How Many Daughters Did Matlock Have?

No bad mouthing here please. Once on the Cosby show Claire I believe remarked "why do we have four children?" I think Cliff replied "because we did not want five!" Eventually they did have five.

It's really not that big of a stretch on the Bonanza issue, lots of women died giving birth back then, and at least one could have died from illness or accident.

To chicago85 ~ the correct title of Lorne Greene's TV series is "Bonanza", plain and simple.

Well, I suppose that these programs do tend to become a bit Soapish every now and again. But doesn't Ben mention something to his Linda Purl daughter about her elder sister, who's away at Law School, during Linda's season?

Where else besides "Bonanza" does this happen? Yes, that Ben does mention Hoss' mother as different from Adam and Little Joe's, which could easily mean that they've had three different mothers.

But then anytime one of the Cartwright men romance a potential fiancee, she certain is lucky to escape from the Ponderosa alive and very fortunate because just try to begin to count the trail of murdered fiancees which those four amass.

Ricard Mulligan's character has two daughters on that one show set in Miami, or is it three? Carol and Barbara or Carol and Barbara and Emily or one comes after the other leaves.

Meanwhile, back on "Happy Days," the Cunninghams lose son Chuck, who suddenly disappears once he dribbles his basketball up the steps and never returns for dinner.

Alexis and Blake Carrington have four children, who are all kidnapped at one point in their lives. Adam, as a baby, is discovered as an adult in Montana. Fallon keeps disappearing for long spells even after she is cleverly portrayed by a different actress, who also disappears for a long time. Stephen is believed to be deceased for a long time after his stowaway ship explodes off the coast of Sumatra. And Amanda suddenly appears as an adult after Blake had no idea that she was ever a child. But you never see these four or five together in any one scene.

Even back in the day of "My Three Sons," one son disappears and is suddenly substituted by an adoptive son. "Donna Reed Show" exits a daughter before another suddenly appears. "Petticoat Junction" retains three daughters, but many cast changes appear along the way. "Doris Day Show" sons suddenly disappear without any trace. "Barnaby Jones" loses a son to murder in the first episode, but gains a daughter-in-law and a nephew to help him out of retirement.

So, apart from Soap Operas, who knows which series holds the record for introducing new family additions outside of childbirth? But "Matlock" certainly does its fair share, while Mrs. "Murder, She Wrote" gains an entire flock of long-lost nieces and nephews along the course, and she has to defend most of them, as well as her long-lost dear old friends because they're all often accused of murder, and she very often finds the bodies, as well.

But, unlike Ben Matlock, who charges that very, very steep $10,000 to prove his court case clients not guilty, Jessica Fletcher does it all backwards, amateurishly, and without any fee.

If Sheridan were here, he'd be appalled.

Well, they didn't all die in childbirth....Adam's mother was the daughter of a Boston Seaman, and died in childbirth....Hoss's mother was Swedish and was killed by an Indian's arrow while traveling to Nevada in a wagon train when Hoss was still a baby....and Little Joe's mother was French Creole in New Orleans and lived till Joe was about 5 years old, then was murdered. There was a back flash episode to show each of these stories. The episodes explained why the three sons were all so different, in looks and in culture. For example, Hoss is the only one who says things like " Dang Burn It ! ", while Adam 's speech is so educated and cultured.

I know exactly what you mean, JP, I RECENTLY saw the murderer episode, and recognizing her was creepy !

She might not be a relative or friend of Andy's, but maybe the Producer or Director.....a while back, I was watching an old episode of a TV Western, and there was a kid guest starring, who was the ugliest kid I ever saw. I thought to myself he MUST be related to someone, because certainly they did not audition hundreds of kids and chose this one ! Well, I anxiously waited for the credits to role to see who this kid was...and sure enough, he was Teddy Rooney, SON OF MICKEY ! !

Also, the guy that played Cliff in the last 2 seasons (I think) was on the show a bunch before that roll. He played a doctor, a lawyer in New York. I guess using actors over and over was a thing back then. ??