Written by: John McGreevey. Directed by: Charles Barton.

Happy holidays, everyone! This week we come to the end of Family Affair‘s classic three-parter, “Lost in Spain.” It’s not a Christmas episode, but its climactic scenes would have been perfect for one.

We begin with about four minutes of backtracking to remind us where we left off.

They are starting to wonder if Bill will ever find them.

They watch the farmer’s wife as she deposits a bowl of vegetables on a table and returns into the house.

Buffy and Jody feel bad about swiping food, but they figure that Uncle Bill can give the farmer some money later.

When the farmer enters the barn, they duck behind the haystack again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Davis clan is standing vigil at the Sitges police station, much to the annoyance of the Sitges police.

The desk sergeant says they are working on many other equally important cases.

The Civil Guard is making he thorough farm-to-farm search for the kids, he adds.

Buffy and Jody have been contemplating leaving the farm to search the woods for berries like Hansel and Gretel. Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, they peek outside.

Maybe what tips them off is the creepy bullfighting music that accompanies the guards’ approach. In any case, they decide to stay hidden.

After the guards leave, the Vegas are shaken by the encounter.

Carlos reassures his wife that everything is fine–after all, they answered honestly when they denied seeing the children.

Things are about to get more complicated for the Vegas, though.

Carlos quickly hauls the kids out of the hay.

Later the kids eat while the adults look on in concern.

Understandably, however, they are most just happy to be eating.

Meanwhile, the Vegas are whispering about what to do.

His wife is more soft-hearted.

Back in Sitges, everyone is still sitting around the police station.

They are even more surprised when Ricardo tells them the man is his father, Francisco Torres y Fiero, Spain’s soon-to-be special envoy to the United States.

As secrets go, it’s pretty tame–and convenient–so Cissy and Bill don’t hold a grudge.

Soon, Bill is meeting with an apologetic captain.

Apparently, that includes the Vega farm, where Buffy has been put to work.

The Vegas send the kids back to their hiding place.

In Sitges, a quiet moment finds French remarking that most employers would have fired him by now.

Ana tries to get Bill to eat some fish and chips.

That seems a little glib under the circumstances, but she soon redeems herself by having an amazing brainstorm.

As Anna and Bill take off to re-trace the bus route, night is falling and the Vegas are realizing that Buffy and Jody have to go.

Thinking of the priest does give Carlos an idea, though.

They deposit the still-sleeping kids on pews at the church.

When they come upon the sacristan, Ana asks him if he’s seen the kids.

The sacristan hasn’t seen the twins, so a dejected Bill and Ana turn to leave.

When they awaken, the kids are thrilled to see their uncle.

The kids say they knew that Uncle Bill would find them.

Anna Novarro shows some nice emotion in this reunion scene. It almost makes me wish Ana could join the Davis family permanently.

It’s not to be, however–when we next see the Davis family, they are back in New York, and French is fielding calls from Bill’s female admirers.

The kids are back in school, telling their teacher and peers what they learned in Spain. Jody learned what is probably the best lesson–not to get on a bus ahead of Mr. French. The kids also learned that while people in other countries may talk differently, they are not that different deep down.

And that’s a nice message to carry us through the holiday season.

See you in 2015!

Commentary

From a kid’s perspective, this three-parter was gripping and memorable. Getting lost and having to get by on your own is both a terrifying and rather exciting idea when you’re young. It’s appropriate that Buffy and Jody talk about Hansel and Gretel because this story taps into some of the same primal emotions as fairy tales.

Watching now, I do find the adults’ reactions to the situation a bit flat. Separation and loss have always been big issues on this show, so I would expect to see Bill and Cissy looking more frantic. From the director’s perspective, I’m sure it was preferable to confine everyone to a single set as much as possible, but such inaction doesn’t ring true from a man like Bill. (Contrast it, for example, with Mike and Carol Brady searching the Grand Canyon for their missing offspring: “Bobby! Cindy!”)

Too much restraint is better than over-acting, though, and I doubt the adults’ reactions detracted from the suspense young audience members felt watching these episodes or that satisfaction they took in the final reunion.

