MY THREE SONS at 60!

September 29, 1960

“My Three Sons” was a situation comedy produced at Desilu Studios. It premiered on ABC TV on September 29, 1960 and finished its first run on April 13, 1972, with 380 episodes making it the second-longest running live-action sitcom in TV history after “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett” (1952-66). 

Seasons 1 through 5 were aired in black and white on CBS.  In 1965 it moved to CBS when ABC declined to underwrite the costs of airing in color. 

The series was initially filmed at Desilu Studios in Hollywood, but at the start of the 1967–68 season, the cast and crew began filming the series at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California due to Lucille Ball’s sale of Desilu to Gulf + Western, which owned Paramount Pictures. The sale also affected the filming location of another family sitcom, “Family Affair.”

Incredibly, “My Three Sons” ran concurrently through both “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” Both Steve Douglas and Lucy Carmichael (and later Carter), where single parents raising children. 

September 16, 1965 was a big night for CBS airing the very first episode of “My Three Sons” after moving from ABC titled “The First Marriage”. It was also the first episode of the series broadcast in color, something “The Lucy Show” did three days earlier with “Lucy at Marineland” (TLS S4;E1).

The premise of the series is a widowed father (Steven Douglas) raising his three boys with help of his extended family.  Initially, the three sons were Chip, Robbie, and Mike, but in 1967 Mike was written out and replaced by Ernie, whom Steve adopted.  The extended family at first consisted of Bub, Steve’s father-in-law and the boys’ maternal grandfather, but in 1964, that character was replaced by Uncle Charley, Steve’s uncle and Bub’s brother. 

The leading role was played by film star Fred MacMurray, who the series was built around – including his hectic schedule. To suit MacMurray, scenes would be shot out of sequence and even alone on a soundstage and later edited to create a complete episode.  This was not MacMurray’s first time at Desilu. In 1958 he played himself on the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in “Lucy Hunts Uranium” set in the Nevada desert outside Las Vegas. He was joined by his second wife, actress June Haver. MacMurray (1908-91) appeared in over 100 films in his career but is perhaps best remembered for the film Double Indemnity (1944), which Lucy references in this episode. MacMurray’s name was first mentioned by Ethel in 1953 in “The Black Eye” (ILL S2;E20) when flowers arrive for Lucy mistakenly signed “Eternally yours, Fred.”

Although Lucille Ball was their landlord (and ultimate boss) she never acted on the show, but many of the actors who appeared on Lucille Ball’s sitcoms did appear on “My Three Sons”.

From 1960 to 1965, MacMurray was joined by William Frawley as Bub O’Casey, the family’s live-in maternal grandfather. Of course, Frawley came to fame on “I Love Lucy” as the crusty landlord Fred Mertz. Frawley had worked with MacMurray in the 1935 film, Car 99. When Frawley had to leave  the show due to ill-health (and it was too costly to insure him) he was replaced by another Desilu alumni, William Demarest, as Uncle Charley. Like his previous co-star, Vivian Vance, Frawley was not especially fond of Demarest personally or as an actor. Demarest had, however, done three films with Lucille Ball. Frawley kept watching “My Three Sons” on his TV set bitterly. He never really got over being replaced by Demarest. On March 3, 1966, Frawley died of a heart attack.

For Christmas 1959, Frawley and Demarest both appeared with Lucy and Desi in “The Desilu Revue” (above with “December Bride’s” Spring Byington). At the time, Demarest was working on the Desilu lot appearing in NBC’s “Love and Marriage.”

On “My Three Sons” two of  Steve Douglas’ boys had been seen on “The Lucy Show”: Don Grady (Robbie Douglas) had played Chris Carmichael’s friend Bill and Barry Livingston (Ernie Douglas) had played Mr. Mooney’s son Arnold. Ted Eccles, who assumed the role of Arnold Mooney when Barry Livingston was busy on “My Three Sons,” also did an episode. 

The children of “The Lucy Show,” Ralph Hart (who played Viv Bagley’s son Sherman), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), and Candy Moore (Lucy Carmichael’s daughter Chris) were also on episodes of “My Three Sons.”

