Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz. ABC/Photofest ©ABC
Overview
From listening to the first note of the theme song “Best Friend,” written by 1970s songwriter extraordinaire Harry Nilsson, viewers assumed they were about to watch an uplifting show in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. And they assumed right. This show was as positive in its message as the theme song was cheery.
The adaptation of a 1963 namesake film starring Glenn Ford and Ronnie Howard put a modern spin on a widower father raising a young son nine years after The Andy Griffith Show embraced the same premise with tremendous success. It revolved around magazine publisher Tom Corbett (Bill Bixby) and his inquisitive seven-year-old son Eddie (Brandon Cruz), who worked feverishly to get his dad hitched. Much of the humor revolved around the efforts of the young matchmaker, whose efforts were appreciated by his father despite the fact that they were in vain. The mutual love between father and son came across as genuine and sometimes a bit syrupy, but that was welcome in an era of divisiveness in the United States. Their heart-to-heart conversations highlighted the cuteness of Eddie and wisdom of his dad whether they were, as the theme song states, “talking man to man or talking son to son.”
The charming side characters not only added depth and personality to the show, but racial and philosophical diversity that was still badly needed in the American sitcom at that time. Kind housekeeper Mrs. Livingston (Miyoshi Umeki) proved to be a guiding force for both Tom and Eddie, while magazine photographer Norman Tinker (James Komack) brought a grown hippie and free spirit flavor to his character and was always quite willing to give parenting advice to his friend and colleague. Ditzy blonde secretary Tina Rickles (Kristina Holland) provided some of the more manic moments. The excellence in the individual performances was duly noted. Bixby and Komack were nominated for Emmys and Umeki a Golden Globe. The show itself was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe as the premier sitcom.
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father attracted a limited viewership and never broke into the mainstream, especially among conservative audiences that rejected what was perceived as liberal fare. Strong competition on Wednesday nights from such popular variety shows as The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour and The Carol Burnett Show, as well as the established western The Virginian, also played a role in it never cracking the Top 30 in the Nielsen ratings, but the program was significant in bridging the gap with quality programming between the purposely mindless sitcoms launched earlier in the decade and the socially and politically relevant sitcoms beginning in 1971 with All in the Family.
Did You Know?
Future movie star Jodie Foster appeared in five episodes as Eddie’s friend Joey Kelly. She was six years old when The Courtship of Eddie’s Father was launched in September 1969.
They Said It
Eddie: Dad, who do I look like?
Tom: You look just like your mother.
Eddie: You mean she was a small boy?
Major Awards
Emmy Award Nominations (2)
1970 (1): Outstanding Comedy Series
1971 (1): Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series (Bill Bixby)
Golden Globe Nominations (2)
1971 (2): Best TV Show; Best Supporting Actress, Television (Miyoshi Umeki)
Further Reading
Toby, Mark. The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. New York: Paperback Library, 1963.