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 | single parent | laugh track | 

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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

The theme song is reminiscent of a family band. The rhythm part is Chopsticks, as would be played by a kid, with the other backing instruments being played at increasingly higher skill levels by age. The lead melody on saxophone, which is played very well, would represent the father, played by [Link=nm0534045]. During the sixth season, McMurray starred in the popular Boy Scout film [Link=tt0060420], in which he was a saxophone player who ends up in a small town, becomes a Scoutmaster, and becomes a guiding light for boys.

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Goofs

During William Frawley's time on the series, his name was inconsistent. His last name was always O'Casey, but he was sometimes introduced as Michael Francis O'Casey and, at other times, such as in "What's Cooking?", as William Francis O'Casey.

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Quotes

Robbie Douglas: Beanbrain!
Mike Douglas: Knothead!

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Connections

Referenced in International Men's Day: The State of Masculinity (2017)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Best Family Show

There have been many wonderful shows, but My Three Sons have to be one of the best. Fred MacMurray, did such a wonderful job as the father in this show. When had those special scenes in which he was advising his kids or explaining something to them, he would come across as someone who was caring and very attached to his kids. I know some fathers in this world who have trouble at being interested let alone caring.

Today, this show might seem dated, but there is a lot we can gain from watching this show. The ideas of making a family that will work together and see things through, is a good example of one thing that we can gain from this. Television today doesn't have very many shows that will show a family working together as a unit.

Hopefully someday, we will see this show on DVD, and have it start from the beginning episode in season one. I think there is a lot we can get from this show.