My Three Sons 

Widower Steve Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and is later aided by the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Stanley Livingston, Don Grady

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Fred MacMurray	...	Steve Douglas / ... 380 episodes, 1960-1972
Stanley Livingston	...	Chip Douglas 380 episodes, 1960-1972
Don Grady	...	Robbie Douglas / ... 379 episodes, 1960-1972
Barry Livingston	...	Ernie Thompson Douglas / ... 237 episodes, 1963-1972
William Demarest	...	Uncle Charley O'Casey 215 episodes, 1965-1972
Tim Considine	...	Mike Douglas 185 episodes, 1960-1965
William Frawley	...	Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey 165 episodes, 1960-1965

Storyline

Widower Steven Douglas is left to bring up three boys with the aid of his father-in-law, Michael "Bub" O'Casey, and later Bub's brother, "Uncle Charley." The series revolves around the trials and tribulations of life's experiences as a single parent family.

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Plot Keywords:

college | widower | uncle | laugh track | single father | 

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Taglines:

Fred MacMurray learns boys will be boys as he tries to keep order in his household. In color. (season seven)

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Fred MacMurray Show

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, Don Fedderson Productions, Gregg-Don Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (369 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1960-1965) Color (1965-1972)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although officially leaving after the show's fifth season in 1964-1965, Tim Considine's last appearance as Mike, the eldest son, was actually in the first episode of season 6 (the series' first in color). The episode opened with a brief scene showing Mike and Sally's (Meredith MacRae) wedding. The episode also "launched" Barry Livingston ("Ernie") as the new son. The characters of Mike and Sally were mentioned in the next two episodes, which dealt with Ernie's adoption, and in a subsequent episode when Charley and the boys thought Steve was getting married. Mike was referred to by name one last time in the second 1966-1967 episode, when the gang visited Steve's hometown. After this they were never referred to by name again for the remainder of the series, although Mike was indirectly referred to as, "the first of you" by Steve a few years later.

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Goofs

Frequent Continuity Errors. Due to the 'out of sequence' way they were making the show, there's sometimes evidence that scenes in any episode were filmed months apart and edited together, looking like it's set in a very short time.

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Quotes

Salesman: Madam, I know you are simply going to...
[realizes it's an old man in front of him]
Salesman: Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir.
Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey: Oh, that's all right... Happens all the time. What's your paddlin'?
Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey: Oh, uuh... Cosmetics.
Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey: Oh-ho, BOY! Have you got the wrong house!
Salesman: Oh?
Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey: I'm the nearest thing to a lady around here. Come back when somebody's married.
Salesman: Yes, yes, I-I'll do that.
Michael Francis 'Bub' O'Casey: I will be back.
[...]

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh (2019)

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Soundtracks

My Three Sons
Written and Performed by Frank De Vol (1960-1972)

User Reviews

Feet stepping in time !

I have read various postings of the My Three Sons subject, and sincerely hope that they NEVER make a "new" version of it ! I only wish they would syndicate the black and white episodes, as they were the best ! Yeah,I miss the early California sitcoms with a message,, and would opt to view them rather than watch Will and Grace any day ! Naturally Bill Frawley was great as Bub, but you do get to see him tire through that last year or two episodes....Will Demerest as Uncle Charlie was precious though !,, I'm so sorry that through the last few years,, that the show scummed to the changing times, and the boys went "hip", and the issues got more messagey....Yup, the early years were the best, and there ain't no replacing' it !!!