Bachelor Father as a sitcom starring John Forsythe that debuted in the fall of 1957 on CBS. The series followed the adventures of Bentley Gregg, a wealthy bachelor attorney living in Beverly Hills who assumes the responsibility of raising his niece, Kelly (Noreen Corcoran), after her parents die in an auto accident. Other members of the Gregg household include houseboy Peter Tong (Sammee Tong) and Jasper, the dog. Plots centered on Bentley's adjustments to his new role as an adoptive parent, Bentley's search for the right woman to share his life, Kelly facing the usual problems of adolescence and young adulthood as she goes from high school to college, and, less often, Peter's misadventures with some financial scheme. Had the series made it into the sixth season, plots would have unboubtedly extended to Kelly's impending marriage to Bentley's junior partner, Warren Dawson. The series ended prior to the wedding. 157 episodes were aired and the show never finished any of its five seasons in the top 25 in the ratings.
First telecast was on September 15, 1957 on CBS on Sunday nights. The show moved to NBC on Thursday nights in the summer of 1959 and concluded its run in September of 1961. The series moved on to ABC remaining on Thursday nights in 1961 for its final series with its last telecast on September 25, 1962.
The series was produced by MCA's Revue Productions. The theme music, "Bentley's Theme," was by Conrad Salinger.
