Eight is Enough
Editor: David Tanny
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Susan Richardson -- "Susan Bradford Stockwell"You Are Here Through This Shortcuthttp://susan.eightisenough.com/ for Susan RichardsonRelated PagesMovies FeaturedEpisodes Featured Timeline Random Videos Picture Gallery IntroSusan the middle daughter (age 19), athlete, daycare sitter, and later mother (became a Stockwell upon marriage), was played by Susan Richardson who was born on March 11, 1952. March=3, so you take 3 from her day 11 and you get eight!
Before Joining EiEVery little has been known about her until I found an article via the northernlights.com search engine and it yielded me more information that I can share.Back around 1970, Susan starred in her senior play on stage in Coatesville. In around 1971, she was 19 when she got to Hollywood at a relatively young age. Her first day there, she stood in a cattle call of girls who look like Farrah Fawcett and she's right there in her high school clothes with what she calls a dorky hairdo while her 12-year-old competetors have stacks and etc. Nobody knew what the movie was all about. Susan was in line with about 400 girls and the director took her aside and says to her "Why do you dress like that?" and she thought she was dressed school. The movie turned out to be American Graffiti and Susan just was the part with the innocence and the dorkiness to go with it. George Lucas the director just cast her on the spot. In the summer of 1973: the movie "American Graffiti" premiered with Ron Howard (Happy Days, 1974) and starring many unknowns, many of which later also got TV series of their own, including, Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley, 1976), MacKenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time, 1975), Debralee Scott (Welcome Back Kotter, 1975), Suzanne Somers (Three's Company, 1977), and Susan Richardson (Eight is Enough, 1977). In a strange sense, this may have been the launching of the pack before the Brat Pack of the 1980's, though I rather call it the Graffiti Group consisting of these stars On March 4, 1975, Susan Richardson played "Carol" in "Happy Days" episode #35 titled "Fonzie Joins the Band" (She was also in American Graffiti in a small part related to this TV show) In 1975, Susan Richardson guested in "The Streets of San Francisco" playing "Marlene Hollander" in episode: "The Programming of Charlie Blake" In 1976, Susan Richardson was seen briefly (in a brief scene early in the movie with Kris Kristofferson) in "A Star is Born" starring Barbra Streisand. During EiESusan was seen in not only the pilot of the series, with her older brother played by the soon-to-be-known-as Master Luke, Mark Hamill as David, she was a regular in the Eight is Enough series, first starting out as a 19-year-old Susan Bradford trying out as an athlete, then later daycare sitter and mother after she married Merle "The Pearl" Stockwell (Brian Patrick Clarke) and took her husband's name in 1979.On March 15, 1978, Susan Richardson married Michael Virden on the first anniversary her show premiered on ABC. In Sept 1978: M*A*D Magazine does a parody of the show in issue #201 and incinerates the show as "Eight is Too Rough." In issue #203, cast member Susan Richardson had her letter printed saying that it was hysterical and almost caused a riot on the set. In Fall 1978: Susan Richardson popped up in the kids talk show "Kids Are People Too" On the May 12, 1979 issue of TV GUIDE, a feature included Susan Richardson. In Sep 22, 1979, Adam Rich, Dick Van Patten, Susan Richardson, and who knows who else guested in "CHiPs" playing themselves in episode: "Roller Disco: Part 2" On September 19, 1979, David and Susan each got married in a double wedding. David married Janet and Susan wed Merle just two TV weeks after Merle was introduced. Sep=9, so add 9+19=28! Sometime during the series run 1977-86, Susan Richardson guested in "The Love Boat" In February 27, 1980, Susan Richardson gave birth in real life to Sarah. Dick Van Patten is Sarah's godfather. During the final season, Susan gained over 90 pounds when she was carrying Sarah and there was a vicious rumor on the set that they were going to recast her role, and she believed the rumors. She got out of the hospital and tried every kind of drug in sight to lose weight and got herself hooked on cocaine and got real skinny. WARNING: Don't try this to lose weight! It's a very expensive way to lose weight as well as risking your life! On the morning of Sep 1, 1980, while I was up all night watching the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, one of the blondes among the bunch in a roller skating boogie clip to the song "Fame" may have been Susan herself. They say when you're up all night you see things so I dunno. Sep 7, 1980, Susan was a presenter for an