Sons and Daughters

"Sons & Daughters" is a dramatic counterpart to "Happy Days". Like "Happy Days", the series took place in the 1950s, with a backdrop of fifties music and fifties related activities.

Unlike "Happy Days", the story line was more tragic evolving around Anita Cramer (played by Glynnis O'Connor) and Jeff Reed (played by Gary Frank).

The two were young teenagers growing up in the 1950s, who were in love with each other, but were afraid to follow their hearts. This was due to the fact that Jeff's parents were divorced and Anita was living with her father who was either divorced or a widower. Anita and Frank were both afraid to fall in love because they were uncertain about their feelings and both were afraid of hurting each other or being hurt the way both their parents were hurt.

Though the storyline was bleak, there were a lot of lighter moments provided by the antics of "Stash", "Shark" and "Moose" along with their friends, who were engaging in the typical mischief that made the 1950s such a nostalgic time. There was the soda shop where everybody hung out. There were also the "submarine races" and an "inspiration point" where teenaged couples used to go to "make out".

It was a good program that bordered between "soap" and "drama' with enough "comedy" to make this an entertaining program.

Unfortunately, there weren't enough of the lighter moments to save the series from being cancelled.

The plot summary had it wrong: Jeff's father died of a heart attack in the pilot movie called 'Senior Year.' Anita's parents were divorced. Her mom was having an affair and Anita caught her going into the hotel with the guy. That's why Anita had trouble committing and opening up to Jeff. I know all of this because I was in my early teens at the time and loved the show. It was the kind of show that really captured the angst of teenage life (ala 'My So Called Life'). Amazing it only survived 13 episodes, but I think it had strong competition at the time. Very few of my friends watched it because something more popular was on at the same time slot. Wish they'd re-run the 13 on Bravo or TV Land or something.

I was in the middle of high school when this show aired. I loved it and didn't miss an episode. It didn't make it because it was up against "Little House On the Prairie," when it first started. Why they didn't try it at another time I will never understand. Even though Jeff and Anita were set in the 50's, the things they were dealing with mirrored my own life. How do you fit in? How do you deal with parents who are fighting? Should you have sex with your boyfriend? There were not shows like that for teens then. Everything was comedy or adult drama. Maybe most people weren't ready for such openness, but the values displayed were strong. My friends would all gather to discuss it the next day at school. It should at least be shown one more time.

I was in high school and this series was dramatic, funny at times and dealt with controversial topics like abortion, infidelity...Plot and story line well developed. What a shame the show was never a hit. America preferred Happy Days. Silly sit com that grew like a cancer cell. Not funny, just silly at best. Compared to this dramatic series, there is no comparison. Gary Frank would go on to ABCs Family with the wonderful cast including Sada Thomphson, Meridith Baxter Briney, James Broderick. Classic 70s drama as was Sons and Daughters. I am curious to know what this show was up against. Well produced and very well acted, this series should have been a hit a la Peyton Place. I am glad to find others who appreciate this show and look forward to viewing episodes.