Nostalgia is a constant in movies and television. Every decade has its own past decade that it romanticizes. Nostalgia for past decades began in the 1970s. The '70s romanticized the 1950s and several iconic actors and musicians attempted comebacks.
In the '50s, Danny Thomas had a hit show called "Make Room for Daddy" (later retitled "The Danny Thomas Show"). In this show, Thomas portrayed Danny Williams, a night club singer who spent most of his time on the road performing. When he did get to return home, it was an adjustment for both Danny and his wife and children. The show ran from 1953 to 1964 (one episode even served as a backdoor pilot for "The Andy Griffith Show).
In 1970, Thomas reprised his role as Danny Williams in "Make Room for Granddaddy." This time, Danny and his wife Kathy (Marjorie Lord) are empty nesters as their three children are grown up and out of the house. In the pilot Danny and Kathy return from a year in Australia to find their daughter Terry (Sherry Jackson) getting ready to join her military husband in Japan and needs someone to care for her son Michael (Michael Hughes) which sets the premise for the new show. Also returning from the first show are daughter Linda (Angela Cartwright), son Rusty (Rusty Hamer), Danny's friend Charley Halper (Sid Melton) and Danny's uncle Tonoose (Hans Conried).
The pilot itself has all of the sugary sweetness of the original show. Danny, who is a fish out of water with children, and Michael a rambunctious kid. Despite his uneasiness, Danny loves his grandson and doesn't mind showing it. The show only lasted one season. It may have to do with the time period the show came out as 1970 was at the height of the Vietnam War, campus riots, and major political unrest. Audiences during this time period were used to edgier shows like "The Mod Squad" and "Room 222" that Thomas' show was probably considered too bland. However, those nostalgic for the '50s probably ate this up. The problem is that there were not enough of them.
