Bachelor Father
Tile #271 on the Studio City Walk of Fame
Production Company: Bachelor Productions in association with Revue Studios
5 Seasons with 157 Episodes
Sept 1957 - June 1959 Sunday nights at 7:30 pm broadcast on CBS
June 1959 - Sept 1961 Thursday nights at 9:00 pm broadcast on NBC
Oct 1961 - Sept 1962 Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm broadcast on ABC
Cast: John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong
BACHELOR FATHER debuted on September 15th in 1957. The black & white, half hour situation comedy starred John Forsythe as Bentley Gregg, a wealthy entertainment attorney who is living the bachelor high life. His carefree lifestyle changed when he becomes the legal guardian of his 13 year-old niece, Kelly (Noreen Corcoran). He takes in the teenager after his sister and brother-in-law die in an auto accident. The former playboy soon finds himself turning into a father figure while trying to balance his law practice, love life and taking care of a typical teenage girl.
They live in a mansion in Beverly Hills with Jasper the dog, and Peter (Sammee Tong), the faithful and unflappable Oriental houseboy who runs the Gregg household.
In a 1960 TV Guide interview Forsythe said, "The real joke is not that as a bachelor, I am the girl's father. The funny part is that Sammee Tong behaves in all our family crises as if he were her mother!"
Kelly’s best friend is Ginger Farrell (Bernadette Withers) and her high-school boyfriend is Howard Meechum (Jimmy Boyd). Scene stealing Victor Sen Yung had a recurring role as Peter’s cousin, Charlie.
Guest stars included Billy Gray (Father Knows Best) in episode Ginger's Big Romance and in one of his first roles on television a young Ryan O'Neal played an intense basketball player in episode Bentley and the Great Debate. Mary Tyler Moore guest starred as 'Joanne Sutton' in episode Bentley and the Big Board.
In the Season 4 episode A Crush on Bentley, 17 year old Linda Evanstad, a very young brunette actress, guest starred as 'Liz McGavin' who develops a crush on Bentley. The episode aired on October 13, 1960. The actress went blonde and changed her last name to Evans. Twenty one years later, Linda Evans teamed up with John Forsythe again when she played Krystle Carrington on the mega hit DYNASTY as Blake Carrington's wife.
BACHELOR FATHER has the distinction of airing on all three major network during its original series run. The last episode aired on September 25th in 1962.
BACHELOR FATHER currently airs twice daily in syndication on Antenna TV.
Filmed at , 4024 Radford Avenue in Studio City, CA and exteriors shot at 120 Colonial Street, Backlot at Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA
Sadly, Sammee Tong passed away of an intentional drug overdose on October 27, 1964, he was 63 years old.
Whit Bissell had a recurring role as 'Bert Loomis' and guest starred on many of the television shows highlighted in this column. He passed away on March 5, 1996 of Parkinson's disease.
John Forsythe passed away at the age of 92 on April 1, 2010 due to complications of pneumonia from cancer. Perhaps best known for his role as oil tycoon Blake Carrington on DYNASTY, the beloved actor was also an important part of another hit television series as the voice of the unseen 'Charlie' in CHARLIE'S ANGELS. He reprised his role as 'Charlie' in the feature films CHARLIE'S ANGELS (2000) and CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (2003).
In a 1981 interview by The Associated Press, the self-effacing actor said, "I figure there are a few actors like Marlon Brando, George C. Scott and Laurence Olivier who have been touched by the hand of God. I'm in the next bunch."
For more information, please visit the SCIA website Walk of Fame pages.
