You are at the section Welcome to the Unofficial The Eight is Enough Section
General Show Questions
Eight is Enough Messageboard
General Show Questions
Was family Jewish?
Monday, 07-Aug-00 15:37:29
Was the TV family Jewish? I seem to remember an episode where that was portrayed, but my husband doesn't believe me. Can you clear this up?
b.golden@prodigy.net
Re: Was family Jewish?
Monday, 07-Aug-00 21:12:30
No they were not jewish. When Betty Buckley approached the producers to ask if she could have Abby sing in church (anything for Betty to sing) they said no, that the family was not established in any religion.
Tuesday, 08-Aug-00 00:14:18
Also, Tom and Abby were wed in a church. The Bradford family denomination was never established, but they were definitely Christians of some sort.
single_roses
Re: Was family Jewish?
Monday, 07-Aug-00 22:51:56
In one episode, Nancy was dating and fell in love with a man she thought was Jewish, but he wasn't. The Bradfords celebrated Christmas during the first season with Abby, so I doubt they were Jewish.
Susan
Subject: Friends
Name: Missy
Date: Wednesday, 23-Jun-1999 07:27:31
Message:I happened to think the other day as I was watching the show, that although you always see Nicholas and Tommy having a friend over once in a while, you never see any friends of the girls (with the exception of Mary's friend in one of the earliest episodes who had a baby). Of course, Elizabeth is always on the phone with some girlfriend or other talking about boys!
Replies...
Name: Talia
Message:
I've noticed this too. I guess one reason could be that since the sisters were all so close in age they could do stuff together. Like they could go to clubs or to the movies with each other. And if one of the girls had a problem she could talk to her sisters. The girls didn't really *need* friends because they had each other. But since Nicholas and Tommy were so far apart in age it wouldn't make sense for them to hang out with each other. So Nicholas and Tommy needed friends to talk to and do stuff with. Of course, it's not very realistic for the girls not to have friends, but it probably saved the show some cash-not having to hire actresses to play friends :)
Subject: Nicholas looked like Tom..
Name: Mary
Date: Monday, 22-Mar-99 07:37:10
Message:In the one episode where Tom makes Nicholas water monitor I thought he looked a lot like a true life son of Dick Van Patton. Same eye color & hair color
Replies...
Name: Missy
Message:
Funny you should mention that. I was thinking recently that Tom and Nicholas are the only two Bradfords who look even REMOTELY alike.
Name: j. racecar
Message:
actually both elizabeth and david resemble the elder thomas and nicholas.
Name: 8fan
Message:
I agree that Elizabeth, David, Tom Sr., and Nicholas look alike. Also, I always thought that Joannie looked like Joan (Diana Hyland). Actually, on one episode of EiE, doesn't David say that she looked and acted the most like Joan? Tommy and Joannie look something alike, with long narrow noses. The only family member who didn't belong at all was Mary, with her brown eyes. Two blue-eyed parents couldn't possibly produce a brown-eyed child, and of all eight children, she was the only brown-eyed one. In the early years, Joannie and Mary looked something like sisters, but when Joannie suddenly had permed reddish brown hair and Mary had a grandmother's short bob, they grew to look nothing alike.
Subject: Nicholas in the show
Name: Nichole
Date: Monday, 15-Mar-99 19:20:23
Message:does anyone else notice that EVERY show in the beginning it starts with Nicholas?! My sister Dad and I have been doing this "survey" for about 3 or 4 months and EVERY day it starts with him. It is kind of weird. And also just incase anyine didn't know pax is moving the time from 6-7 to 5-6 eastern time. Nichole WILLIE AAMES IS HOT!!
Replies...
Name: Gwynne
Message:
Yea, I noticed that too about Nicholas at the beginning of every show, but he is starting to get on my nerves; he is just TOO cute.
Name: Mary
Message:
When the show first came out in the 80's Adam Rich was very popular...He was so popular that most little boys started to wear their hair in the bowl style he has...before then boys had reg. boy hair cuts. It looks good on him but some kids you felt like saying " Get a haircut !" ANYWAY-- I think that is why they wanted him on at the beginning..to "hook" the viewer. Most woman who watched the show really did NOT want to watch a family show about a bunch of pretty, nice figured young woman romping around the house with no jobs & having boyfriends... They wanted to see Abby & her struggles as a step-mom ( very popular to have divorces back then, I guess as it is now ) and little Nicholas..the baby of the show. JMHO
Name: Missy
Message:
Funny, I've noticed the same thing the past couple weeks, that the show always starts with a scene with Nicholas in.
