Family Affair

I've been watching this show all my life, whenever it was on, and it never fails to move me. A good basic story-line, great actors and good scripts made it fun to watch. Brian Keith as Uncle Bill Davis, a confirmed bachelor, suddenly has his life changed when he learns that he is given custody of his 2 nieces and nephew when their parents die in a car crash. Anissa Jones as Buffy is the first to appear in episode 1 and it is so good to watch Sebatian Cabot as Mr. French, Uncle Bill's butler, valet and housekeeper, trying to adjust to this shy, sullen little girl who won't come out of her shell. Episode 2 introduces Buffy's twin brother, Jody,played beautifully by Johnny Whitaker and their older sister, Cissy,played by Kathy Garver. With the three children at last reunited, life begins anew for Uncle Bill and Mr. French as they learn how to deal with children and the children learn how to deal with them. This show started at a time when family television was still on the airwaves and people enjoyed seeing a show that had 'family values". But by 1971, when it was cancelled, people started turning to more "realistic" and irreverent television shows and it was harder for a "family values" program like this to be successful. But there are still re-runs and you can get a look at a different time, a different era and a different kind of family. Well, worth a watch!

I love this show. The show looks nice and cosy which alone made it relaxing to watch, and the theme tune is memorable and delightful. Family Affair also treats us to story lines that are written with taste and flair with a lot and heart, and the writing is also very funny(not always hilarious mind) with some poignant parts too particularly with Buffy.

The acting is marvellous, Brian Keith is great as Uncle Bill with a great sense of comic timing and a warm presence too. Kathy Garver shows herself as a promising young actress as Cissy and Johnny Wittaker is a cute Jody. The real stars though are Anissa Jones who is so heartfelt as Buffy and Sebastian Cabot whose Mr French is just brilliant.

Some might say Family Affair is quite syrupy or sugar coated. Maybe so, but I thought it was a great show and very warm and entertaining. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Fresh off of six seasons of the single parent sitcom My Three Sons, producer Don Fedderson came up with another sitcom about a single parent, Family Affair. I remember the show well as bachelor Bill Davis, played wonderfully by Brian Keith became a father to three young orphans, Cissy and twins Buffy and Jody. The successful engineer and the kids lived in a New York high rise along with the butler Mr. French, played with dignity by Sebastian Cabot. French was reluctant to looking after children but over the show's five year run, he adjusted so well. He often looked after them when Uncle Bill was away on business.

What made the show a hit was the chemistry between Anissa Jones as Buffy and Johnny Whittaker as Jody. They got along so well and they were to of the cutest sitcom kids of the mid to late 60s. There was also Kathy Garver as older sister Cissy, who was like a mother to the two youngsters. Also part of the cast, though inanimate was Buffy's doll, Mrs. Beasley. The doll became a big seller throughout the show's five year run and even when it went into syndicated reruns.

The one episode I remember was the one where Whittaker sang the song "Every Little Boy Can Be President." Another one I remember focused on Jody having an invisible bear named Arthur.

It's a shame that the show hasn't been seen on any cable channel in the last few years, it's a show that appeals to the entire family. In the age of sitcoms with objectionable language, Family Affair is a throwback to the days of family friendly entertainment. Definitely a Family Affair.

This show I grew up with and would love to see again. It was about a different time when children were much more naive and not nearly as jaded as they are today.

It taught family values and showed how tragedy (death of the siblings parents in a car accident) brings people together. The show did have moments of being cheesy but I would much rather see that then some of the current garbage being forced on everyone on network television. Anissa Jones, playing Buffy, specifically in the first episode, is the most underrated child actress of her time. She is so natural.

I guess what really bothers me is that whenever you turn on the television today, all you are forced to see are these reality shows with the dog eat dog mentality. Everyone will stomp on everyone else to get what they want no matter what the cost. It seems that a show like The Simple Life (Paris Hilton) or The Surreal Life with C list celebrities gets released on DVD five minutes after it comes out but these truly classic shows, like Family Affair; Alice and One Day At a Time are never shown and haven't been seen for years.

TV Land shows Leave it to Beaver all the time, why not change the lineup and show Family Affair; Alice & One Day at a Time so people can see something that hasn't been on for years?

This was a family favorite, when I was a child growing up. Uncle Bill played by Brian Keith took in a nephew and two nieces to raise in his New York Penthouse Apartment. However he was a great guardian parent figure as well as Mr. French played by Sebastian Cabot. Kathy Garver, who played Cissy a teenager was a bit wayward. She was made to take responsibility to Buffy and Jodie. Sometimes she neglected her duties. I really like this show better than The Brady Bunch & Partridge Family. Into the 1970's family values changed. Kids wearing long hair, bell bottom jeans and the extreme clothing. I hated to see that happened. I wish we had more shows like Family Affair. I'm very sorry Anissa Jones died of a drug overdose. It's a sad situation to see such a young person end their life. That's what I meant about the change of values. America is in desperate need of change.