I first saw this back on WWOR in 1994. From the first episode, I was hooked. It was loosely based on the 60's film starring Glenn Ford and Ron Howard, where widowed father Tom Corbett raises his son the best he can in New York City. In the meantime, Eddie stars finding new love interests for his father. A few years later, this show popped up.
There were a few changes to the show. In the show, Tom is now a magazine editor for a newspaper in California. He and Eddie are best friends, like the song says. I liked the character of Tom. He never talked down to Eddie and always knew how to balance the best friend/father trick. That is what makes him one of TV's greatest dads.
Eddie could always count on the other people in his life too like "Uncle" Norman (Tom's co-worker), Tina (Tom's secretary) and Mrs. Livingston (their maid). It was sort of a neat, extended family. In real life, people would be lucky to have that. I also liked how the series slowly turned away from the original plot of the film of Eddie finding his father a wife. It became about a father and son who are crazy about each other.
I think what slowly destroyed the show was the plots started focusing around Norman, rather than Tom and Eddie. The stories ranged from Uncle Norman trying to lose five pounds over the weekend to Uncle Norman's love affairs. I know Bill Bixby was peeved at that but James Komack (Uncle Norman) was the producer, so there wasn't much that could be done.
Still, it was a fun show (even if there were a few annoying things to it like the music and the laugh track), but still a heartwarming show.
Pat
There were a few changes to the show. In the show, Tom is now a magazine editor for a newspaper in California. He and Eddie are best friends, like the song says. I liked the character of Tom. He never talked down to Eddie and always knew how to balance the best friend/father trick. That is what makes him one of TV's greatest dads.
Eddie could always count on the other people in his life too like "Uncle" Norman (Tom's co-worker), Tina (Tom's secretary) and Mrs. Livingston (their maid). It was sort of a neat, extended family. In real life, people would be lucky to have that. I also liked how the series slowly turned away from the original plot of the film of Eddie finding his father a wife. It became about a father and son who are crazy about each other.
I think what slowly destroyed the show was the plots started focusing around Norman, rather than Tom and Eddie. The stories ranged from Uncle Norman trying to lose five pounds over the weekend to Uncle Norman's love affairs. I know Bill Bixby was peeved at that but James Komack (Uncle Norman) was the producer, so there wasn't much that could be done.
Still, it was a fun show (even if there were a few annoying things to it like the music and the laugh track), but still a heartwarming show.
Pat