Continuity Notes

The twins mention their teacher, Miss Cummings.

Guest Cast

Francisco Torres y Fiero: George J. Lewis. Ana Vicente Casona: Anna Navarro. Carlos Vega: Nacho Galindo. Tio Dichoso: Jay Novello. Maria Vega: Rosa Turich. Lt. Playa: Valentin de Vargas. Sacristan: Julian Rivero. Ricardo: Johnny Aladdin. Captain: Tom Hernandez. Sergeant: Jose Haas.

Valentin de Vargas, who died last year, had roles in some well known movies, including Touch of Evil, Hatari, and The Magnificent Seven.

George J. Lewis’ most memorable role was probably his appearance as Don Alejandro in Walt Disney’s Zorro series. His work in films as a bit player, often uncredited, was prodigious–in 1944 alone, he appeared in approximately 20 films.

Written by: John McGreevey. Directed by: Charles Barton.

We start this episode with a brief review of previous events, which culminate with Buffy and Jody alone on a bus in Spain.

Mr. French is desperately trying to explain the situation to a woman at the bus station, but the language barrier interferes.

Sensing French’s alarm, Dichoso hurries off to find an English-speaking friend.

He can’t speak their language, but his irritation comes through loud and clear.

This shot features some nice shaky camera work, which conveys both the motion of the bus and helplessness the kids feel.

She’s taken him to her favorite place in Barcelona, a market area where gypsies recite sappy love poetry.

He says the poem–which ends with, “Love is a tear”–is very said.

Cissy’s also off having fun with a new love interest.

Ricardo sees some friends but declines to join them, even though Cissy says talking with his friends would help her improve her Spanish.

When the twins’ bus reaches Sitges, they disembark.

Instead of showing any concern for these kids, who are alone and clearly out of place, the angry driver stalks off.

The flower seller wishes him good luck. When Ana translates the sentiment, Bill says he understood it.

Come on, Ana, he knows “murmur” and “flame”–don’t patronize him!

In the cafe, Ricardo is introducing Cissy to churros, which she soon realizes are similar to doughnuts.

I’ve read several articles on the history of churros and haven’t come upon a reference to this. Can anyone shed any light?

She’s apparently supervising a school trip, and Buffy and Jody get swept up with the other children. Soon they are on another bus.

Realizing that the nun doesn’t speak English, Buffy says they’d better get off the before it takes them someplace else.

“It looks like we’re already someplace else,” Jody sighs.

Back in San Juan, French is relieved when Tio Dichoso’s bilingual friend arrives.

The driver remembers the kids, but when he and the station manager look for them, they come up empty-handed.

The translator breaks this alarming news to French, who insists on going to search for them himself.

“Don’t you understand?” he cries. “The children were in my charge. Mr. Davis entrusted me with their care.”

When we next see Buffy and Jody, some time has passed.

When they wake up, the driver has stepped away from the bus and left them alone.

They try knocking on the door of a nearby building but don’t get an answer.

Too much like a studio lot, maybe?

I guess no one ever told them that when you’re lost it’s better to stay in one place.

Cissy breaks the news that the twins are lost, and Bill is alarmed to learn that it’s been nine hours since the Sitges bus took them away.

He adds that the area around the Sitges station has been searched thoroughly.

(This scene is confusing. French does not mention that he went to Sitges himself to look for the kids. He must have done so, though, because he now has the picnic basket they left on the bus.)

As night falls, Buffy and Jody are getting tired, hungry, and even more scared.

“Ministers help people,” Buffy notes.

The twins decide to enter the church anyway.

Then they see something that terrifies them…

I don’t blame them–I’d be scared, too.

Eventually, they stop and determine that “it” isn’t following them. When Buffy asks what “it” is, Jody says he thinks it’s “something there aren’t any of.”

Buffy and Jody keep walking, inadvertently making their trail harder and harder for would-be rescuers to follow.

On the plus side, this guy can speak English. On the minus side, he’s really annoying.

He cheerfully notes that lost children are not uncommon, and that a family in the countryside is probably caring for the kids and keeping them safe.

