Family Portraits

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Family Portraits
Released
1987 (original release)
2012 (second release)
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Family Portraits

Family Portraits is an album that contains all 13 episodes of Family Portraits, the pilot series that led to the creation of Adventures in Odyssey. It was originally released in 1987 on four cassettes. It was re-released in 2012 as a digital download.

The Family Portraits Series

In 1987, Family Portraits, a radio drama series, aired on the Focus on the Family broadcast to see if the Christian community would respond to a new form of entertainment as an alternative to Saturday morning cartoons. Thirteen episodes were written and produced and are contained within the album, complete with the wrap-around commentary by Dr. James Dobson and co-host Mike Trout.

The show captured the hearts and imaginations of listeners - young and old and continued on to gain full production status at Focus on the Family after a largely positive reaction by the listening audience.

The Album

All 13 episodes of the Family Portraits series were released in a four-cassette album in 1987. As Adventures in Odyssey became more popular, the album quickly became a collector's item. Although some episodes of Family Portraits were released as a part of the Gold Audio Series, the full series did not become available again until December 2012, when Focus on the Family made all 13 episodes available for digital download. In 2014, Family Portraits was also released as part of the Adventures in Odyssey Club.

Description

This heart-warming collection of 13 family-oriented stories follows the continuing adventures of John Avery Whittaker (Whit) and his friends and the residents of the town of Odyssey. Through their everyday foibles and frustrations, these characters illuminate the daily struggles we all face: sibling rivalry, the consequences of lying, the effects of divorce on kids, peer pressure, teen rebellion and the relationship between children and their parents among other themes.

Recurring Characters

Character Episode Number
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
John Whittaker
Tom Riley
Jimmy

Episodes

Episode Original Airdate Writer Director Rating Buy Preview
#FP01: “Whit's Visitor”
January 5, 1987
Steve Harris
Phil Lollar
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FOTF.png

Whit finds a young boy named Davey Morrison hiding in his garage. The boy's parents are getting separated, and Whit realizes Davey needs some help coping with the pain.

#FP02: “Dental Dilemma”
January 12, 1987
Susan McBride
Steve Harris
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FOTF.png

Emily Forbes loves the dentist. But when her older brother frightens her with lies about her teeth, she fears Dr. Graves is going to pull all of them out!

#FP03: “The New Kid in Town”
January 19, 1987
Phil Lollar
Steve Harris
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FOTF.png

Whit meets a 13-year-old girl named Shawn Walker who is new to town and has no friends.

#FP04: “No Stupid Questions”
January 26, 1987
Susan McBride
Steve Harris
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FOTF.png

Chris Gottlieb, a man in a wheelchair, and Meg Stevens, a girl with a lot of questions, form an odd friendship when they help each other out.

#FP05: “You're Not Gonna Believe This...”
February 2, 1987
Phil Lollar
Phil Lollar
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Download from the Official Podcast

Budgie likes to exaggerate and his cousin Jamie Wentworth feels he just can't trust him anymore. After an incredibly over-the-top tale, Whit helps both Jamie and Budgie deal with their differences and accept each other for who they are.

#FP06: “My Brother's Keeper”
February 16, 1987
Phil Lollar
Phil Lollar
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FOTF.png

Phillip Callas gets angry during baseball practice and tells his younger brother Dean Callas to go home. When Dean doesn't return home, the police get involved and try to track down the boy.

#FP07: “While Dad's Away”
March 2, 1987
Phil Lollar
Phil Lollar
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FOTF.png

Whit tells the story of Mike Brettman, a vice president for a local company, whose job keeps him from seeing his family.

#FP08: “The Letter”
March 9, 1987
Steve Harris
Steve Harris
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Download from the Official Podcast

After her father embarrasses her in front of a friend, Stacey refuses to speak to him. Her mother intervenes and tries to prove to her how much her father actually loves her.

#FP09: “A Different Kind of Peer Pressure”
March 16, 1987
Steve Harris
Steve Harris
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The Hudson family is having trouble with peer pressure. The daughter, Blair Hudson, decides to not be friends with a guy who is not considered 'in', and her father, Richard Hudson, puts down a co-worker to fit in.

#FP10: “In Memory of Herman”
March 23, 1987
Phil Lollar
Phil Lollar
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Amanda and Vic Hardwick are a married couple who disagree about Christianity. Amanda is convinced that she must persuade Vic to accept the gospel so he won't go to hell.

#FP11: “A Member of the Family, Part 1”
March 30, 1987
Susan McBride
Steve Harris
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Whit's grandson Monty comes to visit him but starts causing problems for Whit and the rest of the town when Monty starts acting strangely, feeling his grandfather has been treating him unfairly.

#FP12: “A Member of the Family, Part 2”
April 6, 1987
Steve Harris
Steve Harris
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FOTF.png

Whit's grandson Monty comes to visit him but starts causing problems for Whit and the rest of the town when Monty starts acting strangely, feeling his grandfather has been treating him unfairly.

#FP13: “A Simple Addition”
April 13, 1987
Susan McBride
Paul McCusker
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In an effort to get attention, young Nicky Rogers does whatever he can to get his parents to stop thinking about their soon-to-be-born child.

Writers

Writer Episode Number
FP01 FP02 FP03 FP04 FP05 FP06 FP07 FP08 FP09 FP10 FP11 FP12 FP13
Paul McCusker
Phil Lollar
Steve Harris
Susan McBride

Bonus Features

  • 32 minute discussion about the creation of Family Portraits (2012 release)

Album Artwork

Resources