Bill Bixby and Fatherhood

"Reach out for your child. Reach out and touch him, because I didn't and my father didn't. I couldn't even talk to my parents. Maybe that's why this show ( The Courtship of Eddie's Father ) is so important to me. It probably represents a lot of things I didn't have." 

Actor Bill Bixby spoke these words in a 1971 magazine interview shortly after the death of his father to coronary thrombosis. Bill, who was born Wilfred Everett Bixby III in 1934, was an only child. His father had left him during his formative years to join the Army and serve overseas, and upon his return Bill resented him greatly. A growing distance spread between them. 

During the 1960s, while he was busy starring in the popular sitcom My Favorite Martian, Bill was known throughout Hollywood as being a playboy. He was a real life bachelor who dated every gorgeous girl he met and professed that he did not care for children. So he was an odd choice to be cast as widower Tom Corbett in the 1969 series The Courtship of Eddie's Father.....and yet, the part was a blessing to him because it made him change his outlook towards marriage and children. 

"The reason this show is so important to me is because it represents a lot of things I didn't have"

Bill Bixby recognized that the series had the potential to share with television viewers what a meaningful relationship between a father and son could be like. Bill did not have that kind of relationship growing up and playing the part of Tom Corbett allowed him to be the father that he did not have. It gave him the opportunity to show what fatherhood really is all about, and for so many youngsters who tuned in to watch the series, Tom Corbett became their surrogate father.

Indeed, he was such a good dad on screen that it is amazing that he was still single while the show was being filmed. It was Brandon Cruz ( "Eddie" on the show ) who had a lot to do with this change of heart. "Make no mistake, this little boy changed my life!" The comradery he had with little buddy onscreen and off made him yearn for a son of his own. He knew that having a child would not be an answer to his own problems, but he liked the thought of focusing his constant stream of energy into the loving and caring for another human being.

In July 1971, just a month after his father passed on, he married his long-time friend Brenda Benet and, in 1974, she bore him a son, Christopher. Their marriage lasted until 1979 and, after their divorce, Benet had custody of the boy. Bill remained close to him and was adamant that his son not be allowed to watch any episodes of The Incredible Hulk, worrying that his transformation from the mild-mannered doctor into the giant green monster would give the boy nightmares. 

Both Bill and Brenda doted on Christopher, but he was a sickly child and had respiratory problems. During a camping trip to Mammoth Lakes with his mother, the six-year old came down with epiglottis and suffered cardiac arrest during an emergency tracheotomy at the hospital.

"Christopher's death was the greatest shock in my life," said Bixby years later. He rented a house on the beach after his son's death and "I never left the second floor of that house. I didn't go out onto the sand for four months." It was a shock he never fully recovered from, nor did his wife Brenda Benet, who committed suicide just one year later. 

Brandon Cruz, who named his own son Lincoln Bixby in honor of his best friend and on-screen dad, once said "Bill was such a professional, such a giving actor, and caring person that it didn't even seem like work. It seemed like I was hanging out with my best friend. It was corny, but he was so wonderful to work with, you could not pay anybody to say a bad word about Bill. He was giving to a fault, basically."

Warner Archive Instant has just released the complete series of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father". A great series to enjoy! 

The Cowboy is My Hero - Guy Madison

When most people think of famous Hollywood fathers they think of the men whose children followed in their profession ( e.g. John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Danny Thomas ) or actors who are famous for being family men ( Paul Newman, Fred MacMurray ). I think the best testament to a truly great father is what his children remember and love about their dad. For this Father's Day I would like to share a special tribute - a poem - that one daughter made for her father....Guy Madison. 

For those who are not familiar with Guy, he was a hugely popular actor from the early 1940s-mid-1950s, primarily as a heartthrob. When his film career declined he found success on television as Wild Bill Hickok, who, along with his faithful sidekick Jingles ( Andy Devine ) rid the Wild West of its bad guys and taught children lessons of righteous living in The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ( 1951 ). 

If it were not for a chance encounter with the assistant to Henry Willson ( a David O. Selznick executive ) during WWII, Guy would have been just another man, beloved in the minds of those who loved him, but unknown to the rest of the world. Guy Madison and his brothers had all served in branches of the armed forces during the war years and it was while Guy was on liberty ( from the Coast Guard ) one weekend in Hollywood that he was spotted and asked to appear in Selznick's Since You Went Away ( 1944 ). This brief part, in a very popular film, launched his screen career which lasted into the 1980s. 

The Cowboy is My Hero 

As a young man, he worked hard on the farm along side his Dad.

Watching his Dad break horses for a friend or neighbor.

