@j4kgang, drug overdose. Her Dad and Mom had been through a divorce,Dad won custody and shortly after passed away from heart disease. She and Brother Paul went to stay with a friend, later moved with Mother awhile until she turned18 and received 180,000 from her career. Sadly, 5 months later, her Brother and her rented an apartment together and she had a new boyfriend. She was at a beach party with him and there were drugs, they found her dead in a bedroom at her friends house with various drugs,and an unknown bottle of blue liquid near her. 17,000 dollars of her money was spent in the 5 mths, her Dr. Was convicted of prescribing her an addicting drug, the Dr. Passed away before the trial. Then, in1984, her Brother Paul passed away at age 24 from drug overdose also. 😖, So sad. 2012 their Mother died, but from what I don't know,her Dad died from heart disease. Whole family gone now,so sad.
I did acting briefly, hardest part is constant rejection and how rough the competition is--I was over 40 when I did some acting, I found it discouraging and annoying, had a day job, and stayed there--acting is not a normal life. Talent is not enough to make it either.
The only awkward ones were the adults. Seemed like a regular child. It was over 50 years ago and she was exactly what she should have been. It's poignant when you think that she'd only live another 7 years. RIP
This was a perfectly normal interview for both the adults and child. We simply expected children to be children and not know what our jokes meant and men were perfectly comfortable around girls and girls around men because people weren't perves.
"Jane Polewchak" Her co-star Johnny Whittaker was making movies with Jodi Foster in Disney's "Napoleon and Samantha," and in "Tom Sawyer" and he was also starring in "Sigmund and The Sea Monsters" on Saturday TV.
I’m 55 years old (and also named “Laura)-I still have my Mrs. Beasley doll. She will be 50 this year at Christmas. The last present I got from my dad before he died. I cherish her. So sad that Anissa didn’t live past age 18.
I dreamed of being adopted by a generous uncle and living a life like Buffy and Jody. Family Affair was a far cry from what my childhood was like. When I was young girl I had the opportunity to meet "Buffy". Not long after she died. I was heartbroken.
she is 12 years old here with just 6 years of her life left to go, another tragic hollywood story of a child actor being overwhelmed by the lifestyle , dying of a drug overdose at aged 18 is just..very sad, she seems like such a sweet kid here.
Definitely one of Hollywood's saddest stories. I had the biggest crush on her when I was a little kid. My other childhood crush was Dana Plato from different strokes t.v. show also an early death from drugs.
Mary Anissa Jones was an American child actress known for her role as Buffy on the CBS sitcom Family Affair, which ran from 1966 to 1971. She died from combined drug intoxication at the age of 18. Wikipedia Born: March 11, 1958, Lafayette, IN Died: August 28, 1976, Oceanside, CA Height: 4′ 11″ Parents: Mary Paula Jones, John Paul Jones Education: Paseo Del Rey Elementary School, Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets
@@xtina1fan Absolutely and our entire society is sick because there are no boundaries any more! Hollywood is depraved & have infected our society.. Look at old shirley Temple films -you can see it back then !!
I was a huge Family Affair & Anissa Jones fan when I was a kid. I saw her in person, promoting her clothing line, in front of Stix, Baer & Fuller Dept store (now Dillard's) at the old Crestwood Mall in St Louis County, MO. I was thrilled when my mother bought me an outfit from her clothing line. She died way too young. Hollywood needs to do a much better job protecting child stars, keeping them away from drugs & helping them adjust to life after stardom. RIP talented Angel.
She lit up when she saw Sammy! I think he was terrific with her (and everyone). He was the greatest! Too bad he couldn't persuade her to sing. But he helped to put her at ease and joke around a bit. I suspect she was coached her whole life to behave much younger so she could remain in the Buffy child role. She was on the verge of puberty at this point whether 11 or 12.
As a kid, I loved watching "Family Affair" during its five year run. Such a sad life for this little girl. At 65, I still remember the smile that she brought to my face years ago.
I'm 55 and born on March 11 !!! I loved this show and I, also, had a marvelous Mrs Beasley!! She was my only doll! Maybe because she was a grandma doll!!! So sad.....
Lately I've been watching it for the first time on streaming, it's a couple decades before my time. I love it, but so sad to hear the ill fates of the 5 main cast. :'( Annissa overdosed at 18, Cabot had a heart attack and Keith shot himself. Only Jody and Cissy are still alive.