Subject: No TV?
Name: Mary
Date: Sunday, 14-Mar-99 09:54:13
Message:I really do enjoy the show but I 've noticed one interesting thing...no one really watches t.v. in the house. I know they all sat down as a family and watched " Casablanca " last week..but I find it strange that no one really vegs out in front of the tube. NO ONE! They are always reading a magazine, the paper, or a book ( which I must say is very good but not realistic ) Just an observation. Also--does anyone feel they treat Nicholas like a baby ? he is supposed to be in the 3rd grade & 9 years old...they treat him like a 4 or 5 year old in my opinion.
Replies...
Name: Gwynne
Message:
no one on tv ever watches tv. And Nicholas's cutness gets on my nerves. He smiles that smile, and thinks everyone should melt and do what he wants. And yes, I think he is treated too babyish, everyone falling all over him all the time.
Name: Missy
Message:
Now that you mention it, I've noticed that too that you never see the family watching TV. And speaking of Nicholas, have you ever noticed that you never see him pitch a fit or act rebellious? Everyone should have a kid as good as him (of course, there was that time when he ran away from home, but everything turned out OK in the end.)
Name: ?
Message:
what would they be watching anyway? Brady Bunch reruns?
Subject: Theme
Name: Nathan
Date: Tuesday, 16-Feb-99 21:09:02
Message:I don't know if this subject has been addressed, but why are they showing the second season opening credits during first season episodes? I know that the pyramid theme was filmed at the start of 77/78 b/c Joannie's hair was bleach blond and Mary's is longer than in season #1. I remember watching the reruns of the early shows as a kid and they ran the original theme (w/ Diana Hyland) all the way thru the first season's episodes. Seems weird that they'd invest the time in changing the theme to completely eliminate "Mom" the minute she stopped appearing.
Replies...
Name: Gwynne
Message:
and if you notice at the end,{if you can see the end credits through the coming attractions they show in the middle of the tv}, the credits show that Grant sung the opening theme, when it's just instrumental music playing.
Name: Doug
Message:
When ABC brought the show back in Aug. 1977, they had the new credits shown over the old episodes(all without Hyland)and any referance toher was edited out.These are the versions PAX are showing.When the shows orginally aired Joan was said to be out of town and the kids were seen on the phone with her.
Name: Nathan
Message:
Really? That is so harsh. I was going to say- I'd heard that they were on the phone w/ her and that she was said to be out of town, but I've never once actually seen a scene like that.
Subject: Bloopers
Name: Rabbity
Date: Friday, 12-Feb-99 19:12:59
Message:Did anyone notice the blooper on today's episode? When Tommy was in his room and the dad went to talk to him about " girls " ( Wendy Springer )..The dad was walking out and behind him on the closet door was a little cutout of a figure driving a go-kart. Written on the cut-out was the name " Adam " LOL
Replies...
Name: ?
Message:
Wardrobe blooper: Did anyone notice the blooper on today's show? After Tommy yelled at Nicholas and he left the room, they were showing him from the back and he was wearing tan pants. Then they showed him from the front coming down the hall and going into dad's room and he was wearing dark blue jeans.
Subject: Camping Trailer in Background
Name: Rabbity
Date: Friday, 12-Feb-99 19:17:07
Message:Here's another thing I've noticed. Sometimes ( I have seen it twice now ) when they shoot the area in the side yard, to the right of the 3 car garage--there is a white/bronze camping trailer sitting in the bushes...Look for it...Maybe it was the make-up/snack/director's trailer when they were filming at the house.....
Subject: Tom's toupee
Name: Jodi
Date: Friday, 12-Feb-99 19:58:36
Message:Did anyone notice in the pilot and the first few episodes that Tom's hair looked more natural than it did toward the end of the run? Granted it was thinning on top, but it looked better than that silly toupee or whatever it was he wore later.
Subject: Adam Rich's brother
Name: Rabbity
Date: Thursday, 11-Feb-99 21:47:20
Message:Interesting tid-bit. On the " Bradfords go to Hawaii " episode ( I think part 2 ) they have a scene where Nicholas is playing in the sand. A little boy, about age 5 walks over and sits next to him and starts to play. This little boy was Adam's real-life brother, Wayne. Look for it !
Subject: The Pilot Episode
Name: Nathan
Date: Monday, 08-Feb-99 22:11:26
Message:I just finished watching tonight's EIE pilot. They certainly started on a depressing note. I mean, with the Maxwells' loneliness, the drug bust, David & Tom's yelling match, Joan & Tom's financial woes, the architect's son w/ leukemia and Mary finding out she was an accident, I started to feel extremely melancholy! They had more issues in tonight's 1 episode than they'd normally have in 6 of the later shows!