Raining a Blue Ribbon Bull, riding those cutting horses, roping those calves.

Not realizing the blessing God had in store for this young buck-a-roo.

Yes, this cowboy is my Hero, and he was other people's, too.

He was the shining star, standing with the best of them.

All those handsome cowboy's, wearing their leathers, saving those damsels in distress.

But this cowboy saved lives before he rode onto the silver screen, bravely pulling distressed people from a deadly sea.

Serving his country, a Navy Lifeguard, like most cowboy's, getting the job done regardless of the dangers-

Yes, this cowboy is my "Hero", the Wild Bill Hickok, this bullwhiping trail blazer,

this untamable hunter, he knew the value of using his hands, to create his own bows and arrows, always precise, not too wide not too narrow.

Yes, this cowboy is MY Hero, I will always keep in my heart the good times spent with Dad, My only cowboy Hero.

Author: Bridget Madison ©

Bridget Madison is the eldest daughter of Guy Madison and Sheila Connolly. Be sure to check out Bridget's touching website to her father and to her son Spencer ( who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom ). 

www.guymadison.com

To read more about Guy Madison and his way of life, check out this 1954 Modern Screen magazine article entitled "Right Guy" written in part by Guy's best friend, Rory Calhoun. 

Happy Father's Day to all Daddy Heroes!

Like Father, Like Son - Celebrity Father/Son Look-Alikes

Happy Father's Day to all the proud papas of the world! This Father's Day we thought we'd pay tribute to some of the famous actor dads of yor through the legacy they left behind them in their sons....their facial legacies! 

Here is a selection of some of our favorite lookalike fathers and sons: 

Leslie Howard and Ronald Howard 

Ronald Howard was a true-blue Brit like his father and especially resembled him during the 1950s when he starred in the television series "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" taking the role of the famous detective that his father never had a chance to play. 

Robert Walker and Robert Walker Jr. 

If there ever was an actor who gave birth to a mini-me it's Robert Walker. And he didn't do it once, but twice! Brother Michael Walker also resembled his father with his mop of curly brown hair. 

Lloyd Bridges with sons Beau and Jeff

Lloyd Bridges made a ton of films, it's a wonder he had time to raise a family! Beau and Jeff made a name for themselves as actors starting the now famous Bridges family acting legacy. 

Desi Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. 

From his marriage to Lucille Ball, the father of Babaloo had only one daughter and son ( and his name wasn't Little Ricky ). Both children took after papa with those big Cuban eyes really popping out in Junior as he got older. 

Kirk Douglas and sons Joel and Michael

Michael Douglas is always touted as being the twin boy of Big Daddy Kirk but we hold that Joel bore more of his facial features. Just look at that chin!

John Wayne and Patrick Wayne

When it came to looks, little Pat topped his father to whom he owes that prominent square-jaw, just ripe for punching. All Pat was missing was his dad's hip-swinging walk. Makes you wonder if brother Ethan and him ever imitated their dad growing up. 

Charles MacArthur and James MacArthur

Screenwriter Charles MacArthur once encouraged his son "To pursue anything you like, just don't become a screenwriter...it's a fate worse than death!" Well, he followed his old man in the acting industry and made an even bigger name for himself than Charles did. 

Robert Mitchum and James Mitchum

One bad boy breeds another. Little James got his start in acting at the age of 8 but it wasn't until Thunder Road ( 1958 ) that girls started swooning over him just like they did with his famous dad. 

Errol Flynn and Sean Flynn

The spirit of adventure carried over from Errol to his son Sean. After a brief stint as an actor he tried his hand at big-game hunting in Africa before becoming a photojournalist, eventually being killed in Cambodia.

Jose Ferrer and Miguel Ferrer

Miguel Ferrer was the son of Jose and Rosemary Clooney but he doesn't look anything like Mom. Not only did Jose pass down that famous schnozz but he gave his son his giant ears too! Too bad he didn't give him hair.

My Heart Belongs to Daddy - Top Favorite Movie/TV Dads

Practically every movie ever made had a father figure of some sort hiding somewhere among its characters, but in spite of the sheer number of fatherly roles the movies ( and television ) offered, relatively few of these characters were remarkable. 

In celebration of Father's Day we wanted to praise some of the truly great fathers of the silver screen, those men whom we consider our favorites and who stand out among the others. 

