Eighty Is Not Enough: One Actor's Journey Through American Entertainment (32 page)

It’s true that some of the touch-football games we played on the show were a bit goofy. And I certainly didn’t look like Johnny Unitas out there. But that was never the point. The games on
Eight Is Enough
were designed to incorporate life lessons for the children—as well as the parents.

Tom Braden wrote an exceptional book. In my view he was doubly fortunate that a guy as talented as Bill Blinn took the book and created a tremendously successful television show centered around the family life similar, in some respects, to what Braden enjoyed. Braden’s declining to meet me for a quick promotional session was unfortunate, and his comment about my athletics was petty. But that aside, he was an exceptional man, a patriot who provided the original inspiration for a wonderful television show that made a significant impact on many Americans. That became clear with the amazing moment at Denver’s Invesco Field when the first African-American presidential candidate accepted the Democratic Party nomination before a record 80,000 people and many, many millions more in America and all over the world. And what was the one cultural reference he used in that remarkable speech?
Eight Is Enough
. In arguably the biggest speech of his career—one that epitomized a massive fervor for change in America—Barack Obama had the whole stadium chanting Tom Braden’s words over and over again: “
Eight is enough
…
Eight is enough
….” That didn’t happen because of Braden’s book, but because the book spawned a television show that struck a chord with Americans. There was something in those zany—even unathletic—family games, antics and travails, as well as a family’s caring, respect and love, that made enough of a contribution that a presidential candidate would make a deliberate reference to it. Braden had been a key part of all that. They were his words. Tom Braden has passed on now, but I sincerely hope his family—especially his children—enjoyed that extraordinary moment as much as I did.

*  *  *

While
Eight Is Enough
was a show extolling family values, things were happening off camera that were not so wholesome. The 1970s was a period when drug usage exploded. It was particularly damaging in Hollywood, where young people had both the time and money to indulge these dangerous appetites. It was also true that the kind of familial discipline promoted on the show, and critical to the development and shaping of moral character, was simply absent in many cases. While I have always rejected extreme positions against child acting, I also recognize that without proper supervision, young actors, especially stars, can have a difficult time resisting the endless temptations that surround them.

At the time problems of drug abuse began on
Eight Is Enough
, I was unaware, not just of their extent, but that there was any problem at all. I was simply blind or naïve. Later as the truth came to light, I was genuinely astonished. I suppose if I had noticed a rash of lateness, missed cues, forgotten lines or other behavior affecting the quality of the performances, I might have noticed it. But the truth is that, despite the drug problems, the kids seemed to me to be professional both during rehearsals and in the filming of the shows.

Now having said that, I also know that some who were not involved with these problems have said the very opposite—that the drug abuse did affect the performances. On the
E! True Hollywood
documentary, Dianne Kay says: “Drugs will do it. Drugs will change your way of thinking and so it does affect your performance.” She is, of course, entirely correct. Later hearing Willie Aames talk about how many of them showed up for work high on cocaine and other drugs, I have no doubt that all of this did affect them professionally. Perhaps because of my age and the fact that I did have a kind of father-figure relationship with many of them, they tended to hide it from me. If I had known, I really don’t know that I could have changed things, but I certainly would have tried.

After the show, things came crashing down around some of them. While Willie went on to another successful show,
Charles in Charge
with Scott Baio, his own descent into addiction brought him to the brink. Willie has publicly described his difficult journey back, including his religious conversion. Today, I’m delighted to know that his life is on a far better path.

Susan Richardson also fell on hard times. During the show, Susan became pregnant and gained an enormous amount of weight. She began to think the weight gain put her job in jeopardy and started using drugs to lose it. Her difficulties continued after the regular series ended. In 1989, while filming the second and final reunion episode, Susan, then 37, made a disturbing, even bizarre, allegation about being kidnapped and held hostage by filmmakers in Korea. Susan continued to think they were pursuing her. “They had a lot of insurance policies out on me,” she claimed, “and they tried to blow me up in a church.” Skepticism about her story was damaging to her acting career. And later she suffered a nervous breakdown. But Susan recovered, and the last I heard from her she was enjoying her life, working as a caretaker at a retirement home in Pennsylvania.

The most tragic case was Lani O’Grady, who played Mary Bradford. She always seemed to me to be a happy and outgoing young woman, who was professional in every way. But later Lani revealed that her problems ran much deeper. She said she had suffered from panic attacks and began taking large quantities of tranquilizers and alcohol to calm her before each show. One thing led to another, and by the time the series ended, she had become a full-blown addict.

