Family Affair (1966 to 1971)

I have no reason to be writing about this. I posted a brief comment about it on the internet somewhere so that's what brought it to mind.

It's been years and years since I've seen it. Probably unwatchable today. Twenty-five years ago, Family Affair was used in a gag in the prime time cartoon The Critic. The Critic reviews a movie based on the show starring Marlon Brando as Mr French.

There was an episode in which Johnny Whitaker sings a song, "Any Boy Can Be President", a slap in the face to female viewers. And what about foreign-born boys? Or boys under age thirty-five? His sister has to turn the pages of the sheet music as he performs. In another episode, Johnny wants Uncle Bill to spank him. But they had kind of an anti-fascist episode where they went to Spain and found the Guardia Civil terrorizing the countryside. In another, the children had a classmate dying of leukemia.

Now I've marveled at this before---during the show's run, Brian Kieth appeared in John Huston's movie Reflections in a Golden Eye. Kieth got third billing after Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. Brando played a repressed homosexual Army officer married to Taylor. Kieth is their friend, another officer whose wife is in a mental hospital. He has a gay Filipino servant.

Brian Kieth was fluent in Russian. He played an American in The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! and coached Alan Arkin on his Russian dialog.

It was on that movie that he first saw Johnny Whitaker and suggested him for the role of Jody.

I read that the mother of the girl in it, Anissa Jones, had made a deal with a dress company that she would only wear their product. The thing is that they made dresses for young children. Anissa was twelve or thirteen when the show went off the air. By then wearing dresses designed for five-year-olds became rather demeaning. The poor girl died of an overdose at 18.

Anissa had auditioned for the role of Regan in The Exorcist. They gave the role to Linda Blair because, in her initial interview with the director, Blair showed a knowledge of masturbation and a willingness to discuss it. They knew they wouldn't corrupt her or have to explain to her the horrible things she would be asked to say and do in the movie.

Johnny Whitaker went on to star in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. Oh, and he was in a musical version of Tom Sawyer and had a butt shot.

I don't see anything shocking in the filmographies of Sebastian Cabot or Kathy Garver, although it looks like Garver reprised her role as Cissy a couple of times.