Breaks My Heart----- Anissa was slightly older than me, and I grew up with Her, watching her on TV. She passed away just North of me in Oceanside, CA. If you watch her on this interview, you can see how genuine she is------ God Bless You Anissa ---- You will always be Missed-
I didn't know she died in Oceanside, ugh. A branch of my ancestors (Juan Maria Marron, Felipa Osuna, my 4th GA, initially had a Spanish Land grant, Aqua Hedionda in the 1800's. It was Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista and San Marcos, CA today. The list is growing of those I knew having died in anyone place, seems to be Oceanside.
@@lindam7429 on the Mike douglas show she said those pigtails were painful because they were pulled so tight it's so wonder she still had hair after that
@@lindam7429 "Well, she's lying about her age! " born March 11, 1958, she was 12, about to be 13. did she LIE, or was she confused being on a televised talk show with two (famous) strangers? of course you know all.
Aww. That's not an awkward interview. She's adorable, no filters. That's so cute, we found out a lot about her with the questions. She did a good job.. Honest.. Kids are funny 💜👏 Sammy was having a great time ☺️
Innocence? The girl was dead from an OD by age 18. She's drugged up here. You really need to get back into reality, honey. It's scary how you people are minimizing this sick situation!
I didn't learn about her death until the early to mid '80's. And it always haunted me thinking of her life being cut so short in the way that it was. To this day, I get extremely sad when I think about her and her death. Used to love Family Affair as a kid. I truly hope she's in a better place. Rest well Anissa, you are missed.
Or their parents should be there every step of the way! No less than 10 ft away at all times. These kids wouldn't be easy prey if their parents were ALWAYS present!
Diva Kim exactly . All that’s coming out about Hollywood now - Sad so very Sad and it was only the start imagine what they got away with without the phones like today
@@Luispbringstheheat So it must have been recorded before 03/11/1970? Either that or she just had her own age wrong and she was really 12 then. In the first case why would they air it 1 year later?
Kathy H I know, I was thinking all her tongue movements were really odd, too. At 11 you don’t normally act like a 5 yr old, it’s very weird. I also think about how Eddie Murphy said that Sammy D was a satan worshipper. This is so flipped out.
Jamie Dlux put together a great good video on Anissa and her brother’s horrible childhood with their mother, and the A-list HoIIywood director who might have sexuaIIy abused Anissa as a teen and provided her with the drug that ended up kiIIing her 👇🏻 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l4mofQzpU4g.html
Cassie Contino They really put these freaks in everybody’s face. It always felt like something was wrong but then it was played off like these are normal fun people. And everyone inside gets scrambled and thinks guess my inner knowing is scrambled, this person is probably fine why do I dislike them so much? Our Spirits know the truth, it all makes sense and it was all done to keep everyone confused. Trust God to let us know, they don’t get that about us. We have inner alarm bells that go off to them and we’re not shutting them down anymore. If you feel it in the pit of your stomach, trust that small voice that says run, it could be saving your life.
@@TheIndependentLens You mean like Elvis or Johnny Cash, "those drug addicted losers too"? Must be easy for you to pass judgement from your high horse.
She was a sweetheart and a product of the times, not all groomed for public appearances. Kids had more of an innocent nature then, the culture was less cynical and less geared for adult content
There was plenty of perverted stuff in the old days...Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster playing child prostitutes...those Baby Burlesque movies Shirley Temple was in and who knows what else. Family Affair was age appropriate but it's too bad they wouldn't let Anissa be herself (fudging on your age at 12?) or at least let Buffy ditch the doll and ponytails.
And don’t forget he was a satanist. A classy satanist who is acting creepy towards Anissa here. Meanwhile Anissa died of a drug overdose. “Child star” used to be synonymous with someone who becomes effed up as an adult because they lose the adoration of celebrity being considered “washed up.” Now that we know about #Pedowood, we can see that it’s more sinister than we even suspected.
I thought his laughter looked forced and fake... I dont believe for a second he found the things she says that funny... She was cute.. But not roll on the floor over the top laughing funny.
