The regular opening for the first season of the 1977-81 series. In syndication, this version is sometimes replaced by the second season opening, for the episodes in which Diana Hyland (Joan Bradford) does not appear.
The greatest family t v show of the last 50 years. What a wonderful time this was 1977 to 1981 people were like this family in many ways and it was great and a happy time !!!!!
Diana Hyland, who played the mother, became ill in the middle of the first season, and missed half the episodes during that shortened season. Joan was said to be away for the remainder of the season. Hyland died after production for the first season finished, and Joan's death was mentioned in the second season premiere. Hyland was involved with John Travolta at the time of her death.
My mom died of ovarian cancer and knowing Mrs Bradford died was a second tragedy because we watched every episode of this show growing up in magnificent America of the late 70s. To quote Henry Hill it was a glorious time
Sadly Dick Van Patten has passed away. He died June 23, 2015 from complications of diabetes. He was 86. RIP Tom Bradford. You had me as a fan and plenty others who would watch you on Wednesday nights.
I would love to return to this time, cheesy as it may seem. Even though there were not any cell phones, home computers or even microwaves in most homes it was a more relaxed time. Now with all the technology & conveniences we are all more tired, always on the run, not time for family etc. I'm not that old but I miss this time.
I'm commenting on your statement and it's now 2020 with this awful pandemic and horrible people in this present country, I'm ready to live the rest of my life back then 1976 through 1989 and no further than that. People were great, this country was fabulous most people had good jobs people had money, there was more decency and less crime, respect and morals played a role in most everyone's lives, people were more patriotic and schools were terrific for our children, Ronald Reagan would soon become our president and he did a wonderful job. Television and Movies were much better than now, No Cell phones, No Internet, No Social media, No Crap like now, Things were the way they ought to be and used to be and Now it's Gone Forever!!!!!
Actually, this coming September will mark eight years since Miss O'Grady passed away. Oh, yes, she was the sister of Don Grady of My Three Sons-----their family name was Agrati.
Oh yes! I remember that theme some. As a Generation X'er I remember School House Rock, MTV's Real World NY & Spring Brake, Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy and this delightful series...Eight is Enough...Cheers!
coolsweetgroovy I'm sorry. Nothing personal, but I just don't understand why anyone says RIP or "Rest in Peace". Again, they're not "resting". But I'm sure they're at peace...
RIP Dick Van Patten & Lani O'Grady. I'm sure Diana Hyland would have been heartbroken seeing the problems that her TV Kids had after the show went off of the air. Bipolarism, Hoarding, Drugs, Jail, Bankruptcy. they all had one thing in common, they survived.
Really, the only one that would have been a genetic stretch was Mary who had dark brown eyes when both parents had blue, as did the rest of the family. Seven of them used one bathroom divided amongst five girls, and two boys, while the parents hogged the master bath all to themselves. Just the toilet-time in itself is unrealistic, so mismatching faces is par for the course.
@@fp5495 / Bathroom needs in general were woefully neglected on TV, especially in the first 30 years. But it continues into the day. And to be fair, we (US society) made do with fewer facilities per house/building than we do today. That's one way modern society is actually better!
also I often wondered how the show would've turned out had the lovely diana hyland (mom joan bradford) not died during taping of the first season. she was so pretty.
It's like the early seasons of "The Waltons" (also produced by the same company, Lorimar) - the adults and the oldest son were billed in the opening, and the younger kids were billed in the closing credits. The oldest son was considered a lead role, while the other kids were supporting. For "EIE", the oldest son role became less prominent after a recast. In both cases, the younger kids were eventually added to the opening credits.
Only four episodes still feature this opening. When EIE returned in reruns in the summer of 1977, only the episodes without Diana Hyland were rerun; the opening and bumpers were reshot (with the cast forming a human pyramid), and the theme music was slightly remixed.
Never saw this show but was aware of it. Diana Hyland was engaged to John Travolta, who was 18 years younger (they met on a made-for-TV-movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" in 1975), he was already a big star with "Welcome Back Kotter," then he did "Saturday Night Fever" and became a superstar. Diana had been struggling with breast cancer while John was filming SNF & he had a hard time getting through it although you can't tell by his magnificent performance. She died in early 1977 & John was devastated. They probably would have married if she had lived.
I also prefer this music score over the theme song from season 3-5. But I like the version for season 2 (post Diana Hyland) because it has less piccolo.
+wtf66611 Yeah, Dad's gainfully employed, owns the house, isn't living off the taxpayers, and the kids aren't a bunch of worthless, parasitic, strung out stoners.
At least some of them with a n*****, a Native and a Latino in the woodpile. I mean, what do you mean by all-A*******? anyway? You dont even know. Have you ever studied a single inch of print of the history of the North American continent and it's conquest by Europe?
@@scottmiller6495 My friend, assuming you are north-American, read your history. It might surprise you, but I teach US Culture in India. And I watched this show in Africa in the 1970's-80's.
