Child Stars

32737787_1967408006625021_4836739388454993920_n.jpg

I don’t often get surprised by nostalgic posts and pictures of popular figures from our past. But this one took me aback. One, because I had never seen it before; and two, because I could identify every single kid in the picture.

Starting from the back, from left to right:

  • Billy Mumy played young Will Robinson in Lost in Space. “Danger Will Robinson!” spoken in a robot voice became an iconic phrase back in my day. 
  • Barry Livingston joined the cast of My Three Sons as the adopted Ernie after the oldest son Mike (Tim Constantine) left the show. His real life older brother, Stanley, was already on the show as one of the other three sons. The show had one of the best TV theme songs ever.
  • Ron Howard gained fame as Opie, the son of sheriff Andy Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show. He went on to star as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. And finally as an A-list Hollywood director of such blockbusters as Apollo 13 and more recently Solo: A Star Wars Story.
  • Anissa Jones was best known for the popular sitcom Family Affair. She was cast as Buffy, the youngest of three children sent to live with their bachelor Uncle Bill when their parents died in an accident. She usually shared screen time with her character’s doll, Mrs. Beasley. Sadly, Annisa died of a drug overdose at the young age of 18.
  • Stanley Livingston played the third child, Chip, on My Three Sons. He is the real life brother of Barry Livingston who joined the cast in later years, Stanley was the only cast member (other than star Fred MacMurray) who appeared throughout the entire series’ five year run.
  • Johnny Whitaker is best known for playing Jody in Family Affair. He fell prey to drug abuse after the show ended but managed to overcome the addiction to become a certified drug counselor.
  • Clint Howard, Ron Howard’s younger brother, has been seen in multiple shows and in various roles. He had a co-starring role in the TV series Gentle Ben but is probably best known for his cameo appearances in many of his older brother’s film projects.

This picture brought back a lot of memories for me. I spent many an hour in front of the TV watching these kids practice their craft. So it was kind of like I grew up with them. I doubt I would recognize a single child actor who has a recurring role on any of today’s shows.

(PS, I couldn’t help noticing they are all holding up ties. Perhaps it was a promo shot for Father’s Day? It’s coming up. And video gifts make for a great present. A heck of a lot better than another tie. Just saying.)

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio of Mount Dora specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio cassettes, photos and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.