award in the actor strike-plagued 32nd Annual Television Emmy Awards. In October 29, 1980, Susan Stockwell gave birth to the first Bradford grandchild, Sandra Sue Stockwell. Richardson in real life had Sarah on February 27, eight months before. Coincidentally, both births occurred on a Wednesday. In Dec 7, 1980, Dick Van Patten, Laurie Walters, Susan Richardson, and who knows who else, played themselves (uncredited) in "CHiPs" episode: "The Great 5k Star Race and Boulder Wrap Party (Part 2)" On Mar 19, 1981, Susan and her band Harmony played at Studio Instrument Rentals, Stage 3, in Hollywood. On May 25, 1981, Memorial Day, Susan Richardson sung on TV during a "People Tonight" show hosted by Lee Leonard on CNN. She sang Buddy Holly's "Maybe Baby" song and an original song, "Song for Sarah" written by Lee M. Kaplan. She gotten herself involved in a rock and roll band and one night on stage, she fell off and shattered her tailbone, and spent four months in the hospital while on Damral and Morphine. She went from one atrocious habit to another. Susan's Game Show YearsWas Susan the hardest-working actress outside Eight is Enough? Take a look at these credentials all in a four-year span! In 1978 through 1981, Susan was seen as a celebrity panelist on many game shows on occasion such as "Password", "Match Game '78", "You Don't Say", "The $20,000 Pyramid", "The Hollywood Squares", and even "Family Feud" Some of the confirmed dates she appearred on The Match Game include: The week of Dec 25-29, 1978, I distinctly remember Susan appearring on the $20,000 Pyramid along with a star from Lou Grant, Darryl Anderson. The week of July 7-13, 1979, Susan and Jimmy Baio guested on The Junior Pyramid. In the special edition, young contestants compete to win up to $5,000 in scholarship funds. After her four-year gig (1977-81) as tomboyish, down-to-earth Susan Bradford on the popular family drama, and seen in 60 countries around the globe, Richardson said it was hard to get past the typecasting. Although she played a 19-year-old and then a young mother on "Eight," she said she was in reality "only a couple of years younger than Betty Buckley," who played the brood's stepmother. "You get identified strongly with a role. It's a typecasting curse. Then casting directors think people don't want to see you get older, because it makes them feel older," Richardson explained. After EiE ended, Susan was guest-starring on everything you can imagine, and for her it was a very lonely time as she was scrambling through a lot of different things and having a drug problem on top of it. Unfortunately, she got involved with some real crooks with her management, but as it turns out she's going to be rich as they thought they stole her money, but it ended up being creatively invested by the crooks, they got busted, and Susan got the money back with interest. About Susan's incident in Korea in early 1987, Susan said on a radio interview that it was recently declassified by the FBI as of November 1999, and she just sold the rights of her story to a big New York company and she can't talk about it right now. She says it's going to be made into a feature film about Susan's life story. A lot of folks in Hollywood thought it was a publicity stunt, and that kind of rejection tore her apart for the longest time; they didn't believe her then because of the drug problem. A lot of what happened in Korea is now common knowledge now. Susan ponders who could play her in the feature film. Angelina Jolie comes to her mind. The man who saved her life, Michael Wangert, she would love to play her dad, Jon Voight, her all-time favorite actor. The man who saved her life treated her like a real-life daughter and she thought that combination of Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight would be great. She says her co-star Willie Aames is working for Billy Graham, and in a foreign country, something bad happend to him but she's not so sure. She mentions that her TV dad Dick Van Patten was a saint and adorable man, and he helps them all out. Adam Rich had a serious drug problem while they were doing the show and afterwards. So did Susan, and Willie had some drug problems. With Susan, she got to the point where she was just about homeless, and he just took money out of his pocket, gave her money for the airline tickets, and said to take his precious goddaughter Sarah and go home for a while, which she thought it was going to be for a couple of months, and turned out to be ten years. She assures us that what you saw in Van Patten is what you got; she says he's like a big teddy bear and a little child. He took the cast to Disneyland just to have fun one time. Susan learned a lesson from Van Patten; she would never turn down one fan down for any reason. Today, other than auctioning her life story, and waiting for