Watching this brings back so many good memories,I wish they would do a eight is enough reunion episode even though some cast members are gone now and the still living Cast members are very different today then they were then but that's just the course of life
I think I started watching this show at the beginning of season 2. I always wondered about this mother who had died. Didn't know if it was real or something that was part of show. I've never seen those 4 episodes with Diana Hyland. I imagine they must be pretty sad to watch.
For some reason, the first season of Eight is Enough appeared on the Tuesday night 9:00pm/8:00pm ET slot instead of the Wednesday night 8:00pm/7:00pm ET slot that was used for future seasons.
I just watched the pilot episode where David, Nancy and Tommy are played by different actors. Mark Hamil was great as David. I missed sweet young Willie Aames though.
San tray yes it is actress Diana Holland did only the pilot and then four episodes of the series, she died of cancer, she was beloved by all the kids, Dick Van Patton was heart sick, but maybe they are reunited in Heaven :-)
There was a few different openings. The pilot was a different variation of this theme. Then there as this one. Then they changed it again after Diana Hyland died, which was the pyrmaid one, but it had the same theme. Then they added Abby to the pyrmaid. I believe season 2 was when they changed the theme to the lyrical version. I have actually grown to love the pilot theme the best. It had a great 70's vibe to it and the music was cued to different variations during the episode.
wow! i certainly do remember this famous TV show with Dick Van Patten back in the late 1970's-i believe it was a drama-right?-but i also remember that 4 some reason, i barely watched it-lol-but whatever i did watch it was very nice-i will certainly remember 2 buy this TV show on DVD or Blue-Ray Disc.
The Brady Brunch grew up on televiiewers eyes from the time they were a kid , became a teenagers went to college , got married & had children of their own.
I remember Diana Hyland from the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode "To Catch A Butterfly" where she played the wife who almost got kill by a tormented teenage boy who happens to be her neighbor. The boy didn't even try to rape her.
This is what TV was like back when TV was worth watching! not like the idiot minded TV "shows" of today. (Don't even get me started on Two and a Half Men, Dancing with the Stars, Modern Family, and so forth!) I've half a mind to just sell my TV and give it up as a lost cause.
Eight Is Enough Starring Dick Van Patten Diana Hyland Grant Goodeve Executive Producers Lee Rich Philip Caprice Based on the book by Thomas W.Braden Creative Consultants David Jacobs William Blinn Produced by Robert L.Jacks & Leonard Katzman
I remember when Don Johnson (before his Miami Vice fame) was on this show as Mary's boyfriend (Lani O'Grady). I believe in the show they lived together which for a television show in those days was "risky". Apparently, for whatever reason he will not talk about his appearances on this show and tried to distance himself from it-maybe he thought this wasn't in keeping with his "tough guy" image
Alot of actors do that...if they appeared on a show or movie before they made it big, they like to act like it never happened. Jennifer Aniston does this when it comes to the movie "Leprechaun". Sometimes they'll acknowledge it only if the show or movie was a huge hit. Like George Clooney with ER.
The producers wanted Tom Bradford to remain single on the show and date (and test out potential stepmothers). ABC would not allow it. They either wanted Joan Bradford to be recast for the second season, or for Tom’s second wife to be introduced early in the season and for them to be married by midseason.
It was only 4 episodes. She was in the first three, missed the fourth, came back for the fifth and was gone.. it was never explained for the rest of the first season why she wasn't there. At the beginning of the second season it was said that she'd died but that was never explained either. Must've been difficult to deal with her real life passing.
ghostdancer2302 yeah she was in the pilot +4 episode then as Dick Van Patten said that she lay down a lot and he didn't realize it was that bad the pain got so bad that they took her to the hospital and they told her that the cancer had spread so bad that there wasn't anything they could do so they she chose to go home and John Travolta was there when she was dying and Dick Van Patten stop by this was on The E True Hollywood Story and he went and got a priest to come and give her the last rites and she died in John Travolta's arms I just wonder if she would have survived and lived you know they wouldn't have brought Abby and I like to I got the first 5 Seasons on DVD thought she was a beautiful woman I like that too but it just would have been you know a little different I think if she would have been on the show nothing against Abby Abby was good also but and also the rest of the cast really liked Diana Hyland meaning you know the kids and stuff on the show so it was unfortunate and I'm sure John Travolta was very heartbroken because I couldn't even go to her funeral because of the paparazzi that sucks
Yeah, you can't help but wonder what would've happened if she'd lived. My favorite episode is in season 2 called "Yes, Nicholas there is a Santa Claus". They find a Christmas present from her for Tommy that was hidden in the kitchen and Tommy opens it after she died. Powerful episode. I like Abby too but Joan was their mother.
ghostdancer2302 In the original versions of the episodes, Joan Bradford was said to be away visiting a relative in episodes six and seven. And Diana Hyland taped voiceovers that were used in those episodes as Joan Bradford made phone calls home. When ABC reran the episodes in the summer of 1977, they removed those phone calls and used a new version of the opening credits without Hyland, to get viewers used to the show without her. Those edited versions are used in syndication and on DVD. So it does seems strange that Joan is gone without any explanation.