Here we have spotlighted our Top 8 Daddies : 

8. Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family" ( 1964 ) 

The crowning king of the Addams lair, Gomez Addams was pretty much a grown-up man with the everlasting heart of a little boy. He had toy rooms galore for the kiddies ( and himself ) to enjoy, always schemed up devilishly clever ideas for amusement, never quibbled about money, and was generous to a fault. When he found out that the school was feeding his youngsters scary literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Hansel and Gretl he exclaimed aghast,  "What are they doing in schools these days? Poisoning our children's minds with...with fairytales!?" and then quickly took action. Gomez always showed a good example by trying to right wrongs through personal action ( especially in government matters ) and by often letting his children know that there isn't really anything in life worth worrying over. 

7. Jim Anderson in "Father Knows Best" ( 1954 ) 

Father Knows Best ...or so we'd like to think. Actually, Robert Young proved that a father doesn't always know best, but rather that he's always learning how to make the best decision for his family. It's a growing thing. At times "Bud" disagreed with him, "Princess" misunderstood his decisions, and "Kitten" put her father in many a scrape but they all loved him dearly and at the end of an episode usually came to the conclusion that their father does know a bit more than they do, even if he does seem old-fashioned to them at times. 

6. Professor Russell Lawrence in "Gidget" ( 1965 ) 

Like most California teenage girls, rambunctious, spunky Gidget had a life that revolved around school, boys and surfing. Unlike her classmates though, she did not have a full house to come home to, for Gidget Lawrence had no siblings and no mother. Russell Lawrence was a college professor by trade, but he more than made up for being both mother and father to Gidget as well, and they had a bond unlike any other father/daughter duo on television. If Gidget ever wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk she headed home to spill her feelings to dad. 

5. Oliver Dana in "Nice Girl?" ( 1941 )

Robert Benchley, one of the most popular humorists of the 20th century, was hardly what you would consider the fatherly type and yet in 1939's "Nice Girl?" he slipped into the patriarchal shoes with ease. In "Nice Girl?" he played the father of three girls of various personalities, one of whom is Deanna Durbin ( obviously his "pet" favorite ). He's relaxed, amusing, lovable, scholarly, and most importantly...always there. That's a boon for being a work-at-home papa.

4. Mitch Evers in "The Parent Trap" ( 1961 )  

Mitch Evers was a perfect daddy - handsome, strong, rough and rugged and yet fun, loving and gentle. It was this combination that made him so appealing to twin Sharon when she met her father for the first time after switching places with her sister Susan. She wasn't going to give up having a father and go back to Boston again! Brian Keith was perfect in the role of Mitch, especially when he demonstrated his awkwardness when he tried to answer what he thought were questions on the "facts of life" during an afternoon golf game. 

3. Carson Drew in " Nancy Drew: Detective" ( 1938 ) 

Nancy Drew's father, Carson Drew, the ace lawyer of River Heights, knew how to handle impetuous girl-sleuth Nancy - he always let her have her way. She had her daddy tied around her little finger and there wasn't much he could do to control her, in spite of his numerous warnings of the dangers she was getting herself into. But no matter how many scraps she found herself in, at the end of her escapades Carson Drew was always there with his arms outstretched to save his little girl. 

2. Andy Taylor in "The Andy Griffith Show" ( 1960 )

Sheriff Andy Taylor always had time for his boy Opie. These two bonded like glue and Andy was the perfect role model for a young boy, especially growing up in a single-parent home. He was kind, understanding and always knew how to spin a simple example into a mighty powerful moral on life. In one of the most popular episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, 'Opie the Birdman', Opie shoots a mother bird from a tree with his slingshot and Andy reprimands him by having him care for the little baby birds until they are ready to leave their nest....a lesson that teaches Opie how hard it is to lose what you love. 

1. Professor Caractacus Potts in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" ( 1968 ) 

The No. 1 Movie Dad!

What other father told his children fantasy stories, clowned around, wore his cardigan inside out, joined a circus to earn money to buy a car his children wanted, and could sing and dance too? Actually, our daddy did...and that's the main reason we chose Professor Potts as our number one Dad. He's the only movie dad that comes closest to our father. Much like Jeremy and Jemima, we grew up being schooled at home ( by Daddy ), driving around in antique cars that he fixed on in the garage, going on picnics, and discovering the "treasures" that can be found in a junkyard.                                              

Our dad is a fix-it-all extraordinaire by trade and when we were young he amused us by dancing around with Molly the mop, singing "You Two" to us while setting the supper table and of course, by watching classic movies with us - especially Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Nancy Drew may think her father is the cat's meow, Gidget may think her dad is real solid, Opie has his pride in Sheriff Taylor, and Susan and Sharon can fight over Mitch but we know we have the real award-winning father....and better yet, we don't have to turn on a television screen to have him close at hand.