After
Eight Is Enough
, her life spiraled downward. Once, my nephew Casey and his wife Pat went to the Brown Bagger Restaurant in Venice Beach, and Lani was there waiting tables. There’s certainly nothing wrong with working as a waitress, but it did seem from her appearance that Lani was heading toward rock bottom.

Lani also spoke candidly about her addiction in an interview in 1994. She was hopeful of breaking her habit and had checked into the Cedars Sinai Medical Center for treatment. But, in the end, she lost the battle. Lani was found dead of an overdose in her home on September 25, 2001. It was a terrible shock, and I was deeply saddened when I heard the news.

Perhaps the most publicized post-
Eight Is Enough
problems have come from Adam Rich. All of us who have children experience a little sadness as they grow up. If only they stayed like that forever. In Adam’s case, it wasn’t just parents watching him grow up, but the whole country. Everyone wanted little Nicholas to stay just like he was, but in a few years, that irresistibly charming little boy was gone. Rarely has anyone in this industry suffered so greatly from that transition.

Following
Eight Is Enough
, Adam fell into that familiar cycle of addiction and self-destructive behavior. In April 1991, Adam, now twenty-two years old, was arrested for breaking into a pharmacy to steal drugs. I remember receiving a call that Adam was in jail, so I went down to the Van Nuys Courthouse and bailed him out. No sooner was he on the streets when he was arrested again for shoplifting. In the end, the judge gave him a break. He wound up with a suspended sentence and a court order to enter a drug treatment program, which he completed. In fact, he even lived in my guesthouse for a while as he was trying to clean himself up and find work. Unfortunately, he’s had difficulty getting parts as an actor. No doubt, the ghost of young Nicholas is a tough one to shake.

Not all the post
Eight Is Enough
stories are so stormy. Grant Goodeve made a number of guest appearances on popular shows before he and his wife, Debbie, moved with their three children to Seattle, Washington. Grant really loves the beauty of the great outdoors. From his home, far from Hollywood, he’s had success with a number of local television programs, including as host of several popular shows for Home and Gardens television. And like Willie Aames, Grant found great support in his Christian faith. I still see him occasionally. Last year, while in Seattle for an Old Time Radio convention, Grant and I had dinner, and I was delighted to see how happy he is with his life and work. He’s every bit as good a person as he is an actor.

Laurie Walters, Dianne Kay and Connie Newton have left Hollywood and settled down with their own families. I truly enjoyed working with all three and am delighted to hear they lead happy and fulfilling lives. All of the young women on
Eight Is Enough
were, in my view, beautiful—but none more so than Dianne Kay. In fact, in one episode she entered a Sacramento beauty contest. I secretly used to hope she would hit it off with one of my own boys. It was easy to see Diane as a mother, especially after her performance in
A Little Triangle
, where she developed a special rapport with little Wendy, the three-year-old daughter of another widower. In the end, she comes to the sad realization that she loves the child more than the father. It’s a poignant and beautifully performed scene when Diana as Nancy explains to the little girl that she won’t be coming back anymore.

One family member who enjoyed an astonishing post
Eight Is Enough
career is Betty Buckley. One year after the show ended, Betty went back to her roots on Broadway and stunned the world with her now classic rendition of
Memory
, in the smash hit
Cats
. Her success has been so great that she’s often referred to as “the voice of Broadway.” When I listen to her soaring voice, it reminds me of how many times she begged the producers to let her sing on the show and how many times they said no. Betty sure had the last laugh on that one.

*  *  *

Eight Is Enough
was a marvelous show, and I was proud to be part of it. Despite the problems, there was always a genuine affection existing among all the cast members. Those Bradfords were an important part of my life, and, more important, I believe they also entered the American consciousness in a very personal way. I still have people stop me on the street and ask about the Bradford kids as if we were all still living back in Sacramento. And the women always ask: “How is Nicholas?” Sometimes mothers come up to me and say: “I cut my son’s hair just like Nicholas’s.”

Time has passed quickly. It’s nearly thirty years since the last episode of the series. Still, I think people will continue to look back at the show and feel that maybe it represents something we’ve lost in today’s world. Brian Patrick Clark, who played Merle the Pearl on
Eight Is Enough
, described the show as a “relic” of another time. It was a time when life was just as complex as it is today, but somehow the support of that big, loving family made it all seem simpler. As Bill Blinn has noted, having ten people around a dinner table every night is something we not only look back on with nostalgia, but that leaves us yearning for all that was good in the magical world of the Bradfords.