Farewell To A Generational Patriarch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       "There's a plate of home made dishes, on the kitchen
                                            window sill."
                                         "Eight Is Enough" theme song, by Grant Goodeve


                             When columnist Thomas Braden published his memoir, "Eight Is Enough," in 1975, no one thought much of it, beyond it being a cute little read, in the vein of "Please Don't Eat The Daisies."  Now, that book spawned a short lived TV series, so who ever thought Braden's book, cute as it was, would turn out to be one of the iconic TV shows of the 1970's???????????

                                Though it ran from 1977 to 1981, there was more drama on and off screen during its years, and afterward, as there was when the show ran.  It ran at a particular time in my life--when I was just finishing college, and trying to establish some sort of niche in life, so, each Wednesday, the Bradfords, in effect, became my siblings.  Then, because of her intellectuality, I related to Lani O'Grady, who played eldest daughter, Mary, the one studying to be a doctor.  I was so connected, I took out a book on Histology from the library, and studied it. This went nowhere.

                                   Why I failed to connect with Laurie Walters, who played Joanie, the one who wanted to be an actress, is beyond me. And, of course, I wanted to look as glamorous as Dianne Kay as Nancy.

                                       This morning, I was trying to remember the names of the show's children, and the actors who played them. There were three boys, and five girls.  Here they are--

                                         Grant Goodeve--David Bradford
                                         Willie Aames--Tommy Bradford
                                          Adam Rich--Nicholas Bradford

                                          Lani O'Grady--Mary Bradford
                                          Susan Richardson--Susan Bradford
                                          Laurie Walters--Joanie Bradford
                                          Dianne Kay--Nancy Bradford
                                          Connie Needham--Elizabeth Bradford

                                     The real life drama began almost as soon as the series took off. Diana Hyland, who was having a then romantic relationship with John Travolta, was diagnosed with cancer, and the death of her character was incorporated into the show.  Later, an up and coming actress named Betty Buckley played second wife, Abby Bradford.

                                         The show was firmly entrenched in sitcom territory, but it tried for some reality.  It began to go down, getting maudlin, when Grant Goodeve's theme was adopted for the show.

                                          And afterwards, the drama continued.  Willie Aames and Adam Rich got into trouble, though now Aames is either a minister or a cruise director on a ship.  And Lani O'Grady, the most promising of the children, died in 2001, at my then age, 47, of a drug overdose due to an addiction spawned while trying to curb panic attacks on the set.

                                            Now, the saddest death of all. Dick Van Patten, the show's patriarch, and father to a generation of TV viewers.  Child actor, brother of surviving sister, Joyce. (also a child actress who made it to adulthood) he passed away  on June 23 in Santa Monica, after a long illness. He will be missed by his TV family, those of us who loved him, and of course, his three sons--Nels,
Vincent and Jimmy. Nels, the eldest, was named for the character he played on the Fifties series "Mama," based on "I Remember Mama."  Which also featured a pre-"Sound Of Music" Peggy Wood.

                                           What a career Dick Van Patten had, Eight wasn't enough for him.  But for many of us, it's enough just to remember!

                                               Rest In Peace!!!!!!!!!!!