Brian Keith proved to be so good working with little kids: he is warm and paternal, tough but never rigid, always bemused by their antics and reassuring everyone with his calming smile when their spirits were down. When Buffy makes friends with some kids from the bad section of town, Uncle Bill buys her hand-me-downs to wear so she'll fit in (and even tags along and makes friends with a parent, Jackie Coogan). Sebastian Cabot made the perfect valet; he too is charmed by these kids and pretends to be surly even though the idea of having a real family suits him and somehow appeals to him. Kathy Garver is a gregarious big sister and Johnny Whitaker a loyal, dependable brother who rarely got mischievous (he's very grounded and sometimes gravely serious). As for Anissa Jones as Buffy, she didn't seem to be just reading lines that an adult wrote for her, she really WAS Buffy. When her doll gets lost, or when she loses her spot in the Scout Troop, or when the Mod Maidens hurt her feelings (in the terrific episode "The Joiners"), Jones works the most tender of childhood emotions in a way that is neither flashy nor incredible. She was a very subtle little actress with a beaming smile that could appear out of nowhere.
Review of Family Affair