the millions to come in, what Susan is doing with her time in late 1999 was sometime, she was getting Teddy Bears from around the world, so she started a Teddy Bear club, which she is thrilled about, and people are sending her the bears and she's taking them to Children's Hospitals beginning in Pennsylvania, then Chicago. A very young precious girl in her life, who passed away, she was working for her Starlight Foundation which grants children's last wishes, and she has been like a guardian angel and she just loved her even though she's been gone for 16 years. Susan started her own toy line, making toys for Barbra Streisand and everything and they're called Angel Babies, and all that money is going to go to the Starlight Foundation to grant the wishes of children, and she has a single coming out, and a book. Singing is what Susan went out to Los Angeles to do, and the first musical she sees is "Tommy". Susan did some recording before she was taken overseas in 1986 or so and it turns out the kids love it here and it's very contemporary Go Go's that kind of thing. Her daughter's teenage girlfriends love Susan's songs. In her life story, Susan will be doing that rock and roll thing and breaking her back and all, so Susan will be cashing in. Mostly now, Susan is just playing horseshoes with the hillbillies in her backyard. Susan said it was funny that Star did a whole page about it a week before she was interviewed and her boyfriend was very excited being about 16 years younger than her. Her boyfriend never say Eight is Enough, but he loved Susan because she was her. He got his first big layout in the rag and referred to as Gus instead of Don; he was devastated. In the 12 years Susan has been in her hometown, it's not even the money, but when she was doing Eight is Enough, she did a lot of things for children's charities, and it turns out that her managers took it all and put it in their own pockets, but Susan will be having the last laugh on that. Susan had 12 years in a wonderful community who loves her for her. The thing that made her famous to begin with now she's lived 12 years of it again in real life that money and all that stuff was just a passing thing. Have true love with people. The community, family, and friends, that's what life is all about. Sometimes you have to hit real rock bottom to appreciate that. Susan said her new CD would be coming out six months after her interview, but as of May 2000, it's due. Her daughter Sarah will be starring in the video. After EiEIn the August 8-14 issue of TV Guide, with the date being somewhat coincidental (8-8), Susan Richardson was featured.Winter 1982, I remember Susan being the spokesperson for the "Wingo" game in the "Star" tabloid. In Jan 16, 1982, Susan Richardson guested in "Fanasy Island" In Jan 31, 1982, Susan Richardson guested in "CHiPs" playing "Snow Pink" in episode: "Battle of the Bands" In Fall 1982, (dates foggy, but I guess Oct 10 and Dec 5) Susan Richardson did two episodes of One Day at a Time as Eloise. On Oct 18, 1987, Susan was seen in the TV movie reunion "Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion" In October 19-23, 1987, four of the children guested on Password Plus. I guess there were Susan, Grant, Adam, and I'm not sure about the fourth, Lani? I don't know who won because NBC interrupted the last day with some news bulletin. On Oct 15, 1989, Susan was seen in the TV movie reunion "A Eight is Enough Wedding" In April 1991, Susan Richardson was seen on "Entertainment Tonight" about her new life in some Amish country as someone on the messageboard reports. On July 26/27, 1994, Susan Richardson talked to host Jeff Probst on the fX show "Backchat" Susan was mentioned in a newspaper article "You Can't Take It With You" review 2-21-1998 running through May 9 at the Rainbow Dinner Theatre. Latest News About The Former Cast MemberA January 25, 1998 article on Susan appearred in the newspaper "Sunday News Lancaster, PA" (name?) The article states that Susan came back to theater in the local town to star at the Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Paradise, a 15-minute drive from her hometown of Sadsburyville, six miles west of Coatesville. Richardson starred in the Feb. 11-May 9 production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Moss Hart/George S. Kaufman play "You Can't Take It With You."It appears eight really was enough - eight years of down time, that is, for this devoted mother of a 17-year-old Coatesville High School senior, Sarah. The personable blonde (formerly a redhead) decided to chuck Hollywood eight years ago to give her child the same kind of rural, small-town upbringing she'd had herself in Sadsburyville, with a truck-driving father, homemaker mother and three siblings. Except for some charity work and some directing for Suburban Cable in