Family Affair was one of the most beloved television shows of the 1960s. Starring Brian Keith, Sebastian Cabot, and young stars Kathy Garver, Johnny Whitaker, and Anissa Jones, the CBSsitcom followed a New York City bachelor raising his late brother’s orphaned kids in his luxury high-rise apartment. Family Affair aired for five seasons, from September 1966 to March 1971.
In a new interview with Woman’s World, Garver, 80, revealed that producer Ed Hartmann once told her about the secret behind the show’s magic.
“He told me the formula was like climbing a palm tree,” she shared. “You introduce a problem and start climbing. You get to the top, look around for a solution, and then you slide back down. That was our show: Here’s the problem, how do we solve it, we’ve solved it, now everyone is happy.”
In addition to using a classic sitcom formula, Family Affair stood out as one of the first television shows to be broadcast in color. In the interview, Garver noted that the series was “shot on film by people who came from the movie world.” “The cinematography was softer; the lighting was gorgeous. We had a world-class crew,” she said.
She also credited the unique combination of cast members for preventing the series from getting too sugary. “Between Brian’s groundedness, Sebastian’s formality, and the kids’ innocence, the show found a tone uniquely its own,” she shared.
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'Family Affair’ never went off the air
Since 1966, Family Affair has always been on the air. Garver noted that the series moved into syndication after its third season in the late 1960s and remains on nostalgia TV channels and streaming platforms to this day.
In an interview on The Jim Masters Show, Garver admitted she never dreamed Family Affair would still be everywhere 60 years later. “At that time, we never imagined that there would be all these platforms and streaming platforms and on Roku and MeTV and all of these things,” she said. “But I'll tell you who was very, very smart was Don Fedderson, who created this, and Ed Hartmann.”
The actress also revealed that the series stood the test of time because it was relatable to many people. “It was a warm, wonderful show,” Garver told Greasy Kids Stuff magazine in an interview. “This show has had such longevity, and it makes me happy to have had a positive impact on people. It was a dramedy. It wasn't a total comedy. The premise of the show is that our parents died, and that kind of sadness was something I think people identified with. But I think people also enjoyed the loving, caring environment of the show.”
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