Also, they clearly had different sets. I wondered if they might have used some of the actual house for a couple of the scenes (especially the one during which Tom walked in the front door from the outside). Does anyone know exactly when that pilot was filmed? Joan mentioned 1976 when she was talking to Mary in the kitchen, but I wonder when in '76. I'd be willing to bet that it was up to 1 year prior to when the show began on ABC in 3/77.
It was interesting to watch, but I'm glad they made it a tad more lighthearted in subsequent seasons.
Replies...
Name: ?
Message:
I agree and it was a little more x-rated to boot...what with Tom finding a bra in David's apartment :)
Name: Lori B
Message:
I kinda wonder too if the pilot was filmed in 76. I wonder if it was before Mark Hamill had been cast in Star Warsit was great seeing Diana Hyland again. The kids seemed much younger in the pilot than they did in the other first season shows.
Name: ?
Message:
It was interesting to see the pilot the other night. I was so amazed to see Mark Hamill as David. And I also noticed some different faces in the bradford clan. Well it's just good to see the show again on the PAX network. It makes me miss the good old 70's which I grew up in. A friend of mine in elementary school was the cousin of Adam Rich and we all thought that was the best. What did we know!
Name: M
Message:
I know that the actor who played David (he's too cute) went on to star in Star Wars (no pun intended) but what happened to the actor who played Tommy and the actress who played Nancy?
Name: ?
Message:
No idea about the kid who played Tommy, but if you want info. on the original Nancy, see:
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Beck,+Kimberly
Subject: Bad Hair Days
Name: ?
Date: Thursday, 31-Dec-98 14:18:36
Message:And what was the deal with those really bad perms? ie, Joanie, Tommy, Abby, and Mary too I think. Permed bangs are the worst
Replies...
Name: Exita
Message:
The perms really were bad. And the blond and highted streaks were all a sign of the times in the late 70's and early 80's. Thank goodness styles change quickly.
Subject:
Name: Alex Jay
Date:
Message:I'm cataloging appearances of actors of Asian descent on TV and I came across your site. It was very helpful. I'm curious about episode #72 Letter to One Bradford which lists a "John Ione as Chang". Is the spelling correct for "Ione"? There is an Asian actor named John Lone who was in the movies Year of the Dragon, The Last Emperor, and The Shadow. Perhaps he appeared in episode #72. Any help is greatly appreciated. I'll mention your site in my credits/sources page.
Replies...
Name: D.T.
Date:
Message:
It is John Lone. I was thrown off because the closing credits printed the names in all lower-case, and lone looked was mistaken for Ione with a capitalized I. I have since corrected the entry.
Subject: EiE Question Bombardment
Name: Michelle mbuuck@midf.com
Date: Friday, 20-Feb-98 15:10:18
Message:Hi Sarah,
Some of us diehard "Eight Is Enough" fans have a ton of questions.
Is the Eight is Enough experience still a big part of your mom's life?
What kind of relationships did the stars have "behind the scenes"?
Do the stars still keep in touch now?
Will there be another reunion movie?
Sorry to bombard you with so many?
Thanks for posting!
Michelle
Subject: Other Projects
Name:EiE Lunatic (from EiE-Mail)
Date: Sunday, 26-Apr-98 00:45:05
Message:Greetings:
I just received this e-mail from a fan with some items the person included. Can anybody please verify some of the items noted?
BEGIN E-MAIL
1) Lani O'Grady (Mary) appeared with Kimberly Beck (who was on the show in its earliest episodes as Nancy) in the classic 70s teen movie MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH, an allegorical slasher flick later ripped off by HEATHERS... the killer in this movie was played by Derrel Maury who guest-starred in a late EIE episode as Albert, the grubby guy who comes home to eat dinner with the Bradfords. (I think this was when Ralph Macchio was on the show?) Anyway, these three factors coupled with the movie's groovy ambience make MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH an essential viewing experience for EIE freaks
2) Laurie Walters was in an obscure early-70s horror flick called WARLOCK MOON where she sports the biggest bellbottoms you'll ever see while being menaced by a Satanic cult
3) The low-budget movie during which Susan Richardson went through the "ordeal" is called SOLDIERS OF INNOCENCE... I met some of the people involved in the making of this film while working at a video editing house and apparently there was a lot of weirdness happening on the set... I won't go into any further detail on this out of respect for Susan (my fave Bradford sister along with Elizabeth... both of 'em gorgeous babes!)
