My Three Sons - General Discussion

[Bethany]

I'm enjoying this show but I just saw the goofiest episode - somehow Mike and Robbie both have blind dates on the same night, they each get the wrong girl by mistake and hilarity ensues.  It was funny, somewhat, but a little more far fetched plot wise than I've noticed up to now.  One thing that was fun was seeing Trudi Ames playing Mike's (really Robbie's) date.  She was so good as Ursula in Bye Bye Birdie.  Looks like she pretty much stopped acting once she outgrew teen roles.  I hope she has had a good life,

[Bethany]

It's a whole different world on this show.   Today they are seeing Steve off at the airport and just to wave him good-bye they all are wearing suits, right down to 9ish year old Chip.  I've noticed before that wearing suits is the norm for almost any social occasion.  I don't think most little kids I know even have suits anymore unless they've been part of a wedding party.

[BigBingerBro]

5 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

It's a whole different world on this show

Yes M3S is a literal time capsule about how things were.

Sad that the most common flying/travel outfit these days is pyjamas.  I'm all for comfort but some take it too far.

[Gemma Violet]

6 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

It's a whole different world on this show.   Today they are seeing Steve off at the airport and just to wave him good-bye they all are wearing suits, right down to 9ish year old Chip.  I've noticed before that wearing suits is the norm for almost any social occasion.  I don't think most little kids I know even have suits anymore unless they've been part of a wedding party.

Take a look at baseball game footage from the 1950s or thereabouts and you'll notice all the men in the crowd have suits on.  (There's usually no women in the crowd.)  Lol, can you imagine a guy wearing a suit to a ball game today? 

Different times indeed. 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Gemma Violet

[Egg McMuffin]

My grandfather always wore a suit when he came to visit us, even into the late 70s when times were changing. And he was a blue collar worker, so it wasn’t like he was wearing suits to work. I also remember how my maternal and paternal grandparents called each other “Mr and Mrs.” Not that they didn’t like each other, but they didn’t know each other well and only close friends were on a first name basis.

[Bethany]

I just saw another goofy episode but I loved it.  "Le Petit Stowaway".  Dopey from start to finish as we have Chip stowing away on a flight that turns out to be heading for Paris.  One unlikely thing after another happens and yet, I dunno, it worked for me.  I did have to wonder what the heck the writers were thinking though!

In another episode "Bub" reveals that he is 63 and I thought "whoa is that what 63 looks like? " and went running for a mirror.  Then checked William Frawley's bio and found he was actually 75 in that episode.  Crisis averted!

Edited November 23, 2022 by Elizabeth Anne

[Bethany]

Still enjoying this show but yesterday Bub was off to Ireland and today we meet Uncle Charley.  I guess he'll grow on me but I loved Bub and the show isn't going to be the same without him!

I notice from reading back posts here that Bub never get mentioned again.  Was this a decision someone actually made or was it just lazy writing going forward?

Edited April 21, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[Egg McMuffin]

They mention Bub a few times after Uncle Charley first comes, but he’s never again mentioned after season 5. And Mike is never mentioned again by name after season 6. I think it was a deliberate decision. There’s a later episode, after the wives started joining the cast, where Steve awkwardly says to one of his sons, “When your mother had the first of you boys…” They clearly didn’t want to mention MIke by name - guessing they didn’t want to confuse newer viewers.

[Bethany]

Today Mike and Sally got married.  I gather from posts above that we never see them again.  They didn't waste any time setting up the scenario for how they keep the three sons.  Did we ever learn prior to this that Ernie was a foster child?  I can't remember it coming up.  He also loses a few years of age and is no longer in the same grade as Chip!  And Uncle Charley - he was always kind of grouchy but in this episode he's a non-stop griper.  I miss Bub.

[Egg McMuffin]

Nope, prior to this episode, there was no reference to Ernie being adopted, and he as supposed to be in the same grade as Chip. But Ernie had already been on the show for two seasons as a semi regular, so it was less jarring to promote him to third son than bringing in someone new. Also, I’m guessing the producers were happy not to have to break in a new stage mother, since the actors who played Chip and Ernie were real-life brothers.

Bub was crusty but lovable. Uncle Charley was just an old crank. I know that in real life, the boys preferred William Frawley, who they were close to and really seemed to love. They didn’t dislike William Demarest, but said he wasn’t fun like Frawley was.

BTW, I thought it was nice that they got Tim Considine and Meredith MacRae back to do cameos as Mike and Sally in the season premiere. It would have been just as easy to pick up the storyline several months later and mention that they had married and moved away.

[Bethany]

2 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

BTW, I thought it was nice that they got Tim Considine and Meredith MacRae back to do cameos as Mike and Sally in the season premiere. It would have been just as easy to pick up the storyline several months later and mention that they had married and moved away.

