The third season of "Family Affair" was arguably the family-oriented show's strongest, with many exceptional, well-written episodes and memorable stories perfectly suited for the cast: Brian Keith as wealthy bachelor engineer Bill Davis, Sebastian Cabot as valet Mr. French, Kathy Garver as "almost eighteen" Cissy, and Anissa Jones and Johnnie Whitaker growing up nicely as twins Buffy and Jody. Here, Uncle Bill is concerned that the young ones are watching too much violent TV; he suggests they play board games instead, but that doesn't work (Buffy's favorite is "Sabotage!"). So he enlists Mr. French to re-introduce the kids to the old-fashioned fairy tales, which also backfires once the grown-ups recall how grisly "Hansel & Gretel" can get (Cabot's high-pitched reading of the Witch is wonderful). In the alternate plot, Cissy has made a new, glamorous school-friend, but quickly comes to realize she's being used as a beard between the girl and her worried mother when pal Gwen stays out late into the night (I'd like to know what happened on her date!). When Cissy sternly lectures Gwen, the girl comes back with a heated, "Hey, don't come on like Big Mama!" Keith occasionally looks a bit sleepy, and lets his Uncle Bill persona drop completely on the tail-ends of scenes, but the kids are terrific here, and there's a fantastic dream sequence which casts French as a bridge-dwelling troll. Another priceless piece of '60's nostalgia.
