The Courtship of Eddie's Father
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Courtship of Eddie's Father | |
|---|---|
 The Courtship of Eddie's Father cast photo |
|
| Format | Sitcom, Family |
| Created by | James Komack |
| Starring | Bill Bixby Brandon Cruz Miyoshi Umeki James Komack Kristina Holland |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 73 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 17, 1969 – March 1, 1972 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
- This article is about the television series. For the 1963 film, see The Courtship of Eddie's Father (film).
The Courtship of Eddie's Father is an American television sitcom based on the popular 1963 movie of the same name that had gained some respect in theaters, and it was also based on a book written by Mark Toby. It was directed by James Komack and tells the story of a widower played by Bill Bixby, with a young son played by Brandon Cruz who believes his father should marry and manipulates situations surrounding the women his father is interested in.
The series debuted on September 17, 1969 and was last broadcast March 1, 1972 on ABC, replacing the short-lived Here Come the Brides series. ABC had acquired the rights to do a weekly television comedy-drama, dealing with a young, single father, trying to raise a young son while pursuing a social life. The show gained in popularity during its first two seasons, as had other hit comedies that dealt with widowed single parents, such as, Beulah, The Andy Griffith Show, My Three Sons, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Lucy Show, Family Affair, Julia and The Doris Day Show. This show also set the tone for other 1970s comedies that dealt with widowhood and/or traditional family values: The Brady Bunch, (which debuted just 9 days after Courtship), The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Partridge Family, Sanford and Son, Alice, Eight is Enough and Diff'rent Strokes.
Contents |
[edit] History
Veteran comedy producer and one-time My Favorite Martian writer, James Komack also served as both the creator and the executive producer of the show. The television show's theme song, "Best Friend", was written and performed by Harry Nilsson, and was played over opening credits showing Bixby and Cruz in various happy moments. The song has often been used since as an iconic indication of father-son bonding.
[edit] Plot
The show centered around Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby), a handsome, thirtyish-year-old, magazine publisher and widower from Los Angeles who had shouldered the responsibility of raising his freckled-faced, six-year-old son, Eddie (Brandon Cruz), who often cleverly manipulated his father about getting a new wife, shortly after the death of Eddie's mother and Tom's wife, Helen. Tom's domestic arrangements were managed, highly competently, by his Japanese housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston (Miyoshi Umeki), who was diplomatic and full of sage advice and would also look after Eddie, especially his dirty work. Mrs. Livingston is best remembered for the way she addressed Bixby's character as "Mr. Eddie's Father." At work Tom would usually work with Tina Rickles (Kristina Holland) who was his secretary at a magazine company. Very often, Norman Tinker (James Komack), who was the head of another family, worked as a radical photographer at the same company that both Tom & Tina worked in, and who would also become Eddie's occasional uncle.
Starting in 1970, Bill Bixby made his debut as a director, directing several episodes of the show.
Many familiar and/or unfamiliar actors who guest-starred on the show went on to become successful stars: Sally Struthers, Pat Harrington Jr., Diana Muldaur, Willie Aames, Warren Berlinger, Suzanne Pleshette, Yvonne Craig, Tippi Hedren, Pat Delaney, John Fiedler, Alan Oppenheimer, Lou Jacobi, Jodie Foster, Bill Dana, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Ann Prentiss, Ron Ely, Carol Lawrence, George Takei, among many others. Future Happy Days stars Pat Morita and Erin Moran also made guest appearances. Famous comedian and dancer Sammy Davis Jr. made a cameo appearance where he played an insurance man.
The show was canceled in 1972 when Bixby had a falling out with producer James Komack on the direction of the show. Many of the later episodes focused on Komack's, Bixby's, and Cruz's characters, Norman Tinker, Tom & his son, and Eddie Corbett rather than on the relationship between Tom & Eddie. Years after the show was canceled, the show became quietly popular in reruns in syndication, WWOR's EMI Service, ABC Family (formerly Family Channel), ME-TV and VisionTV.
[edit] Cast
- Bill Bixby as: Tom Corbett - A widower and a magazine editor
- Brandon Cruz as: Eddie Corbett - Tom's son
- Miyoshi Umeki as: Mrs. Livingston - Tom's & Eddie's maid
- Kristina Holland as: Tina Rickles - Tom's secretary
- James Komack as: Norman Tinker - Tom's partner at a magazine company
[edit] Rejected series
In 2003, filming began on a new television pilot which starred Ken Marino and Josh Hutcherson, but it was not picked up by a network. The child star of the previous series, Brandon Cruz, played a supporting role.