Agreed.  I know Meredith MacRae moved on to another show but I don't think Tim Considine did - it would have been nice as well to see a cameo or two from them over the years.  Like a lot of others posting here I had no idea there even was a Mike (let alone a Sally!) until I got the chance to see these older episodes.

[Blergh]

As per Mr. Considine's 1st wife Charlotte Stewart, he had been allowed to direct a single episode of M3S earlier and decided to negotiate with both barrels demanding to direct no fewer than half the episodes per season and with a larger salary. He told the producers that if they didn't agree, he'd walk. He thought that his role of Mike was essential to the show but Mr. MacMurray wasn't so sure Mr. Considine could keep the MacMurray System (with an entire seasons episodes shot at once with scenes with Mr. MacMurray done first in each room/set before the whole thing would be edited). Moreover, the PTB didn't think Mike was the most important part of the show. ..and they had already made Ernie as a semi-regular character with him being Chip's sidekick (since Chip was already becoming a teen). Thus, they decided to tell Mr. Considine 'bye' and only have him guest in that wedding episode with Miss MacRae instantly sending them off on their honeymoon never to be seen again (and barely referred) before launching the arc in which Ernie turned out to have been a foster kid in need of a family and the Douglases pulled some interesting strings to adopt him (including have Uncle Charley as Ernie's new legal. .. .mother[?!]). Yep, as per Miss Stewart's account,Mr. Considine was out of a job right after he'd gotten married and was due to import a Ferrari from Italy! Thankfully, Steve McQueen (of all people) saw the Ferrari in the LA show room and paid cash for it before Mr. Considine was obligated to cough up the funds to the dealer!

 Of course, the irony was that there would only be the tiniest tiffs between  the Zen Chip and Ernie with Ernie being his new brother while Hothead Robbie had constantly battled with Mike and Chip before he finally got somewhat tamed via marrying Katie!

[Egg McMuffin]

Fred MacMurray also didn’t want to be directed by his TV son on a full time basis. I can’t say I blame him.

GIven that Considine’s departure was due to a failed contract negotiation, I think it was nice that both sides managed to come together to have a Mike cameo in a farewell episode.

[Bethany]

While I am sorry Mike is gone, whatever the reason, I'm glad it meant that we got a reprieve of a few years before we had anything like the Robbie/Katie/Triplet storyline (this was my intro to the show).  If they'd kept Mike and Sally no doubt she'd have moved in and a baby (possibly only one!) would have been next.  I like the show the way it is with the boys growing up and a wise dad and a grumpy old man.  Time enough for the big changes!

[Gemma Violet]

Update on Dawn Lyn:

https://www.tmz.com/2023/06/26/my-three-sons-star-dawn-lyn-husband-gofundme-medical-costs/

[Cobb Salad]

Recent interview with Stanley Livingston:

 

[Blergh]

Amazing how the elder Mr. Livingston  nowadays somewhat resembles a more hirsute and healthier Bill Frawley- and  he's roughly the same age that the latter started playing Bub!

[SanDiegoInExile]

It appears that MeTV no longer airs My Three Sons.  Maybe it will only be gone for the summer.  Maybe it's gone forever.

[Dimity]

The station I get that airs oldies shows recently took My Three Sons off the air as well.  I looked into buying the DVDs.  I had no idea that this would be a relatively expensive proposition and even with that I only saw DVDs for the first 5 years of the show.  Did they never release the later seasons or is it just that DVDs are now like VHS tapes so good luck finding them?

[Cobb Salad]

On 5/28/2024 at 9:34 AM, SanDiegoInExile said:

It appears that MeTV no longer airs My Three Sons.  Maybe it will only be gone for the summer.  Maybe it's gone forever.

It’s on MeTV+ on Saturdays.  

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/23/2018 at 11:16 AM, Blergh said:

OK, how about a positive episode from its heyday?

 I thought "Douglas a Go-Go"(1966) had some good moments. Long-short is that Chip has turned 13 and insists he's ready to make the scene with girls so he wants to   have a formal party thrown to make his intentions known. Steve and Uncle Charley agree to set it up in their living room then discreetly 'chaperone' it from the kitchen popping in every so often. OK, perhaps the most retroactively funny moment happens when they suddenly quit hearing music and discover the teens have turned out the lights. They rush in only to find that the teens had just HEARD about how much fun could be had in the dark but had no idea WHAT they could do in that state. Ah, the innocence of mid-Sixties' sitcoms! Can anyone imagine a sitcom in the last two decades in which teens would have NO idea what could happen under the cover of dark? The biggest 'uh-oh' moment, though, is when Chip's guests start to leave due to the record player breaking and the hosts are worried about how to keep the party from collapsing when Ernie has an idea before the fade to commercial. It's only upon returning that the audience finds out that Ernie's idea is to recruit an impromptu live band- with Steve playing his saxophone, Robbie his guitar and Uncle Charley his cello! The latter three do a fairly good job keeping the dancing (and party) on track and they played long enough to entertain the guests (and audience) with their respective talents re these instruments but not stopping the entire episode's actions to do so.  Oh, and it was refreshing seeing Chip in particular THANK Ernie for the idea rather than just being a oblivious teen.

