The Chadwick Family Synopsis & Summary

My Three Sons star Fred MacMurray once more finds himself the paterfamilias of an extended family. MacMurray plays Ned Chadwick, a newspaper publisher on a tiny California offshore island. Ned and his wife (Kathleen Maguire) have three daughters and one son, who in turn have provided the elder Chadwicks with numerous grandchildren. The "racial balance" so common to TV-movies of the 1970s is maintained by the Chinese/American fiance (Frank Michael-Liu) of the youngest Chadwick daughter. By the time we're introduced to everyone, the film is half over. Chadwick Family was the pilot film for a potential Fred MacMurray TV series; the networks passed. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide