Family Affair was one of the most beloved television shows of the late 1960s, but another family-themed sitcom seemingly stole its thunder near the end of its run.
In a new interview on the Classic Conversations Podcast with Jeff Dwoskin, Kathy Garver, the actress who played Cissy Davis on the CBS series, revealed that there was a solid deal for Family Affair to move to ABC amid CBS’ infamous "Rural Purge” in 1971.
Garver, 80, noted that Family Affair was still popular when CBS ended its five-season run as part of a sweeping network house-clearing. But producers had an idea for a path forward for the show about a bachelor uncle (Brian Keith) raising his orphaned nieces and nephew (Garver, Anissa Jones, and Johnny Whitaker).
“The truth that was CBS, they were getting away from the rural shows, the family shows, and they were going more into All in the Family instead of Family Affair,” Garver shared on the podcast. “But our producers Don Fedderson and Ed Hartmann, I mean, they were really brilliant. I must say they had a vision for this show … so they went to ABC and they said, ‘How about we'll do the show here?’ They were just about to sign on the dotted line when The Brady Bunch appeared.”
The cast of 'Family Affair.'Photo by CBS Photo Archive on Getty Images
RELATED: When Multiple Classic TV Shows Were Canceled in ‘Rural Purge’
Garver added that with its blended family theme, The Brady Bunch copied many of the elements of Family Affair.
“After we had set the groundwork for a different kind of family,” she said. “And you will watch The Brady Bunch with Susan Olsen, she will even say that she put her hair in little ponytails like Anissa. She even had a little doll. They really imitated and copied what had been a success from our show, and they put it in a different kind of family, different kind of mode. That's what happened, that's where it went.”
Garver also explained that The Brady Bunch used the same type of problem-solving formula that Family Affair did, ending with a little moral at the end of each episode.
RELATED: Classic ‘Brady Bunch’ Episode Tripped Up Series Star
The Brady Bunch aired on ABC for five seasons, from 1969 to 1974. Fans barely had a chance to miss the Bunch when they returned for a musical variety show in 1976 and went on to become a full-fledged franchise with TV movies and spinoffs.
“We could have gone on like that, but God had different things for our clan,” Garver said of Family Affair.
The youngest one in curls
The pig-tailed character Buffy Davis made Jones a star on Family Affair. Her signature bespectacled doll, Mrs. Beasley, is still available six decades later via Ashton-Drake.
On The Brady Bunch, Cindy Brady (Olsen) wore her blonde hair in spiraled pigtails and carried around a doll named Kitty Karry-All.
Olsen, now 64, appeared on The Social Club Live and revealed she competed against Jones for a movie role and lost. She also revealed she loved Cindy Brady’s pigtails at first “because they made me look like Buffy on Family Affair and I really liked her.”
After a while, Olson tired of the routine, which required her to sleep in curlers due to her straight hair. She also had to bleach her hair to make it blonder.
By the end of The Brady Bunch, Olsen “hated” the pigtails and convinced producers to let her wear her hair down.
Related: ‘Family Affair’ Star Kathy Garver Reveals What Really Made the Beloved Sitcom a Classic — 60 Years Later
Hence then, the article about family affair star says show almost moved to abc before the brady bunch took over was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Family Affair’ Star Says Show Almost Moved to ABC Before ‘The Brady Bunch’ Took Over )
Also on site :
- The Credit Union Growth Play That Isn’t About Getting Bigger .. PYMNTS.com
- ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8 Voting Not Working? Try This Before Time's Up
- Platner wins Maine Democratic Senate primary, vows to oust Collins