4) Virginia Vincent, who I believe played Dr. Max's wife, appeared in Wes Craven's tres-70s opus THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977)
Well keep up the excellent work and keep the Bradford faith alive...
END E-MAIL
This is D.T. again. I'm not sure about the ordeal thing, but I did think Shannen Doherty was good in Heathers, but I never saw the Massacre at Central High movie.
Replies...
Name:
Date:
Message:
Subject: The BradFROD House
Name: Thomas
Date: Thursday, 26-Nov-98 15:12:29
Message:
Oh I see, you mean THAT other eight family?What were their names?
There was Tim, the tabloid newspaperman, the mother vanished for some mysterious reason that was never discussed for some reason, but Tim remarried Annie to be the Stepmon.
The children?
There was Devoid, the elder independent outcast who listened to too much new wave and souped up his van to racing standards.
There was Marie, the med student who seemed a bit too much into anatomy if you know what I mean.
Then there's Janie, the actress wanna-be getting lots of X-rated roles that infuriates her father.
There's SooSooSuzido, the over active middle daughter who's too much into active sports and looking a lot like Farrah.
There's Nanette, the Kelly Bundy type daughter without much of a mind to keep a job, but looks like a model.
There's Elaine, the youngest teen daughter who drools day in and day out over Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy, and her grades suffer.
There's Timmy Jr., the middle son who has a tough time with teen angst as well, but seems to strike out with the chicks, considering that there's beefier young men his age competeting with him.
Finally there's Nickelodeon, the youngest son and child who's into playing like Dennis the Menace and causing all kinds of hijinks to his favorite brother Timmy Jr. and his bathroom-hogging sisters.
Devoid eventually married Annette from Another Planet, who seemed to be into astrology and the occult, and her head seems to be into outer space most of the time.
SooSooSuzido married Earl the Burl, who happens to be a baseball coach on the losing side of sports, always having a losing season and bouncing from city to city.
Together, they have a daughter, Cindy, who grew up on fairy tale endings and wished her life was that way.
Well, that's the BradFROD house for you.
Subject: Real Eight is Enough
Name: Christie
Date: Sunday, 29-Nov-98 20:15:56
Message:
Does anyone know what happened to the author of Eight is Enough, Tom Braden and any of the real family members?
Replies...
Name: Gwynne
Message:
Tom Braden used to be the co-host on Crossfire about 10 years ago, and then he left and Michael Kinsley took over for him, but what he's doing now, I don't know. His wife, Joan Braden used to work for Bobby Kennedy, and claimed in a book she wrote,that she had a fling with him.
Name: ?
Message:
The Braden BunchThe Braden Bunch
That's the way they became The Braden Bunch
Name: ?
Message:
I haven't heard much about him lately, but I did read that he and Joan got divorced.
Subject: EiE & Waltons
Name: Lori B
Date: Saturday, 19-Dec-98 16:46:11
Message:
I've noticed while watching both EiE & Walton episodes that some of EiE cast shows up occasionally the other way around. I was watching a Walton's episode the other evening and Jeffrey Cotler (Irving J. Moore) was in it. And Will Geer (Granpa Walton on Waltons & Sam on EiE) appeared in a EiE episode. Wandering if this is because they were both Lorimar productions. Also does anyone know if Jeffrey Cotler is related to Kami Cotler (Elizabeth Walton) of the Waltons? Just curious.
Replies...
Name: Gwynne
Message:
Both shows are produced by Lee Rich, on two EIE episodes Tom was watching the Walton's; you could hear the Walton's theme music being played.
Name: Nathan
Message:
........and, during the 1980-81 season, both shows even used the same music score playing under various scenes. I can only speculate that they were attempting to cut costs during the last season for both shows.I don't know if this is necessarily a GOOD Walton's site, but check it out: Waltons
Name: Julie
Message:
Yes, Jeffrey Kotler is Kami's brother. I believe he appeared in 3 Walton episodes. "The Children's Carol" "The Prophecy" and,I think,"The Graduation". I noticed too that the two shows also shared directors. One being Harry Harris. EiE and The Waltons just happen to be two of my three favorite shows of all time :-).
Subject:
Name:
Date:
Message:
Replies...
Name:
Message:
Name:
Message:
Subject:
Name:
Date:
Message:
Replies...
Name:
Message:
Name:
Message:
Home
DFS
SB
OD
SDN
