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''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' is an American
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
based on the 1963 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Mark Toby (edited by Dorothy Wilson). The series is about a widower, Tom Corbett (played by
Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...
), who is a magazine publisher, and his young son, Eddie (played by Brandon Cruz). Eddie believes his father should marry, and manipulates situations surrounding the women his father is interested in. (Eddie's matchmaking efforts were the theme of the film, but gradually became less central to the storylines in the series.) The series debuted on September 17, 1969, and was last broadcast on March 1, 1972. Bixby received an Emmy nomination for the show.


Plot

The show centered on Tom Corbett (
Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...
), a handsome, thirty-something magazine publisher and widower from
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. Following the death of his wife Helen, Tom is left to raise his mischievous, freckle-faced son, six-year-old Eddie ( Brandon Cruz). Eddie wants a new mother, so to that end, he cleverly manipulates his father's relationships with women, sometimes even trying to set his father up to fall for women Eddie knows and likes first. The father-son duo's domestic arrangements are managed, with great discretion, by their Japanese housekeeper, Mrs. Livingston ( Miyoshi Umeki). Her sage advice adds to the comedic mix in situations where she looks after Eddie, and sometimes helps him further his schemes to marry off his father and find a new mother. Mrs. Livingston addresses her employer, Tom, as "Mr. Eddie's Father." Characters from Tom Corbett's office included Tina Rickles (
Kristina Holland Kristina Holland (born February 25, 1944) is an American actress who has performed in more than 22 television series, two films, and voiceover talent for at least two video games. She is now a professional psychotherapist. She is perhaps best kn ...
) as his secretary and Norman Tinker ( James Komack) as the magazine's photographer and token radical. Norman served as Eddie's honorary uncle.


Cast


Main cast

Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz are the only two actors to appear in every episode of the series. *
Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...
as Tom Corbett – A widower and a magazine editor * Brandon Cruz as Eddie Corbett – Tom's son * Miyoshi Umeki as Mrs. Livingston – Tom's and Eddie's housekeeper *
Kristina Holland Kristina Holland (born February 25, 1944) is an American actress who has performed in more than 22 television series, two films, and voiceover talent for at least two video games. She is now a professional psychotherapist. She is perhaps best kn ...
as Tina Rickles – Tom's secretary * James Komack as Norman Tinker – Tom's partner at a magazine company


Guest cast

During its three-season run, many familiar or up-and-coming actors who guest-starred on the show went on to become successful stars, including: Jodie Foster,
Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) on ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emm ...
, Bruce Kirby,
Pat Harrington Jr. Daniel Patrick Harrington Jr. (August 13, 1929 – January 6, 2016) was an American Emmy Award-winning stage and television actor, best known for his role as building superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the sitcom '' One Day at a Time'' (1975� ...
, Diana Muldaur, Willie Aames, Warren Berlinger,
Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American theatre, film, television, and voice actress. Pleshette started her career in the theatre and began appearing in films in the late 1950s and later appeared in prominent ...
, Yvonne Craig, Cicely Tyson, Richard X. Slattery, Tippi Hedren, Trisha Noble,
John Fiedler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...
, Alan Oppenheimer,
Lou Jacobi Lou Jacobi (born Louis Harold Jacobovitch; December 28, 1913October 23, 2009) was a Canadian character actor. Life and early career Jacobi was born Louis Harold Jacobovitch in Toronto, Canada, to Joseph and Fay Jacobovitch. Jacobi began acting ...
,
Will Geer Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor, musician, and social activist, who was active in labor organizing and other movements in New York and Southern California in the 1930s and 1940s. In C ...
, Bill Dana, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Ronny Graham,
Lori Saunders Lori Saunders (born Linda Marie Hines October 4, 1941, in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American film and television actress, probably best known for her role as Bobbie Jo Bradley in the television series ''Petticoat Junction'' (1965–1970 ...
,
Ann Prentiss Ann Prentiss (November 27, 1939 – January 12, 2010) was an American actress. Early life Prentiss was born Ann Elizabeth Ragusa in San Antonio, Texas, to Paulene (née Gardner) and Thomas J. Ragusa. Her father was of Sicilian descent. Her eld ...
, Ron Ely, Carol Lawrence, and George Takei. Future '' Happy Days'' stars Pat Morita and Erin Moran also made guest appearances. Established stars also made cameo appearances, such as Eve McVeagh as a grumpy neighbor named Lorraine Karn, Sammy Davis Jr. as an insurance man, and Bixby's then-wife Brenda Benet as Tom's girlfriend.


Production


Crew

Comedy producer James Komack served as both the creator and the executive producer of the show. In 1970, Bill Bixby made his debut as a director, going on to direct eight episodes of the show.


Theme song

The television show's theme song, "Best Friend", was written and performed by Harry Nilsson; it was an adaptation of his song "Girlfriend" with new lyrics written for the show. The theme was played over opening credits showing Bixby and Cruz in various happy moments. An edited version of Nilsson's "Best Friend" was used as the theme song for the 2006 MTV series '' Rob & Big''.


Cancellation

The show was cancelled in 1972, when Bixby had a falling out with James Komack over the show's direction. Many of the later episodes focused on Norman, Tom, and Eddie rather than on the relationship between Tom and Eddie. Years after the show was cancelled, it became quietly popular as
reruns in syndication A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...
.


Home media

Warner Bros. has released all three seasons of ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' on DVD in Region 1 via their
Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...
. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available via WBShop.com and
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
.


Failed spin-offs

There have been three attempts at re-making the show, none of which resulted in a new series. As early as 1999, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' reported plans for Nicolas Cage to star in and produce a feature film remake of the series. In a 2011 interview, Brandon Cruz believed Cage was likely no longer interested in the project because Cage's son Weston, who would have played Eddie, had grown too old for the part. 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. In 2014,
Willie Garson William Garson Paszamant (February 20, 1964September 21, 2021) was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the HBO series ''Sex and the City'', in the related f ...
was developing a version in which he would star as Norman Tinker. Garson was going to write and produce alongside feature filmmakers Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett and
Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ( ...
.The series never eventuated."The Courtship of Eddies Father Returns to Television" comingsoon.net October 17, 2014 https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/124164-the-courtship-of-eddies-father-returns-to-television


References


External links

* *
''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' theme song, by Harry Nilsson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtship of Eddie's Father, The 1969 American television series debuts 1972 American television series endings 1960s American sitcoms 1970s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming Live action television shows based on films Television series about widowhood Television series based on adaptations Television series by MGM Television Television shows set in Los Angeles