BARRY LIVINGSTON

December 17, 1953

Barry Gordon Livingston was born in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for playing Ernie Douglas on the television series “My Three Sons” (1963–72). He is the younger brother of  Stanley Livingston, who played Ernie’s older brother Chip on the show.

He made his television debut on a November 6, 1961 “Danny Kaye Special” on CBS. The very next night he made his acting debut on NBC in an episode of “The Dick Powell Theatre” starring Mickey Rooney. 

In January 1962 he worked on the Desilu lot for the first time in an episode of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” titled “The Talented Neighborhood” (above right). Also in the episode was “I Love Lucy” regular Doris Singleton. 

After 16 episodes of “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” as Barry, he was hired to play Jerry Carmichael’s friend and classmate Arnold Mooney, son of Lucy Carmichael’s nemesis, banker Theodore J. Mooney, on “The Lucy Show.”

Livingston first played the character in “Lucy Gets Locked in the Vault” (TLS S2;E4), the same episode that also introduced Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney. Lucy is determined to prove her home haircutting skills on young Arnold, and ends up giving him a Mohawk.  In the above scene, Livingston is wearing a wig to accomplish the stunt. 

Livingston returned to the role at the end of the season in “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (TLS S2;E24).  Arnold (above left) was in the same cub scout troop as Jerry (Ralph Hart), and Billy Simmons (Desi Arnaz Jr., center). 

“There’s nothing scarier than seeing Lucille Ball coming at you with a pair of shears!”

When the character was next seen, Livingston had already been hired for “My Three Sons” so the role of Arnold Mooney was assumed by Ted Eccles in “Lucy’s Contact Lenses” (TLS S3;E10). Arnold had older brothers named Bob (Eddie Applegate) and Ted (Michael J. Pollard). He also had an unnamed sister in Trenton NJ and a mother named Irma. Neither women were ever seen on screen. 

On October 31, 1963, Livingston joined the cast of ABC “My Three Sons” as next door neighbor Ernie Thompson. The show was filmed on the Desilu lot. His older brother, Stanley Livingston, was already a series regular as Chip Douglas. When Tim Considine (Mike Douglas) left the series two years later, Livingston joined the cast permanently (his character was adopted into the family, keeping the show’s title intact) and remained with the series until its end in 1972 doing 335 half-hour episodes. 

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 seen on various episodes of “My Three Sons.” Livingston also worked with William Frawley (Fred Mertz) as Uncle Bub.  Fred MacMurray, who played Ernie’s stepdad Steve Douglas, had played himself on an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958.

During his run on “My Three Sons”, Livingston took time to do a comedy pilot for Desilu called “The Two of Us” (aka “Barnaby’s Castle”) starring Billy Mumy and Mary Jane Croft. It was eventually aired as part of “Vacation Playhouse,” a summer replacement series showing failed pilots and other one-off programs.  The show aired on August 29, 1966. 

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).  

In 1983, he married Karen Huntsman and they have two children. Livingston has continued his acting career.