Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion intro

Opening credits for the 1987 reunion of the 1977-81 series. This consists of an instrumental of the series' second theme song, with Tom Bradford looking at slides of the family (a nice bookend to a similar scene from the series pilot). Note that Betty Buckley can be seen in the slide showing the family on stage at a benefit, even though she was replaced in this movie by Mary Frann.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Eight
• Enough
• opening
• theme
• intro

[kfag101]

I heard that betty was hated by the cast especially wiliie aames

[kbirdusa]

I don't think they were thrilled with her at first. But when E! did their True Hollywood Story on EIE a few years ago, Willie Aames was very charitable towards her. He said that with her stage background, she did not understand the rigors of weekly TV when she first joined, but after she adjusted, he had no problems with her.

[brickmanonj]

In one of the clips, there are 6 girls, the 3 boys, and Tom Bradford. Is Betty Buckley in the photo as well? It's the clip right before the Benefit concert.

[kbirdusa]

I looked very closely at that photo in larger resolution, and I believe it was an old cast photo that was touched up to stick Mary Frann's head (an older shot, with darker hair) on Betty Buckley's body. Why they went to so much trouble to do this, when they clearly left Buckley in another shot, I have no idea.

[brickmanonj]

I didn't know that Betty Buckley didn't get along with the cast, either. I wonder if she had been too difficult to work with, or if there had been some resentment because she came on-board later on, replacing a cast member who had passed away.

[kbirdusa]

Well, I heard that the kids became very attached to Diana Hyland during the short period they worked together. Also, Buckley was a perfectionist, wanting to do retake after retake - behavior not suited to the rigors of a weekly series. She was a strict vegetarian, so she refused to appear in any scenes where there was meat on the table. Stuff like that got old after awhile. There was another character that Tom dated after Joan died, and the kids hoped that she would be the stepmother, not Abby.

[Enlightenedpsych2]

Sometimes I cringe at how our youth today find this wholesome, real, funny and a 'tug at the heartstrings' (what good drama should be) kind of stuff, 'dumb'. It shaped quite a few 40-ers into good caring people that did not turn away from challenge nor try and defeat it with a weapon, we used our minds, our hearts, our spirits.

Great material for self-actualization if one can see past the 'dumbness' . . .

[michaeldjoseph]

Can't we go back to this time ... PLEASE. (Tears)

[unclebobunclebob]

@masonTganes Also, Dick Van Patten reeling in a Betty Buckley? Please. And with eight kids? Please.

[seekermike007]

i hear ya. Am nostalgic for that kind of environment, at least on tube. Though it was my prime time, i personally would like to go back even earlier, the 50's! Remember that as wholesome as the series was, it dealt with alot of adult signs of the times, like a couple of the girls cohabitating with thier boyfriends. You could see how that sort of thing hurt and confused the van patten father character. Considering the time; late 70's and early 80's and the theme locale; Calif. a good family.

[karmalevel]

@kbirdusa I knew a gaffer who worked on the set and he said that betty and laurie were terrors and the cast loathed them. Dianne Kay, he told me was too sweet for this business

[karmalevel]

@masonTganes the show was cursed!

[karmalevel]

This tugged at my heart strings. It's so sad when we know what happened to most of the cast!

[masonTganes]

@Enlightenedpsych2

Sad that the majority of the cast have hit complete rock bottom or are classic cases of hollywood drug use.

I think a couple of cast members are dead too.

The show wasnt very uplifting either. Most episodes were about an out of control litter of early 20 somthings that screwed up in every situation they were in. Divorces, daddy issues, sibling rivalry.

The father would try to preach family values but those 8 kids were never happy group in one room.

kinda a 70s downer

[masonTganes]

@Superbatfan Actually all Tom Bradford in 2011 would have to do is open an app on his phone & just scroll with his fingers.

[radiodj1520]

I Believe This Was "Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion" Video Open From October 18, 1987.

[Superbatfan]

@brickmanonj

There was an Eight Is Enough reunion on the Today Show recently and Betty Buckley was a part of it. The reason that she didn't appear in the reunion movies was the same reason at least one of the Brady girls was absent and replaced in the Brady reunion shows- she had other things going on at the time and couldn't participate.

[Superbatfan]

Amazing that nowadays Tom Bradford wouldn't need that slide projector. He would have all his pictures on an SD card. He would then put the SD card into his TV, Blu Ray Player or Computer and have his slide show that way.