The Courtship of Eddie's Father debuted in the fall of 1969 on ABC and was one of only a couple sitcoms to debut that season. The other most popular one was The Brady Bunch. The series centered around Tom Corbett, a magazine publisher and widower, with a young son, Eddie Corbett. Tom was in charge of the motherless household but Eddie was determined to find a wife for his dad and constantly tried to pair his father up with prospective brides. The deep, real-life friendship that existed between Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruz translated into a warm, believable portrayal of father and son in the series. With patience and understanding, Tom guided his small son through the difficult life lessons of growing up. And often, Eddie taught his father a memorable lesson or two. James Komack, producer and co-star of the series, admitted that as the series progressed, it became less about Tom's constant courtship of women and more about "the courtship of father and son - their love affair." Others in the cast included Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, Norman Tinker, a photographer who worked with Tom, and Tina, Tom's secretary. Although Mrs. Livingston was always referred to as their housekeeper, she actually served as a mother figure to Eddie. Her most important roles in the household were as a nanny and confidant to him. He was anxious for a new mother, yet very devoted to Mrs. Livingston. The opening and closing segments of each show were called "Peanuts". Eddie and Tom were filmed from a distance at a location such as the beach or the amusement park. Topics for these "Peanuts" in the first season ranged from discussions about Eddie's possible future mother, to light-hearted conversations connected with their leisure activities. By the third season, many of the topics were more complex, such as discussions about democracy, and when a boy becomes a man. Theme Song: "Best Friend" Written by: Harry Nilsson Sung by: Harry Nilsson Harry also performed very short accompaniments to many selected episodes. NOTE: The series was based on the 1963 movie of the same name, starring Glenn Ford and Ron Howard. First Telecast: September 17, 1969 Last Telecast: June 14, 1972 Episodes: 73 Color Episodes ABC Broadcast History September 1969-September 1970----Wednesdays----8:00 p.m. September 1970-September 1971----Wednesdays----7:30 p.m. September 1971-January 1972----Wednesdays----8:30 p.m. January-June 1972----Wednesdays----8:00 p.m. Nielsen Ratings: (Top 25 or Better) Never ranked above 25