How TV Fathers Have Changed
The Evolution of Television Dads From Ozzie Nelson to Peter Griffin
May 6, 2009
In the fifties, fathers like Ozzie Nelson in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Hugh Beaumont in Leave It To Beaver were the heads of the family. Father was Caucasian, he went to work, earned good wage, came home to an upscale suburb,supper on the table, a perfectly groomed wife, a clean house and obedient children. The biggest problem he faced might be Beaver failing math or Princess unsure whether to date Biff or Chip. Whatever the problem, Father guided his child through it. In the end a lesson was learned and they all lived happily ever after.
1960s
As society changed so did the face of the television father. Mother was often no longer part of the equation. Single fathers, Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show And Fred McMurray as Steve Douglas in My Three Sons were both widowers. But, while they were single parents, they both had help making child rearing, while working full time, look easy. Aunt Bea was there to take the pressure off Andy and Bub O’Casey filled that role for Steve Douglas.
1970s
As the sixties gave way to the seventies, TV fathers took on more serious problems. Robert Read, in the role of Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch moved beyond his single parenthood to marry widow Carol, (Florence Henderson), who also had three children. Together they faced the challenge of raising a blended family, albeit with the help of Alice, the wise housekeeper and architect Mike’s impressive income. It didn’t hurt that the kids were good looking and the house was in an upscale suburb – so, in a way, Mike gave the TV audience the best of both worlds, bits and pieces of the fifties dad mixed in with the more modern dad of the times. But, in 1971, along came Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor in All in the Family. Archie was a blue collar bigot who reveled in debating with his daughter, Gloria and her liberal husband, Mike, whom Archie called Meathead. After Archie hit the airwaves, all bets were off.
1980s
The 80s were a time of dual income families like Cliff Huxtable,( Bill Cosby), an obstetrician and his wife, Clair, (Phylicia Rashad),an attorney in The Cosby show. Not only were they the epitome of the two income household, they were also black, which broke new territory for the TV father. At the other end of the scale was the blue collar Connor family from Roseanne. Dan Connor, (John Goodman), drank, yelled and tried to stay a step ahead of his kids who challenged him at every turn.
1990s - Present Day
An argument could be made that Homer Simpson, (The Simpsons), is as far from the all knowing father of the fifties as it gets. True, Homer is an inept bumbler. But, he occasionally shows the audience that he does love his family. The present day TV father who is the antithesis of fathers in past decades is Peter Griffin, the dubious patriarch of Family Guy. His youngest child is a psychopath, his wife rules the roost, and one of his biggest pleasures in life is hanging out with his buddies and getting falling down drunk . And, his buddies don’t include Ozzie Nelson or Andy Griffith or even Mike Brady.
