Charles Barton Movies
Charles T. Barton spent his first two decades as an actor in stock, vaudeville and movies. He learned the production end of the business under the exacting guidance of director James Cruze, finally graduating to director himself with the 1934 "Zane Grey" feature Wagon Wheels. Barton became indispensable to the various "B" units operating in Hollywood, guiding several inexpensive, tight-scheduled productions with breezy efficiency. He also proved a superb comedy director, bringing the best out of such performers as Joe E. Brown, Jackie Gleason and Lupe Velez. From 1946 on, Barton was a principal director of the Abbott and Costello comedies, establishing an excellent working relationship with Lou Costello -- who, like Barton, was short in stature but long on volatility. Barton entered television in the early 1950s, helming several episodes of the classic sitcom Amos N Andy. Barton's last theatrical features included a pair of delightful Disney films, The Shaggy Dog (1959) and Toby Tyler (1960). Charles Barton was married to actress/singer Julie Gibson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1971
The Davises are surprised when housekeeper Emily (Nancy Walker) announces that she has other plans on the night of her son Jim's graduation ball. Eventually, it is revealed that Emily is staying away from the ceremony because she doesn't want to embarrass Jim (Peter Duryea): She has no date, she owns no formal clothes, and she can't dance. Assuming the role of "Fairy Godmother", Buffy (Anissa Jones) comes to the rescue of "Cinder-Emily" by pulling all sorts of strings, including maneuvering Mr French (Sebastian Cabot) into serving as Emily's escort--but there are surprises in store for one and all before the stroke of twelve! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Victoria Meyerink guest stars as Angela Clayton, a drab, chubby, standoffish girl who has developed a hopeless crush on Jody (Johnnie Whitaker). Taking pity on the girl, Buffy (Anissa Jones) decides to pull a "Henry Higgins", giving "Eliza Doolittle" Angela a fashion makeover, putting her on a diet, and arranging a party so she can meet some eligible boys. Unfortunately, Buffy is incapable of doing anything to change Angela's nasty, negative attitude. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
During an outing in the park, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) see a mother bird shooing her children out of the nest. Somehow this causes the twins to worry that their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) will be lonely and miserable when they, too, "leave the nest." Clearly, there is only one solution to this future dilemma: The kids must play matchmaker between Bill and their pretty teacher Ms. Berry (Joan Freeman). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) cannot understand why his new friend Johnnie (Radames Pera) is not allowed to play outside by the woman who identifies herself as Johnnie's mom Elena (Sarita Vara). Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) is similarly confused by Elena's furtive, secretive nature, and by the fact that the ordinary-looking Johnnie behaves in a manner that suggests that he is a child of wealth and prestige. As it turns out, the Davis family has inadvertenly become embroiled in international intrigue: Elena is not Johnnie's mother, and "Johnnie" is actually Juan--the son of a Caribbean president whose government has just been toppled by a military coup! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Cissy (Kathy Garver) is reunited with her former boyfriend Russ Brooks (David Ladd), now a member of the Peace Corps. This reunion sparks jealousy in the heart of Cissy's current beau Gregg (Gregg Fedderson)--especially when it appears as though Cissy plans to join the Corps as well, and accompany Russ to his new assignment in South America. Sidelines observer Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) hopes that Cissy will ultimate make the right choices in her life, but the evidence doesn't seem to point in that direction! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- 1971
This episode focuses on the recurring character of housekeeper Emily Turner, played by the inimitable Nancy Walker). Even while trying to play matchmaker between butler Mr. French and nanny Miss Haversham (Heather Angel), Emily turns thumbs-down on a potential romance between her own Jim (Peter Duryea) and Cissy (Kathy Turner). The Davis family is angry about this, believing that Emily is putting herself down by thinking that Jim isn't good enough for Cissy...but strangely, the opposite turns out to be the case! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
In the final episode of Family Affair, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) try to help their less fortunate friend Ricky Alvarez (Tony Fraser), who has no time to play because he must care for his younger brother while their cab-driver dad (Carlos Romero) is working. The twins come across a vacant lot which they establish as a playground for poor kids, cleaning and decorating the place until it is well-nigh "ideal". But their efforts may be for naught: The city intends to use the lot to build a parking structure. Can Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) come to the rescue yet once more, or will the series conclude on a sour note? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Convinced that she is now too old for dolls, Buffy (Anissa Jones) consigns Mrs. Beasley to the closet--only to suffer profound separation pains. In the days that follow, Buffy incessantly talks about Mrs. Beasley as if she were a real person. Worried about his niece's mental wellbeing, Bill (Brian Keith) consults a child psychologist (Lori Nelson)--only to discover that Buffy is telling the truth, and there IS a genuine Mrs. Beasley! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Just like Jack Bauer on 24, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) suffers through one of those days where everything goes wrong. Disaster piles upon disaster: Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) gets paint all over his clothes, a vacuum-cleaner bag is spilled on the carpet, and poor French takes an embarrassing pratfall in a public park. Finally, when Bill (Brian Keith) announces that he's bringing a last-minute guest to a meticulously prepared dinner party, the normally unflappable French blows his top--and it isn't a pretty sight! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Bill's current girlfriend Nancy Mason (Julie Parrish), an expert on pre-Columbian art, gives Bill (Brian Keith) a priceless, centuries-old artifact. Not knowing the item's value, the twins take it to school for show-and-tell--and of course immediately break it. In desperation, the youngsters fashion a duplicate of the artifact out of clay...and it is this "forgery" which ends up being displayed at the Wyndham Gallery and hailed by one and all as an authentic masterpiece! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Befriending the nephew of pro football star Ken Granger (Larry Pennell), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) soon develops an acute case of hero worship. Before long, Jody is imitating everything Granger says and does, and is even dressing in the same fashion. When the athlete is brought up on charges of betting on his own, Jody fiercely defends his idol--only to be emotionally devastated when the charges turn out to be true! Appearing as Granger's nephew Bobby is Leif Garrett, who grew up to be a pop-culture idol in his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
The family's mercenary streak comes to surface when Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) feigns romantic interest in classmate Geraldine Haskins (Lisa Gerritsen) only because he wants one of Geraldine's valuable stamps for his own collection. At the same time, Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) is wooing Claudia Wells (Lee Meriwether), the director of the research foundation with which he hopes to do business. Upon discovering what Jody is up to, Bill realizes that he is using the same technique for similar selfish reasons, leading to a great deal of soul-searching for both of the men in the Davis family! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Cissy (Kathy Garver) returns from college in the company of her pregnant friend Kathy Prentiss (played by Linda Kaye Henning, former Petticoat Junction costar and the then daughter-in-law of Family Affair producer Don Fedderson). Inasmuch as Kathy's soldier husband (Jim Henaghan) is out of town, Cissy prevails upon Bill (Brian Keith) to let the expectant mother stay with the Davis family for a week or so. This situation proves most problematic when Kathy suddenly goes into labor! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) is harrassed by school bully Tom Richards (Clint Howard), who insists that his dad (John Lawrence) can beat up Jody's Uncle Bill (Brian Keith). When Jody arranges for Bill and Mr. Richards to meet in the park for a showdown, Bill refuses to get involved, laughing off the challenge as silly and childish. Unfortunately, Mr. Richards does appear at the appointed time, and declares that the absent Bill is a coward! How is THIS crisis going to work itself out? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Joyce Van Patten is cast as brassy comedienne Gail Spencer, who pays a visit to her friend Bill (Brian Keith) while stopping over in New York. Impressed that Gail is always "on", always ready with a joke for any occasion, Jody is inspired to become a comedian himself--but at all the wrong times, especially during school! For obscure reasons, the original TV Guide synopsis list Patience Cleveland as school principal Miss Harris, a role actually played by Sarah Selby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
When school rules prohibit Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) from attending a father-and-son event, Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) is upset, regarding Bill as the only dad he has ever had. This sets Bill to worrying that the kids are losing all memory of their real father. To solve this problem, Bill packs the family up for a nostalgic return visit to their home town of Terre Haute, where a number of touching surprises await them. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) is thrilled at the prospect of meeting his idol, 1930s cowboy star Chaps Callahan (played by genuine B-western icon Bob Steele). Worried that Jody's hero-worship is bordering on obsession, Bill sets up a situation whereby his nephew will be disillusioned over the fact that Callahan is now an old man, no longer able to live up to his legend. Though Bill's scheme backfires rather badly, the outcome of this story proves to be happy and beneficial for both Jody and Chaps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- 1970
Nancy Walker makes her first series appearance as Emily Walker, who works as a cleaning lady in Bill's office. Aware that Emily is looking for a second job in order to finance her son's medical-school education, Bill invites her to work a housekeeper in his apartment. Inevitably, the brash, outspoken Emily clashes with the veddy proper and reserved Mr. French, leading to a tense showdown between New York's two biggest Immovable Objects! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Contrary to the episode's title, it has indeed been five years since Buffy (Anissa Jones), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) and Cissy (Kathy Garver) came to New York to live with their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith). In honor of this occasion, the kids have planned a surprise party for Bill--but alas, he's forgotten all about the anniversary, and has flown out of town on business. Saving the day for all concerned is the family's down-to-earth housekeeper Emily (Nancy Walker). This episode is highlighted by flashbacks culled from Family Affair's previous four seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
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