with Family Affair plummeting from 5th place in the ratings to a position far below the "Top Thirty" list. (It didn't help matters that the series was now bucking up against the very popular Flip Wilson Show on NBC.) In an effort to pump new life into the flagging property, the reliable Nancy Walker was added to the cast in the recurring role of Emily, the Davis family's brash, outspoken housekeeper. Though Walker did not appear often enough to make any real impact, she did occasionally provide an amusing contrast to the proper and reserved Mr. French--and the fact that Emily had a handsome medical-student son (played by Peter Duryea) certainly added a bit of spice to the life of boy-crazy Cissy. Although Family Affair was definitely slipping, a few of the Season Five episodes were among the series' best, notably an entry in which the twins befriend a secretive young Latino boy who turns out to be the son of an exiled South American leader. The series closes with the last in a long line of stories concerning the kids' willingness to champion the cause of people less fortunate than themselves--and Uncle Bill's willingness to help out when the youngsters realize that they've gotten in over their heads! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Ida Lupino guest stars as Lady Marchwood, a very wealthy English widow. Her Ladyship makes quite an impression on Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who can remember when she was a humble London barmaid named Maude--and, incidentally, French's sweetheart. Now Lady Marchwood has summoned French back to England, hoping to pick up their romance she where they left off! This episode proved popular enough to warrant a sequel, "The Return of Maudie", likewise costarring Ida Lupino. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Everyone in the Davis household (and the general vicinity) is astonished when an attractive young secretary named Emily (Leslie Parrish) sets her cap for the dignified--and much older--Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot). At first mildly annoyed by Emily's attentions, Mr. French soon becomes interested, and quite flattered. Eventually he has convinced himself that he has fallen in love with Emily...and thus the stage is set for another bittersweet episode denoument. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
After seeing one school friend after another getting married, 18-year-old Cissy (Kathy Garver) begins fretting that she'll end up an old maid. So far as she is concerned, there's only one way to avoid this ignominous fate: Cissy and her boyfriend Gregg (Gregg Fedderson) must announce their engagement immediately, whether Gregg wants to or not! Featured in the cast is Page Forsythe, daughter of future Dynasty star John Forsythe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The family prepares to move to England when Bill (Brian Keith) is offered an opportunity to work on an English-channel tunnel project (need we point out that this episode took place decades before the opening of the real "chunnel"). Particularly eager to make the move across the "Big Pond" is Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who has yearned to return to the Mother Country for years. Unfortunately, although French and the kids are soon securely settled in the British Isles, it turns out that Bill won't be able to join them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Straight-A student Buffy (Anissa Jones) suddenly and mysteriously begins failing in every class. Bill (Brian Keith) thinks that Buffy is deliberately performing poorly so she won't skip a grade and can stay in the same class with her twin brother Jody (Johnnie Whitaker). But the truth is that Buffy is "playing dumb" to attract a boy (Gary Dubin) who doesn't like smart girls. Unlike many another sitcom episode of the 1960s, this one does NOT applaud Buffy for dumbing herself down in order to build up a boy's ego--and is all the better because of it! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Bringing Buffy (Anissa Jones) along on a business trip to Puerto Rico, Bill promises to spend all his free time with his niece. Of course, this puts a crimp on his social life in general and his romance with former flame Gail (Sue Casey) in particular, but Bill is doggedly determined to keep his word. It is up to Buffy to figure out that Bill is having a miserable time, and to do something about it. Gregg Fedderson, soon to join the cast in the recurring role of Cissy's boyfriend Gregg Bartlett, appears in this episode as "Marvin". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After three years on CBS' powerhouse Monday-night schedule--and two consecutive years in TV's "top ten" list--Family Affair moved to a Thursday berth for its fourth season on the air. Despite this displacement, not to mention fresh competition from NBC's long-running Daniel Boone and the ABC upstart The Ghost and Mrs Muir, the series retained its huge following, remaining securely fastened into the "Number Five" ratings position. Beyond the shift to a different evening, very little had changed on Family Affair proper. We still find bachelor engineer Bill Davis (Brian Keith) gamely coping with the pressures of surrogate parenthood as guardian of his orphaned nephew Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and nieces Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Cissy (Anissa Jones). Likewise still on hand is Bill's supremely efficient British manservant Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who has grown to like his role as the children's "male nanny"--with reservations, of course. This season's guest stars include the magnificent Ida Lupino as a titled British lady whom Mr. French fondly remembers as his former sweetheart, a London barmaid named Maude; a very young Darlene Carr (remember her as Karl Malden's daughter on Streets of San Francisco?) as a starry-eyed teenager who develops a crush on the hapless Bill; former B-western star Bob Steele as. . .a former B-western star; and in an unusually serious episode, Dana Andrews as a troubled ex-convict who has trouble going straight. Also showing up with increasing frequency is Gregg Fedderson, the son of Family Affair creator Don Fedderson, who after a brief apprenticeship in character parts is seen in the recurring role of Cissy's boyfriend Gregg Bartlett. Perhaps the most memorable episode this season is "What's So Funny About a Broken Leg", hastily written to accommodate the fact that costar Anissa Jones' leg was really in a cast. Certainly the most elaborate installment is the two-part Season Four opener, wherein the entire family seriously considers bidding farewell to New York City and moving bag and baggage to Tahiti! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) wants to join the 64th Street Daredevils, a gang of older boys led by a kid named Frankie (played by former "Eddie Munster"Butch Patrick). First, however, Jody must prove his mettle by undergoing an initiation. This requires our youthful "daredevil" to sneak up to Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot)--and snip off a portion of French's beloved beard! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