Bill tries to emphasize the situation’s urgency–these kids are only seven years old and can’t speak the language.

Geez, they’re still seven? They were six two and half years ago!

In the countryside, Buffy and Jody’s travels bring them to a farm.

Looking inside, they discover that the barn has an occupant.

They are both sure that Uncle Bill will find them in the morning.

When dawn breaks, the farmer’s wife enters the barn to milk the cow.

When they hear someone coming, the twins scurry back to their hiding place.

When he leaves, it becomes clear that Buffy is at the end of her rope.

As the episode closes, Jody tries to comfort his sister.

I’ll offer commentary on this whole three-parter when I blog about Part 3. Look for that installment on Tuesday!

Guest Cast

Bus Driver: Rico Alaniz. Reader: Socrates Ballis. Carlos Vega: Nacho Galindo. Bus Driver: Gilberto Galvani. Senor Las Casas: Ruben Moreno. Ana Vicente Cassona: Anna Navarro. Tio Dichoso: Jay Novello. Sacristan: Julian Rivero. Station Manager: Ben Romer. Nun: Lenore Stevens. Maria Vega: Rosa Turich. Ricardo: Johnny Aladdin.

Whew–that’s a big cast. Most of these performers made their livings playing Hispanic bit parts in movies and television, especially in Westerns.

Ruben Moreno’s most visible film role was as Dustin Hoffman’s father in Little Big Man. He worked as a director and screenwriter as well an actor and is especially well remembered as an acting coach. A former student has set up a Facebook tribute page. Some sources say Moreno was a two-time Academy Award nominee, but I am unable to verify that in the official Academy Award database.

Lenore Stevens was once married to actor Richard Mulligan.

Sorry for my recent hiatus from posting. To make up for it, I hereby promise to get all three “Lost in Spain” episode summaries posted by Christmas. Some of them might even be posted on Fridays!

Written by: John McGreevey. Directed by: Charles Barton.

We open this week in the Davis living room, where Cissy is dealing with a major problem.

 

Uncle Bill tells her not to worry about it since a new semester is starting. The kids have been on a long holiday break, during which they apparently visited Connecticut.

Bill quickly puts the kibosh on that plan, and French leads the kids in what he describes as a post-holiday ritual.

Bill heads to work, where some potential clients coax him to take on a challenging project.

The new project would require going to Spain for at least three months, and Bill is reluctant to leave the kids.

The Spanish businessmen ask if Bill would take the project if they could find a way to keep the family together while it’s under way. He agrees, and they seal the deal with a handshake.

At home that evening, the kids are bubbling with news about school.

She has been named to the school paper staff. There’s also a new boy named Ken Dawson in her class. “Alphabetically, he can’t ignore me,” Miss Davis enthuses.

The kids are sad at the thought of Bill leaving, but they understand that he should take the job if it’s an important one.

“A man has to do his job,” Jody notes.

Bill surprises them with the news that they will be accompanying him to Spain.

Bill doesn’t take this dither too seriously. “It will be a big adventure for you,” he tells French in an amusingly off-hand way.

 

French praises the house as “attractive in the Spanish manner,” and Buffy and Jody like the courtyard.

I thought the Davis family had given up on fish.

While French scurries off to the kitchen to examine the “culinary devices,” the other family members meet the tutor Bill’s clients have engaged for the kids.

Soon, Buffy and Jody are betraying signs of sleepiness.

The idea of a siesta appeals to them. “It’s naps we don’t like,” Jody explains.

French wants to purchase a standing rib of beef (lean, but not too lean). He soon makes a shocking discovery, however–people in Spain speak Spanish!

“It’s incredible!” French gasps.

She runs off to get her husband, who greets French in English.

(I’m glad French is British, so we don’t have to claim him as an ugly American.)

As it turns out, “Good afternoon, sir,” is the limit of the male clerk’s English. Giving up on the beef, French points to the lobsters in front of him.

“Cuantas?” the clerk asks, leaving French at a total loss again.

(Good grief, French, it even sounds like quantity! And what would he be asking you at this point in the transaction?)

