Career
Jones was eight when her acting skills drew the attention of television producers, and she was cast as Elizabeth "Buffy" Patterson Davis on the CBS sitcom Family Affair (1966). In the opening plotline, Buffy, her twin brother, Jody (Johnny Whitaker) and older sister, Cissy (Kathy Garver) are sent to live with their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) and his valet Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) after the children's parents died in a car accident. By July 1969 the series had become a hit, and Jones became a popular child celebrity. That year, she also had a small role in the Elvis Presley comedy film The Trouble with Girls.
Family Affair was a grueling, full-time, year-round job for Jones. She was often either shooting or promoting the show in public seven days a week. Through each of the first three seasons, up to 30 episodes were broadcast. This contrasts with later American television series that shoot fewer than 25 episodes each season, allowing more breaks in filming and requiring fewer promotional appearances for the actors. In April 1969, Jones broke her leg on a playground, and the producers had her injury written into the show's scripts.
Jones' Buffy character had a doll named "Mrs. Beasley", which she claimed talked to her, often making funny comments. When the show became a hit, the doll was marketed by Mattel and became a best-seller in North America. Jones took part in several other lucrative Family Affair product marketing campaigns such as Buffy paper dolls, lunch boxes, a clothing line, coloring books and a 1971 cookbook with her picture on the cover.
Family Affair was cancelled in 1971 after five seasons and 138 episodes. By then, Jones was 13 years old and said she was happy at the thought of no longer needing to be seen with the doll. She wanted to act in films but, as can happen with any successful actor, child or adult, Jones couldn't find the kind of work she wanted. She auditioned for the part of Regan MacNeil in the film The Exorcist, but the director felt that, with Family Affair still in popular consciousness at the time through daytime reruns, movie audiences might think Buffy was the one being possessed. Meanwhile, Brian Keith kept in touch with her through letters and offered Jones a young-adult role on The Brian Keith Show (1972–1974). Keith told her she would not need to audition for the part, but, by then, Jones did not want to work in television.
Read more about this topic: Anissa Jones
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