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ABC's Courtship of Eddie's Father is an instant rerun of Julia. Bill Bixby, the ersatz nephew of My Favorite Martian, plays the widowed parent, and an accomplished seven year old named Brandon Cruz is the son searching for a mom —any old mom. By happy circumstance, Brandon is far less objectionable than Diahann Carroll's TV offspring, and he even seems to like his father. The show also appropriates a few gimmicks from contemporary cinema—stop-action photography, voice-over conversation and background bursts of rock music—but Eddie remains one of those programs that show the inherent dangers of borrowing from the neighbors.
My World and Welcome to It might have been the only original comedy on TV this fall. The idea was to base the series on James Thurber's cartoons, using them to illustrate some of his fables and weave the make-believe into the life of a cartoonist played by William Windom. But as the barbs were dulled, what was left took on a distinct resemblance to Father Knows Best.
The Governor and J.J. is CBS's instant rerun of Slattery's People, with overtones of My Little Margie. It is heartwarming only for its familiarity: Dan Dailey is not only a struggling public servant, but also a widowed and overweight father who must bridge the chasm between himself and his 23-year-old daughter J.J. (Julie Sommars). The only praiseworthy thing about the show is that CBS, following an enlightened new policy, allowed it—and their other shows —to be seen and reviewed by the press in advance of air time—a practice that NBC and ABC refuse to adopt.
VARIETY
A major gamble of the new season is the Jim Nabors Hour (CBS). Nabors, who, as Corner Pyle, USMC, had the second-highest-rated show last season, is venturing into variety. Those who can stand Jim will discover that he has a big baritone voice in addition to the familiar grits-eating grin and the stage-rustic accent. For those who can't, the Jim Nabors Hour will be only as entertaining as its guests.
A quasi-new variety hour is The Andy Williams Show (NBC), a Nielsen success that began in 1962 and ran until Andy wearied of the routine in 1967. The current show is taped in a new theater in the round. Everything else about the show is still inoffensively square.