 I have to admit, I always liked when they'd have a 'family band' (and the performers all definitely were quite able in playing these instruments- no faking or dubbing for them!). It should be noted that Mr. MacMurray had started his performing career playing the saxophone in college (which was one reason that the instrument was featured in the theme song) while Mr. Demarest had played the cello from childhood onward as a means to support his mother and Mr. Grady not only was quite the guitarist but could play seven instruments from childhood onward!

Yup, even at the time, M3S was the squarest show you could imagine.  I watched first run when I was a tween, and I knew it was too innocent. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 8/13/2018 at 5:51 PM, MushMarch said:

Watching the last episode "Whatever Happened to Ernie?", I realized how weird it was that out of 3 biological sons only 1 was still around at that point, and then only sporadically.  So, yeah, they needed the characters badly since they were running out of them otherwise.  

If only I had legit reasons to see her!  She is a total shot of pure energy every time I watch an interview with her.  I wonder if she had any issues with William Demarest, since (from what I've heard/read) he seems to have been the exact opposite.  On the other hand, if she did have issues she would handle them with such grace and class that no one would ever be the wiser - Happy Birthday, Tina (sorry, a couple of weeks late)!

Just throwing this in, I always thought it was funny that these bio brothers played adopted brothers.  BTW, I'm late to the M3S party, but I just saw it mentioned on another thread.  I see I commented once years ago, then stopped reading.  Now they have combined all the threads into one, so I'm catching up.  M3S is no longer on MeTV, but now it's on Prime.  I haven't watched it yet, but I see they have the Fergus episodes, so I can finally watch them. 

6 hours ago, Dimity said:

The station I get that airs oldies shows recently took My Three Sons off the air as well.  I looked into buying the DVDs.  I had no idea that this would be a relatively expensive proposition and even with that I only saw DVDs for the first 5 years of the show.  Did they never release the later seasons or is it just that DVDs are now like VHS tapes so good luck finding them?

Note I just commented.  It's now on Prime if you get that channel.

On 6/26/2021 at 10:18 AM, HyeChaps said:

What was the rush for them to get married so young?

What did they live on? 

Come on, you couldn't have teen sex on the M3S show. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/19/2022 at 9:43 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

Hotheaded Robbie is the most irritating son in the B&W episodes, for sure. But teenaged boys can be irritating, so it’s realistic. I didn’t like later on when everyone was so nice and calm and dull.

Yeah, don’t get me started on the triplets. Triplets are kind of a nightmare to begin with, and who wants triplets at the ripe old age of 21? I actually liked Tina Cole as Katie a lot, but why the rush to marry them off? She could have been a semi-regular for a while as Robbie’s girlfriend, a la Meredith MacRae as Sally.

See my previous comment.  No unmarried sex. This was the squarest show!

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/10/2019 at 10:57 PM, MushMarch said:

Yeah, every other major TV series of the era seemed to have at least one (well, I'm pretty sure Dragnet didn't - can't see ol' Joe Friday working up much Christmas cheer, since there's all those lousy, no good hippies to be dealt with).  Maybe it's my alternate universe theory of My Three Sons coming into play (see my previous post).  Christmas just doesn't occur in any of the dimensions that the Douglas family inhabits.  Come to think of it, they did have a Thanksgiving episode during the first season, and a Halloween episode the third season.  But no Christmas episode that I can recall.

Dragnet did have a Christmas episode, and it's really good! It was a break from those usually episodes where they investigated murders in boardinghouses/flophouses.  Those were so weird! 

 

Edited May 30 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/6/2023 at 9:16 PM, Blergh said:

Amazing how the elder Mr. Livingston  nowadays somewhat resembles a more hirsute and healthier Bill Frawley- and  he's roughly the same age that the latter started playing Bub!

I think Stanley Livingston resembles Dave Foley in that picture. 

I had some fun catching up on this thread tonight.  Special thanks to @Blergh, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the episodes and background.

[Dimity]

11 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

think Stanley Livingston resembles Dave Foley in that picture. 

Agreed, I'm not seeing William Frawley at all.  Though it is a kick in  the pants to realize that "Chip" is now the same age "Bub"  was in those early My Three Sons episodes!

[Badger]

Regarding Dragnet Christmas episodes, here's an earlier one : 

The big .22 rifle for Christmas

The newer one was  a remake of one that was also done in the 1950's.