June Lockhart guest stars as Miss Evans, Jody's new subsitute teacher. Developing a crush on Miss Evans, Jody is heartsick when she is transferred to another job. Hoping to find out why Jody is so attached to the "sub", Bill arranges to meet Miss Evans--and discovers that she bears a striking resemblance to Jody's late mother. Joan Vohs, here seen as Jody's regular teacher Miss Cummings, previously showed up during Season Two as Miss Scofield, the teacher of Jody's older sister Cissy (Kathy Garver). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Entering a school art exhibit, Cissy (Kathy Garver) sets about painting a picture she calls "Members of the Family." Among those caricatured in the early stages of the painting are Cissy, Buffy (Anissa Jones), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Uncle Bill (Brian Keith)--but not Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), who feels terribly hurt over his apparent exclusion. Incidentally, the artwork seen in this episode was actually done by series regular Kathy Garver). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The weekend has arrived, and Bill (Brian Keith) looks forward to a long-planned a hunting trip, while Cissy (Kathy Garver) is set to go out on a date and Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) are anxious to build a snowman. But when a raging blizzard strands Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) in Long Island, Bill is stuck with taking care of the kids--who in turn are stuck in the apartment. The result: No hunting, no date, a messy "indoor" snowman and a busted TV! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Surprisingly, Buffy (Anissa Jones) accepts the news that she needs to have her tonsils removed calmly and in stride. Not so surprisingly, Bill (Brian Keith) and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) look forward to Buffy's hospital stay with fear and loathing. Nor does it get any better for the Family Affair parental units when the doctor announces that Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) likewise needs a tonsilectomy! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
For those who dismissed Family Affairduring its first two seasons as just another bland, antiseptic sitcom about an unorthodox extended family--in this instance, bachelor engineer Bill Davis (Brian Keith), his nieces Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Cissy (Kathy Garver), and Bill's veddy proper English butler Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot)--the series' third season would seem to have been designed to emphatically dispel this notion. Though still lighthearted in spirt, Season Three served up several unusally serious episodes, especially for a comedy series of the 1960s, involving such topics as "latch-key" children, the self-denying delusions of an African American youngster from a fatherless family, and the effects of a divorce upon an insecure child of privilege. The most powerful episode of all features a pre-Brady Bunch Eve Plumb as a teminally ill child, for whom the Davises throw an elaborate Christmas party in October--knowing all too well that the child will not live until Christmas. Guest stars this season include Kaye Stevens, appropriately cast as a nightclub singer; Broadway favorite Eddie Hodges as an arrognat British rock star; and Leslie Parrish as a curvaceous young woman who sets her cap for--of all people!--the flabbergasted Mr. French. And this being the 1968-69 TV season, viewers are treated to the obligatory "Hippie" episode, with future M*A*S*H regular Jamie Farr as an overaged flower child! Highlighting this season is Family Affair's only three-part story, in which the Davis family vacations in Sunny Spain--where twins Buffy and Jody promptly get themselves lost. Evidently viewers ate up this enjoyable video confection with a spoon, as indicated by the fact that Family Affair closed its third season as America's fifth most-watched prime time series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Kaye Stevens guest-stars as nightclub singer Julie Madden, another of Bill's many lady friends. As a favor to Bill, Julie agrees to give singing lessons to Buffy, who hopes to join her school glee club. Alas, poor, tone-deaf Buffy has what could be described as "Van Gogh's ear for music". Kaye Stevens sings "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", while series regular Johnnie Whitaker (Jody) performs "Every Boy Should Be President", a fascinating preview of Whitaker's song renditions on his later series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Buffy (Anissa Jones) secretly conspire to build a clay figure, to be presented to Bill (Brian Keith) as a "Best Uncle" award. Unfortunately, the twins are allergic to clay, and both fall ill as a result. Because the kids won't tell him what they've been up to, Bill becomes convinced that their illness is due to his own bad parenting--and this is far from the last false conclusion to which Bill jumps in this episode! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The twins (Anissa Jones, Johnnie Whitaker) enter a cereal contest, in hopes of winning an outboard motor. Instead, they receive a consolation prize: a very noisy baby lamb. When the neighbors complain about the lamb's incessant nocturnal bleating, Bill (Brian Keith) is faced with the problem of getting the kids to give up their new pet without breaking their hearts. With this episode, Sebastian Cabot returns to the role of Bill's butler Mr. Giles French--and as a bonus, Cabot's real-life daughter Annette Cabot also appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Buffy (Anissa Jones) is chosen over her classmate Melissa (Cindy Eilbacher) as the lead dancer in a ballet version of "Little Red Riding Hood". Miffed over this casting coup, Melissa's mom Clara (Ann McCrea) insists that Buffy got the starring part only because dance teacher Margot Dunbar is a former girlfriend of Buffy's uncle Bill (Brian Keith). Though this is not the case, Buffy apparently "proves" her lack of qualification by botching her performance--but for reasons that no one would ever have anticipated. Cast as Margot is Judith Landon, the wife of series star Brian Keith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
