The Courtship of Eddie’s Father aired from 1969-1972 and had women around the country swooning over Bill Bixby who played Tom Corbett. This character was kind, sensitive, caring, intelligent, and completely dedicated to his young son Eddie (Brandon Cruz). He was the ultimate portrait of the kind of men women wanted. He had a good job as a magazine publisher, and an adorable son who idolized him and whom he cherished.
Season One
The first season is now available on DVD. The first episode sets up the story. Tom is juggling his work with his role as father and his role as bachelor.
In this series Tom struggles with different issues like his relationship with women. He doesn’t want to send the wrong message to Eddie when his son asks a woman to come home with them. Yet, he has also taught the boy to be kind to others.
Tom also has another problem when he starts dating Eddie’s teacher (played by Ann Prentiss). This sets Eddie up as the “teacher’s pet” and subjects him to ridicule by his classmates. What should Tom do? Should he stop seeing this woman or should Eddie learn to live with the consequences? Anyone who knows anything about Tom Corbett knows that his number one priority is his son.
While Eddie is continually looking for a new mother, the fun runs rampant in the episodes filled with heart and soul.
The Series
The theme song became a beloved tune during the run of the show, and even afterward. It sums up the series – best friends. That is what Tom and Eddie were. They were father and son, but they were also best friends.
Musical phrases are inserted at special times during the episodes and there are also voice-overs with Eddie and Tom talking about life and love. All in all, it is a cute set-up. The show won the hearts of television viewers and the characters were cherished by audiences. Because it was a more stylistic sitcom, not to mention the sweet little boy and his attractive father, it was a new form of television. By virtue of the format (with song inserts and audio montages) and the perfect casting, it immediately became a fan favorite.
Miyoshi Umeki played Mrs. Livingston, the Corbett’s housekeeper. She was devoted to little Eddie and I remember everyone I knew at the time wanted to have their own Mrs. Livingston. James Komack played the photographer at Tom’s magazine. Komack also produced, wrote, and directed episodes. Jody Foster appeared in five episodes during the series as a school bully.
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Complete First Season is available in a 4-disc box set Made-to-Order from Warner Archive Collection.