@liberty mom I agree Joe is creepy, but why do people feel the need to make everything political... Its a strange phenomenon that's really only popped up in the last ten years. People will take something completely unrelated to politics and find a way to tie it in to politics and use it in an attempt to rile people up, like its a sporting event. I have yet to figure out the psychology behind that.
@@AuntStina To me it just looks like acting. I think he could have just as easily sat there and not have cracked a smile. That's just my opinion. I'm a public school teacher so I've seen allot of deception and acting.
I envied her back then because she was a TV star. We were about the same age. Shocked when I read about her death. Years later, I read about the reality of her personal life and realized we shouldn't waste time being envious. We never know what someone's life is really like.
The FIRST mistake was allowing children to call adults by their first name. The second was the removal of corporal punishment (note, I didn't say beating).
@@liorajimenez3085 children don't call adults by their first name, that's ridiculous. And yes, they are punished. And beated. Just not in amazing land of the US.
@James Brice And stuff like that have been going on for decades !! Or since "helly-weird" (hollywood) been around. What make you think predators only start preying on kids in the 2000's, late 90's ? Pedos been around since the dawn of time.
I agree. I hate to offend anyone but Sammy Davis Jr. is especially creepy after things I've heard about him. I saw a show where he did a bit where he threatened to lock young Michael Jackson in a box and grabbed him by the arm. And Cavett asking her if she's sore and her shrugging bothers me now too. We were all so innocent back in the day. Thinking these cute kids where having fun. I wish we could have helped them.
I agree 💯%! I am from that era and those guys creeped me out back then. Sure they were considered great entertainers but as the saying goes "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors" One can only imagine.
I think she got tired too. I heard while watching her biography that her work never stopped off camera. Public appearances, interviews, etc. I'm sure after awhile all of the interviews seemed the same. And Family Affair made sure she acted young for her age, she looked young for her age, she was sheltered... it was easy for people to speak to her like she was 5 years old. That would get awkward and annoying to me.
She is adorable. The only awkward part is when Sammy gets too close to her face when he talks to her. The interview was precious and pure. She acted like a little girl should.
Nope, they weren't mocking her at all. I think she enjoyed the humorous atmosphere, and vast amount of attention, from the audience, as well as the two adult interviewers (Dick Cavett and Sammy Davis Junior).
I liked Sammy Davis in this interview. He seemed more at ease talking to a child than Dick Cavett did. He was friendlier, more relaxed, and seemed rather fatherly to me.
J'nai Walker Right. Sammy is a legend, for someone to disrespect him like that makes me kinda sick really. During the interview I was thinking to myself I bet she doesn’t realize she’s sitting next to a legend.
Anissa Jones and Sammy Davis, Jr. together. Two of the most kindest people on earth. Genuine honest people. They both should have lived longer. They both had so much talent.
an 11 year old girl sitting between 2 young adult men who are almost flirting with her, - one of them is actually leaning in and invading her personal space.
You're probably on mother's little helpers. She lolled her tongue out in a disturbing manner. On ludes or something and you paid shills write that it's darling :/
Anissa was the cutest little girl, sammy Davis jr was the sweetest man, he really could talk to kids, so sad about 7 years later Anissa died from a drug over dose. You would never have had a clue here..god bless Anissa and Sammy Davis jr, rip🙏😢
Once she left acting, she had a trust fund to spend and she got involved with a loser bf who was into drugs. She didn't have guidance to enter adult life safely.
This is a great clip, Sammy Davis Jr. was such an icon of that era and an amazing entertainer. Anissa Jones was adorable. The chemistry of this interview was great. It's so sad Anissa had such a short life. RIP to all in this clip, you're all remembered still.
Everyone is disputing her age here. She was born 3/11/58. This show aired 02/25/1971. Just was just about to turn 13! As I wrote elsewhere, her family/handlers/manager were likely trying to keep her looking "young" to continue the child role of "Buffy." She was likely already in puberty (or on the verge of it).
Great point. Dick Cavett said she was 11 and when Anissa was asked by Cavett about her age she "confirmed" that she was 11. Terrible that a child is coached to lie and behave like a child many years younger when she is not filming her own show.
