Family Affair


Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis's traditional English gentleman's gentleman, Mr. Giles French, also had adjustments to make as he became saddled with the responsibility of caring for 15-year-old Cissy and the five-year-old twins, Jody and Buffy.
Family Affair ran for 138 episodes in five seasons. The show was created and produced by Edmund Hartmann and Don Fedderson, also known for My Three Sons and The Millionaire.

Storyline

Indiana native William "Bill" Davis is a successful civil engineer who develops major projects all over the world. A wealthy bachelor, Bill lives in a large apartment in Manhattan's Upper East Side, and has a British manservant, Giles French, as his valet.
A year prior to the series, Bill's brother Bob and his wife Mary were killed in a car crash in Indiana, leaving their three children orphaned. Bill's other relatives believe that he is the one most capable of supporting them, and so the three are sent to live with him in New York. Consequently, Bill's solitary lifestyle gets turned upside-down.
Initially, "Uncle Bill" is none too anxious to have the three youngsters living with him, but he soon grows fond of them. Mr. French, who effectively becomes a nanny in addition to his valet duties, is also flustered by the erratic situation at first, but he too develops an affinity for them. Over time, the bachelor, the butler, and the three orphans find themselves becoming a close-knit family.

Other characters

When Sebastian Cabot became ill, Giles's brother, Nigel "Niles" French was introduced. He worked for the Davis family for nine episodes in 1967, while Giles was said to be touring with the Queen in the Commonwealth countries. In the final season, Bill hired a part-time housekeeper, Emily Turner, to assist Mr. French.
Various other characters were also seen regularly, including several acquaintances of Mr. French's who are in service, colleagues of Bill's, and friends of Cissy's.

Production

As Don Fedderson's other program, My Three Sons, had done for Fred MacMurray, Family Affair used a 60-day production schedule to accommodate Brian Keith. All of his scenes for the season would be shot in two 30-day blocks, while his co-stars would fill in after the actor's work was completed. This enabled Fedderson to harness actors like Keith and MacMurray into television commitments, while still enabling each to make motion pictures. As a result, each season had a single director for each of the 30-odd scripts.
Due to the popularity of the series with girls, Buffy's doll, "Mrs. Beasley", was marketed as a Mattel talking toy in the United States. Mattel went on to produce two additional dolls, as well, patterned after Buffy: the "Tutti"-sized Buffy and larger "Small Talk Buffy", both of which featured accompanying miniature Mrs. Beasley dolls.

Opening

The theme song was composed by veteran television composer Frank DeVol. The opening featured credits appearing over a kaleidoscopic view of a multicolored array of gems and precious stones, suggesting "family jewels".
Most of the episodes in the fifth season opened with either Sebastian Cabot or the twins, saying, "Good evening, so nice of you to join us." and closing the episode saying, "It's been very good of you to watch and we do hope to see you again next week on Family Affair."

Cast

As discussed by Kathy Garver on the final season's DVD features, the show's cast suffered several deaths, most of which came prematurely: Anissa Jones died of a drug overdose in 1976, aged 18. Sebastian Cabot died of a stroke in 1977, aged 59. Brian Keith committed suicide by gunshot in 1997, aged 75, two months after the suicide of his daughter, and himself having lived with cancer for some time.

Episodes

Home media

has released all five seasons of Family Affair on DVD in Region 1 by MPI Home Video.
DVD name #Release dateSpecial features / notes
Season One30June 27, 2006
Season Two30November 21, 2006
  • "An Affair to Remember"
  • "Memories"
    • Season Three28March 27, 2007
  • The Family Affair Reunion Special
    • Season Four26October 30, 2007
  • A Conversation with Johnny Whitaker
  • "The Child Stars"
    • Season Five24February 26, 2008
  • A visit by Kathy Garver to the CBS Studio City lot where the series was filmed
    • The Complete Series138November 25, 2008
  • Repackaging of Seasons 1–5 in a slimmer case

    • Awards and nominations

    Remake television series

    A remake of Family Affair aired on The WB from September 12, 2002 to March 13, 2003. The remake was produced by Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, Pariah Films, and Turner Television. Gary Cole played the role of "Uncle Bill" Davis and Tim Curry played Mr. Giles French. Fifteen episodes were produced, including the one-hour pilot, but only thirteen episodes were aired by The WB.

    Appearances in other media

    , an imprint of Western Publishing, published four issues of a Family Affair comic book series from January to October 1970.
    Merchandising efforts centered on Anissa Jones' "Buffy" character. Several books were published, including the 1970 hardback Family Affair: Buffy Finds a Star by Gladys Baker Bond and Buffy's Cookbook. There were dolls and various other toys.
    A Mrs. Beasley doll, with her glasses missing, appears in the music video for the song California Tuffy by the Geraldine Fibbers.
    In , gang leader Zed is seen tearfully watching the show in his hideout.