Spinster World War prevented many within a generation of women from experiencing romance and marriage, or having children. The image of the old spinster with a fading photo of her dead World War I soldier boyfriend on her fireplace mantel was common in films of the 1950s and 1960s. Likewise, in the American classic novel "Gone with the Wind" (1936) about the Civil War, numerous references are made to grieving fiancées, women who were "wanted, if not wed", and to the shortage of single, able-bodied (and thus "marriageable") men at war's end. In modern peacetime societies with wide opportunities for romance,
Bachelor Father (UK TV series) believe them. Peter Lamb is a rich man who has always wanted a family, but failed to sustain any relationships. In the first episode, he decides to foster children. He then fosters a variety of diverse children 22 episodes in total were produced; because of the BBC's wiping policy in the 1970s, only one episode still exists in its original colour form, the first one: "Family Feeling". The other existing episodes below, indicated with an asterisk, survive as 16mm black and white telerecordings. Bachelor Father (UK TV series) Bachelor Father is a British sitcom starring Ian Carmichael that aired for