Those were the days!! I wished they would come back!! Back then we knew to be respectful ... today not so much!! Love how sweet SDjr was to her..tragic her life ended at such a young age...💔
This girl is one of the most adorable, honest , humble littlest girl I’ve ever seen ....wish she had lived a long life to see her bring more adorable little kids into this world...rip Anissa
I read that she was a genius. She seems a bit naive for her age actually. They had her dress like that and wear those ridiculous pig tails well into puberty...and she said she couldn’t stand it. Sucks they had her looking like that even when not filming. That poor little girl had such a tough short life..
Can we talk about how gracious and gentle Sammy was with her. He knew exactly how to make her feel at ease and she responded much better to him than Dick. Sammy was an incredible human being.
Yes, exactly. I'm surprised at all the comments about how he's too close to her, etc. It's only too close if SHE thinks it's too close, but she didn't. He wanted to make her feel more comfortable and he clearly succeeded at that. I already liked Sammy but this made me appreciate him all the more. What a great person.
Exactly. The new millennium Gestapo is way too paranoid. It was a talk show and Sammy realized Anissa was something else personality wise, they're just having a good time.
11 year old ANISSA JONES acted more mature than most ADULTS TODAY. SHE WAS SO ADORABLE.. I am a big fan of " FAMILY AFFAIR " I grew up on that show and I still watch and love it today..
Poor girl, they laughed at every single thing she said, and she wasn’t trying to be funny. I can’t imagine being 12 and having to sit in front of an audience and have everybody laughing and not understand what exactly the joke is.😢
This was quite adorable AND Sammy Davis, Jr. THE Coolest Cat. And yet, there he was, cracking up just like I was. Thank you for this gift. I remember them all with great fondness.
I don't think he was very good at interviewing kids. They both ( he and Davis Jr) were foolish the entire time. She was adorable and deserved better than this BS.
I had a mutual "friend" of Sammy Davis Jr. EUGENE . They new each other from the rat pack days! He said Sammy was the best !! Even visited him in the hospital!! Frank did not!! EUGENE & I were very close, many stories Wow!!!! RIP my friend ❤
I really loved "Family Affair". When I was in the 5th grade, my town had a grand opening for the first-ever indoor shopping mall in our area, and to help celebrate, they invited Anissa to be there... I got there early so I could get up close to the stage, which was T-shaped. Anissa was sitting by herself on this big throne-like chair in the middle of the top part of the "T"... She looked miserable. Our eyes met for just a second, and all I saw was sadness. Even as a fifth-grader, I felt something was not right. She was a lonely young girl who died way too soon. I couldn't watch "Family Affair" after that... RIP, Anissa ❤
I don't find this interview awkward - I find it delightful. I think Anissa Jones plays it just right, Dick Cavett is delightfully candid, and Sammy Davis Junior is just fantastic (but then, when isn't he?).
She was a very sad child she was very sad and died so young its so tragic with her overdose ! She was quite the little actress young lady !She would of gone places had she lived longer !
When I was a little boy, I got to meet her and Jodi at a special event ! I was so excited to meet them until I did, then I felt sad for them because it seemed they were encouraged to be accommodating when they clearly were missing out on the simpler things in life.😢
Poor girl.....she died of a drug overdose in 1976 aged 18, her only sibling died if a drug OD in 1984 aged 24. Her father died in 1974 aged only 44. Finally her mother died in 2012.....RIP to all
@@hooper4581none of them were "clean" when it happened, so they may not really remember. she wasn't sleeping alone that night, her boyfriend woke up, and didn't bother taking a close look, and assumed she was still asleep and he left, and when he came back in the afternoon, there was all kinds of pandemonium, because somebody else tried to wake her and found her Stone Cold and stiff. And before calling the authorities, they clumsily dressed her corpse.
Maxula Pretto Were either one of your parents (or both) alcoholics or other addicts? It never ceases to amaze me when people deny the reality in front of them. She was NOT normal. She was drugged up by adults and sitting next to Sammy, who seems high as a kite himself and acting odd with her. He was a satanist and we know that Satanic Ritual Abuse is what Epstein, Gislaine Maxwell, and high-ranking members of society are all about. “These people are sick”-Q.
FoxIslanderSteve Why do you need to normalize child abuse? That’s what this is in every respect. She was TWELVE!!! Rolling her tongue around, high as a kite 🪁, lying about her age...
I love Anissa Jones and the Family Affair TV Series. Anissa possessed such pretty eyes. She was simply adorable! I was heartbroken when I heard of her untimely death.
