Tom Braden, 1917-2009

Jesse Walker | April 6, 2009

Say farewell to Tom Braden, an essential figure for anyone whose game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon requires a quick jump from Crossfire to Eight is Enough. Braden was one of the original hosts of the former program, and he wrote the memoir that inspired the latter; he also did a stint in the Central Intelligence Agency, which led him to write an infamous article called "Why I'm Glad the CIA Is Immoral"—making him, shall we say, an interesting choice to play Crossfire's standard-bearer for the left. From National Review I learn that his wife carried on an open, long-term affair with Fog of War star Robert McNamara, which means Dick Van Patten is just one degree removed from Errol Morris. I don't think they alluded to the liason in any episodes of Eight is Enough, but I was pretty young when that show was on the air, so maybe the references simply zoomed over my head.

Comments

alan|4.6.09 @ 2:13PM|#

The only memory of Eight is Enough I have is of an episode where the eldest son's friend from High School drops dead, and this lead the eldest son to turn bad which in 70's Hollywood meant took up riding motorcycles.

|4.6.09 @ 2:21PM|#

When I was about 14 my friends and I got ahold of a videotape called "Famous T&A". There wasn't really much famous T&A on it, Ursula Andress and Linda Evans were about as good as it got. But, what was on there was all of the actresses who played the daughters on 8 is Enough in their 70s B movie topless glory. I was shocked.

|4.6.09 @ 3:48PM|#

I was also pretty young when Eight is Enough was on the air. But I was old enough to know that Eight is Way Too Fucking Many.

|4.6.09 @ 6:23PM|#

Braden was a ass


I do wonder if he truly had no idea who Colonel House was.

|4.7.09 @ 8:00PM|#

4 hours, 4 comments; nobody cares about Tom Braden.