Lancaster, Richardson stayed clear of the show biz milieu since doing the last of two "Eight Is Enough" reunion specials in 1989. Richardson stuck a cautious toe back in the roiling waters of fame in 1997 by appearing on "Eight Is Enough" 20th-reunion talk shows hosted by Sally Jesse Raphael, Geraldo Rivera and Howard Stern. In the Rainbow comedy production, the 45-year-old actress will play a 50-year-old matriarch and will need aging makeup to help her hit that mark. Amazingly young looking, the 5-feet-4-inch, 110-pound actress whips out old black-and-white glossies of her heyday, when her large eyes and elfin features made her the image of innocent youth and beauty. The eyes are still striking, the laughter infectious. Instead of air-kissing both cheeks the way the Hollywood bigwigs do, Richardson is into warm, spontaneous hugs. Her daughter looks uncannily similar to Richardson's old photos. Coincidentally, the teen-ager performed in a senior play at Coatesville High School last fall, taking the part of a town girl in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." That's the same play Richardson did in her senior year at the same school. But she starred as Abigail. "Sarah doesn't want to go into show business," Richardson said firmly. Her daughter has already been offered and turned down several modeling jobs. "She's 100 times more gorgeous and more talented than I ever was, but she wants to join Medivac and fly a helicopter." When Sarah goes off to LaSalle University near Philadelphia this fall, Richardson plans a return to the theater via the Rainbow. "It is a stepping up," she insisted. "Although some people perceive it as stepping down. It's a real challenge, and I'm actually a little nervous about it. It's so different from TV, which is very intimate. On stage, it feels like you're screaming to be heard." Richardson still stays in touch with her "Eight Is Enough" castmates (most of whom have left show business for other employment). She considers Dick Van Patton, Sarah's godfather, "a second father." She hopes to get Van Patton, the father on "Eight Is Enough," to come to the Rainbow for a peek. She'd like to see him. But she doesn't want to leave home to do it. In fact, she hopes to be able to pursue an acting career from Sadsburyville, which seems a far cry from L.A. But Richardson's roots in this area are strong, running back to the days when she cut her after-school job to sneak into Lancaster and watch rehearsals at Franklin & Marshall College's Green Room Theater. Besides her daughter and parents, the twice-divorced actress has a steady, seven-year relationship with a 30-year-old man who is now her fiance. "He never saw me in "Eight Is Enough,"' Richardson said. "He's a regular lunch-bucket-carrying, carpet-and-tile-laying guy with a couple of tattoos, and he's never even seen a play." Returning to Hollywood is not likely for the all-American girl who broke into show biz by beating out a bevvy of Farrah Fawcett clones in a cattle call casting session for "American Graffiti" in 1972. She did make a stab at a "comeback" a few years ago by auditioning twice for a role in New York-based ABC soap "All My Children." But Anne Meara got the part. "I'll probably try again, one of these days," Richardson said. "It's not that I need the money. I just need to entertain." Richardson supports herself nowadays on TV residuals. She'll get a substantial increase when she hits 55 and her contracted retirement kicks in. In the meantime, the girl who grew up in a trailer park says she's more than comfortable living in a double-wide trailer of her own and going to the grocery store where everybody knows her name. "The only thing fortune in Hollywood brought me was a lot of heartache," she said with a wry smile. "Now, I just want to act. And I'll have to work at it. I'm new to the stage, and I want to be good. The novelty of my Hollywood name is soon going to wear off."
Update Dec 1999Susan called into a radio show in El Paso recently.
Subject: What The Cast Members Are Doing?
Name: Sarah Richardson Date: Wednesday, 18-Feb-98 09:18:31 Message: Hi! This is Sarah, Susan's daughter. You don't have to believe me, but this is really me. You wanted to know where are they now. Well I cannot speak for everyone else, but my mom is doing great. We live in a town called Coatesville, PA. Right now she is involved in doing the play "You Can't Take it With You" in a local Dinner Theatre. She loves it. She plays the lead of Penelope, a crazy older lady, and she is doing a great job because she is kind of crazy herself so she doesn't really have to act. Well thanks for caring. We're (my mom and I) going to be on a talk show on Friday with Dick VAn Patten. He is my godfather. I'm really excited. Love SArah Related Resources |
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