Bachelor Father

Synopsis of TV Show

Bachelor Father single-handedly ushered in the era of ‘single-parent’ television comedy. It starred John Forsythe as Bentley Gregg, a rich and single lawyer who lived the playboy life in Beverly Hills. His carefree lifestyle changed when he gained a permanent houseguest in the form of his niece, Kelly. Bradley took the girl in after his sister and her husband died in a car accident, and the former playboy soon found himself turning into a father figure for the irrepressible and often rebellious Kelly.

Kelly’s best friend was Ginger, and her high-school boyfriend was Howard. When Kelly moved on to college in later seasons, she found a new beau in the form of lawyer Warren Dawson. Cal and Adelaide were Ginger’s parents, and Peter was the faithful butler at the Gregg household. Victor Yung occasionally guest starred as Peter’s cousin, Charlie. Gregg also went through no less than five secretaries during the course of the show: Vicky, Kitty Devereaux, Kitty Marsh, Suzanne and Connie.

This show is one of a select handful that managed to play on all three major networks during its original series run: from ’57 to ’59 on CBS, ’59 to ’61 on NBC, and ’61 to ’62 on ABC. But after the ABC run, Bentley hung up his official father's cap (figuratively) and passed the mantle on to later single parent shows like Family Affair and Julia.

Release History of Prime Time Show

9/15/57 - 6/7/59 CBS
6/18/59 - 9/21/61 NBC
10/3/61 - 9/25/62 ABC

TV Sub Categories

comedy

Television Network

CBS/NBC/ABC

TV Cast

Bentley Gregg John Forsythe
Kelly Gregg Noreen Corcoran
Peter Tong Sammee Tong
Ginger Farrell/Loomis/Mitchell Bernadette Withers
Charlie Fong Victor Sen Yung
Vickie (1957-58) Alice Backus
Howard Meechim (1958-61) Jimmy Boyd
Kitty Deveraux (1958-59) Shirley Mitchell
Bert Loomis (1959-61) Whit Bissell
Kitty Marsh (1959-61) Sue Ane Langdon
Elaine Meechim (1959) Joan Vohs
Cal Mitchell (1960-62) Del Moore
Adelaide Mitchell (1960-62) Evelyn Scott
Suzanne Collins (1961) Jeanne Bal
Connie (1961-62) Sally Mansfield
Warren Dawson (1962) Aron Kincaid

Other Prime Time Links