Even “uno, dos, tres,” doesn’t ring any bells for French, until the man repeats the words while holding up the appropriate number of fingers.

French manages to obtain four lobsters, but the prospect of going through this each day daunts him.

“One will go completely crackers,” he groans. (Maybe one should have picked up a Spanish phrase book before one left New York.)

He has, however, brought tea from New York.

“One is entitled to a few creature comforts when stationed in an alien land,” French tells an amused Bill.

(As if there is any doubt.)

Bill’s not the only one turning on the irresistible Davis charm in Spain, though.

He says they are from a secret admirer, and he insists on handing them directly to Cissy.

Ricardo says that the Davis family should have a guide to show them around Barcelona.

“If I ever need one, I guess I can get one,” replies Bill, who is full of dismissive quips this week.

Ricardo offers his services, though he dodges a question about his experience. He’s lived in Barcelona his whole life, he says, and he can show them the Museum of Fine Art, the Archaeology Museum, the Picasso Gallery, the zoo, the aquarium, the Passeig de Gracia for shopping, Montserrat, and more.

(This is making me want to go to Barcelona.)

Bill, who has figured out that Ricardo is Cissy’s “secret admirer,” agrees that the pair can do some sight-seeing–as long as Bill goes with them.

Neither Bill nor Cissy seems to notice how much trouble Ricardo has supplying his last name when they ask.

After Ricardo leaves, Cissy gushes about how good looking her suitor is.

He asks if she can help him brush up on his Spanish.

As she is heading out the door, Ana runs into Ricardo.

He assures her that he has a good reason for lying and secures her promise to keep his secret.

As they visit a museum and a cathedral, Ricardo recites facts that he’s obviously memorized.

Over lunch, Cissy asks if all the guides learn from same tour book. Ricardo admits that it seems to be true.

Ricardo wants them to give him another chance as a tour guide on Sunday. Bill will be busy with Ana, but he gives Cissy permission to go without him.

They are going to the beach at Sitges, which is about an hour’s bus ride away.

(I guess a plaid suit is French’s version of cabana-wear.)

As Bill and Ana prepare to leave, he notes that the twins are in capable hands with French.

The trip to Sitges requires a bus change, and Buffy forgets Mrs. Beasley on the first bus.

Uh-oh.

His inability to speak any Spanish makes it hard for him to explain his problem to anyone at the bus station.

We end this episode in suspense about the twins’ fate.

Continuity Notes

Bill mentions his brother. Jody mentions his friend Pete. We also get several references to Jody’s penchant for pet turtles.

Guest Cast

Tio Dichoso: Jay Novello. Senor Cabra: Roberto Iglesias. Ana Vicente Cassona: Anna Navarro. Senor Valgo: Alberto Morin. Clerk: Tina Menard. Girl Guide: Maria Grimm. Bus Driver: Saverio LoMedico. Ricardo: Johnny Aladdin.

Anna Navarro gets special billing here, but her career of TV appearances and small film roles (including one in Alfred Hitchcock’s Topaz) is similar to that of many other Family Affair guest actors. One of her more notable TV distinctions is that she played Ponch’s mother on CHIPs. Navarro’s real-life daughter has written a nice remembrance about her.

Jay Novello’s long television career included a recurring role as Mayor Lugatto on McHale’s Navy, as well as several appearances on I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show.

Maria Grimm really got around the Don Fedderson shows. In addition to this Family Affair appearance, she showed up on My Three Sons, To Rome, With Love, and The Smith Family. In the 1970s, she appeared on Villa Alegre, a bilingual kids show on PBS.

I haven’t been able to find out anything about the Johnny Aladdin who appeared in this episode. Online sources seem to mix him up with either a musician born in 1914 or a magician born in 1919. Neither identity seems likely, unless he was very well preserved in 1969. Johnny Aladdin, actor, did appear in the memorable Dragnet episode “The LSD Story”–he played the artist eating paint off his paintbrush.

Saverio LoMedico’s previous Family Affair appearance came in another episode about the twins getting lost.