Cavett loses patience quickly, making awkward comments about how the interview is going. Poor form, especially when interviewing a child. Any good interviewer or conversationalist finds the way to relate to the person they are talking to and engage them. For her part, I thought she did just fine. Cavett could have done much better, especially with the opening she provided him that she had written him a letter (even if she didn’t remember the specifics). “Oh, so do you watch my show?” “I didn’t know kids enjoyed it, what do you like about it?” “Do you think you would like to have a talk show one day?” He just seemed woefully unprepared to interview a child, then unfairly turned that back on her in subtle ways which she seemed unaware of (and hopefully that was the case).
@Paul Gandesa Oh yeah, it's really such a "conspiracy" to think a child actor was given drugs, like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney weren't given drugs, LOL.
@@courtneynewton-john8862 Yeah, people were popping downers in that era like they were candy. Poor girl was probably nervous so they drugged her up. And she ended up dying young of a drug overdose, RIP.
She named you after her character, because her name was Anissa but it was still sweet of your Mom. I always loved Family Affair. I have watched every episode.
Being referred to as “my little toy” by Dick Cavett was AWKWARD! And the way SD was HOVERING over her like a predator was AWKWARD!!! So sad to know that she died from a drug overdose only 7 years later. 😰
Check out Brice Taylor's book..."Thanks for the Memories" I found it for free as pdf file online. Sammy is mentioned in a not so good way in that book among other famous people like Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra.
She was probably just a little upset about the letter still. If you can't tell she is just overdoing things a bit to get laughs you shouldn't have children lol
@@cate4338 Hardly idiots. It's a show, they have to keep things moving. She kept up with them and certainly did her part though not entirely with conscious intent as she's a child and didn't understand everything, but it was still entertaining. But calling Cavett and Davis idiots is asinine. They were trying to get interesting responses out of her and they did. She was funny without meaning to be because of them.
@@tednorton5150 My take exactly... Sammy was setting them up for her, and she was knockin them down. Plus, when Dick said, "How fast can we get Art Linkletter here" he knew he was in trouble. And that was only 1 minute in.
I cannot pin down how to describe her personality. She is eccentric even at this early age. She reminds me of Crispin Glover. I bet anything that she had a high IQ. And when I was a kid back in the late 60s my dad bought quail eggs too, from an add in a magazine. They didnt hatch either, and he even built a cement block 15 foot by 20 foot shed to put them in. haha. Anyway Anissa seemed like a very nice little girl, but there was something off and awkward about her. I hope that no one was messing around with her. I guess that her life was a tragedy in many ways. Too bad.
Sammy Davis Jr. was a 100% Satanist, being buddies with Anton LaVey and all. There's pics of Davis and LaVey smiling away in each other's presence. And we know what Satanists do to children. Davis had loads of talent but not much character.
@@anitayoung4812 I've never heard of Sammy Davis Jr. doing anything bad to anyone. So he flirted with Satanism for a while -- he probably was attracted to the loosey goosey sex scene associated with it. I've heard nothing but great things about his character, including his generosity. It's a shame that you choose to judge and slander this very decent human being over this relatively trivial association.
How very cute! When I was a kid, I watched her on Family Affair every week. I think this is the first time I've seen her just being herself. It's hard to think of the tragic end she had.
She probably wasn’t very sheltered knowing what we now know about Hollywood and the way they do children. At least back then though, kids could be sweet and innocent and even sheltered and it was a good thing! Kids should be sheltered, because kids should be allowed to just be kids!
Sheltered does not describe this child's life on earth. Might have saved her from a sad end if she had been sheltered. Some kids are just sweet, even when exposed to life.
jessie james I don't think she was sheltered. Notice how she's looking almost provocatively at Cavett and keeps moving her tongue around. I'd say she was sexual,y abused.
@@andreavanda4722 she wasn't sheltered. She was if anything all too aware of the fact that she was too old to be carrying around a doll at 11/12/13 years old. "The Powers That Be" on "Family Affair" refused to allow her to mature on the show even though she asked for it. She sadly became the poster child of how the Not Allowed To Grow Up TV Trope ends in disaster. tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/AnissaJones
1:47 "That's how I started. I had one freckle and looked what happened." Back in the days when self-deprecating humor was considered a healthy and positive attribute.