Other “Lucy” performers who were on “My Three Sons” include: 

• Mary Wickes ~ Jeri Schronk (1964)
• Doris Singleton ~ Helen & Margaret, 8 episodes (1964-70)
• Shirley Mitchell ~ Sally, 2 episodes (1968) 
• Barbara Pepper ~ Mrs. Brand (1966)
• Verna Felton ~ Mub (1962)
• Kathleen Freeman ~ Lady Checker (1967)
• Jerry Hausner ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1964 & 1966) 
• Reta Shaw ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1962 & 1965) 
• Elvia Allman ~ Maude Prosser (1967) 
• Eleanor Audley ~ Mrs. Vincent, 9 episodes (1969-70)
• Burt Mustin ~ Various Characters, 5 episodes (1962-70)
• Olan Soule ~ Various Characters, 5 episodes (1963-70)
• Alberto Morin ~ Professor Madoro (1967)
• Herb Vigran ~ Caretaker (1967)
• Maurice Marsac ~ Various Characters, 3 episodes (1964-72)
• Tim Mathewson ~ Various Characters, 3 episodes (1962-63)
• Bill Quinn ~ Doctors, 4 episodes (1964-66)
• Barbara Perry ~ Mrs. Thompson & Mrs. Hoover, 3 episodes (1964-72)
• Nancy Kulp

  ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1962)

• George N. Neise ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1960 & 1967)
• Maxine Semon ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1964 & 1967) 
• Roy Roberts ~Various Characters, 2 episodes (1965 & 1967) 
• Lou Krugman ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1966 & 1967)
• Richard Reeves ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1962 & 1965)

• Dorothy Konrad ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1961 & 1962)
• Ed Begley ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1962 & 1968)
• Gail Bonney ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1965 & 1970)
• Rolfe Sedan ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1968 & 1971) 
• Tyler McVey ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1962 & 1967)
• J. Pat O’Malley ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1963 & 1964)
• Paul Picerni ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1965 & 1967)
• Sandra Gould ~ Various Characters, 2 episodes (1963 & 1964)
• Richard Deacon ~ Elderly Man (1960) 
• Mabel Albertson ~ Mrs. Proctor (1964) 
• Joan Blondell ~ Harriet Blanchard (1965) 
• Leon Belasco ~ Professor Lombardi (1966) 
• Dayton Lummis ~ Dr. Blackwood (1963) 
• Lurene Tuttle ~ Natalie Corcoran (1968)
• Robert Foulk ~ Pop Action (1962) 
• Dick Patterson ~ Bunny Baxter (1963)
• Jamie Farr ~ Itchy (1964)
• Larry J. Blake ~ Policeman (1968) 
• Amzie Strickland ~ Cora Dennis (1968) 
• Barbara Morrison ~ Mrs. Murdock (1969) 
• Louis Nicoletti ~ Caddy Master (1962)
• Frank Gerstle ~ Policeman (1964)
• Gil Perkins ~ Painter (1963) 
• Tommy Ferrell ~ Mr. Griffith (1964) 
• Eve McVeagh ~ Clara (1966)
• Remo Pisani ~ Pepe (1970) 
• Dub Taylor ~ Judge (1963)
• Frank J. Scannell ~ Emcee (1968) 
• Ray Kellogg ~ Henshaw (1965) 
• Romo Vincent ~ Charley (1964) 
• Stafford Repp ~ Sergeant Perkins (1969)
• Jay Novello ~ Vincenzo (1966) 
• Leoda Richards ~ Restaurant Patron (1966)

CHILD STARS!

Other child stars who appeared on “My Three Sons” included Butch Patrick (“The Munsters”), Jay North (“Dennis the Menace”), Oscar-winner Jodie Foster, Angela Cartwright (“Make Room for Daddy”), Flip Mark (”Lassie”), John Walmsley (”The Waltons”), Tony Dow (“Leave It To Beaver”), Erin Moran (“Happy Days”), Maureen McCormick (”The Brady Bunch”), Ann Jillian (Gypsy), and Heather Menzies (The Sound of Music). 

On November 22, 1977, ABC TV (and Dick Clark Productions) brought together a reunion of two of television’s favorite sitcoms "The Partridge Family” and “My Three Sons.” Hosted by Shirley Jones and Fred MacMurray this would be the only time that the surviving cast members would get together to celebrate the series which included clips, a song from David Cassidy, and an update of what each cast member was doing in 1977.

Also in 1977, some of the stars of the series reunited on a morning program titled “The Early Show”, including Stanley Livingston (Chip Douglas), Barry Livingston (Ernie Douglas), Tina Cole (Katie Miller Douglas), and Don Grady (Robbie Douglas).  

TRIVIA

In “Lucy Helps Danny Thomas” (TLS S4;E7) in 1965, there is a large framed photo of Fred MacMurray in the studio hallway.  He is joined by other Desilu stars like Jim Nabors (of “Gomer Pyle USMC”), Andy Griffith (of “The Andy Griffith Show”) and Danny Thomas (of “The Danny Thomas Show”).