My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and moved to
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
until its end on August 24, 1972.
My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas (
Fred MacMurrayFrederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
), raising his three sons.
The series was a cornerstone of the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
lineup in the 1960s. With 380 episodes produced, it is second only to
The Adventures of Ozzie and HarrietThe Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years...
as television's longest running (live-action) family sitcom. Disney producer
Bill WalshBill Walsh was a film producer and screenwriter who primarily worked on live-action films for Walt Disney Productions...
often mused on whether the concept of the show was inspired by the movie
The Shaggy DogThe Shaggy Dog is a black and white 1959 Walt Disney film about Wilby Daniels, a teenage boy who is transformed into an Old English Sheepdog by an enchanted ring of the Borgias. The film was based on the story, The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten...
, as in his view they shared “the same dog, the same kids, and Fred [MacMurray]”.
History
ABC years
The show began on
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in black-and-white. The first season, consisting of thirty-six episodes, is particularly remarkable for having been directed in its entirety by
Peter TewksburyPeter Tewksbury was an American film and television director who directed Sunday in New York with Jane Fonda in 1963 and a pair of Elvis Presley movies...
, who also produced and occasionally scripted the programs. These early episodes held to no specific generic type, so that any episode from one week to the next might be comedic or dramatic. Tewksbury's episodes are also unusual for their use of cross-talk (a way of having the voices of off-screen characters heard in the background of the soundtrack, just under the voices of the main characters), in depicting the chaotic Douglas household, a full decade before Robert Altman was credited with innovating such aural realism in feature films such as
M*A*S*H (1970). An example of Tewksbury's use of cross-talk is the fourth episode, "Countdown," written by David Duncan, which chronicles the Douglas family's attempts to wake up, prepare for the day, have breakfast and get out of the house by a common, agreed-upon time, all carefully synchronized to a televised rocket launch countdown – to comical and often ironic effect. Tewksbury returned to directing feature films after concluding the season because the producers could not handle his perfectionist attitude which was costing thousands of dollars in lost time and reshoots.
Directors throughout the series
As mentioned above, Peter Tewksbury directed the first season.
The succeeding director,
Richard WhorfRichard Whorf was an American actor, author, director, and designer.Richard was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah Whorf. Richards's older brother was the well-known American linguist, Benjamin Lee Whorf. Whorf began his acting career on the Boston stage as a teenager then moving...
, took over the reins for one season and was in turn followed by former actor-turned-director Gene Reynolds from 1962 to 1964.
James V. KernJames V. Kern was an American singer, songwriter, screenwriter, actor, and director.Educated at the Fordham Law School, Kern worked for a while as an attorney...
, an experienced Hollywood television director who had previously helmed the 'Hollywood' and 'Europe' episodes of
I Love Lucy continued in this role for two years until his untimely death in late 1966, aged 57. Director James Sheldon was also contracted to finish episodes that had been partly completed by Kern in order to complete that season. Fred De Cordova was the show's longest and most consistent director of the series (108 episodes) until he left in 1971 to produce
The Tonight Show starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
.
Earl BellamyEarl Arthur Bellamy was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and set decorator.-Biography:...
rounded out the series as director of the show's final year.
CBS years
My Three Sons moved to the CBS television network for the 1965–66 season after ABC would not commit to the expense of producing the program in color. Along with the change in networks and the transition to color,
William FrawleyWilliam Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
, who played "Bub" O'Casey, the boys' maternal grandfather, was declared too ill to work by Desilu Studios and the producers could no longer find insurance for him. Frawley continued in the role until a suitable replacement could be found at midseason. He was replaced by
William DemarestCarl William Demarest was an American character actor. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.-Early life and career:...
, who had played his hard-nosed brother Charley part way through the 1964–65 season (the last on ABC). According to the storyline, Bub falls in love with Ireland while visiting the Emerald Isle and goes back to help his Aunt Kate celebrate her 104th birthday. Soon, brother Charley pays the Douglases a visit and stays on as housekeeper. In his biography,
Meet the Mertzes, Frawley says he was unhappy being written out of the show and held a grudge against Demarest for taking his job. Frawley died a short while later in March 1966 at age 79.
Tim ConsidineTimothy Daniel "Tim" Considine is a former American child actor and young adult actor who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, who had worked with MacMurray on
The Shaggy DogThe Shaggy Dog is a black and white 1959 Walt Disney film about Wilby Daniels, a teenage boy who is transformed into an Old English Sheepdog by an enchanted ring of the Borgias. The film was based on the story, The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten...
, had played oldest son Mike and did not renew his contract after a falling-out with executive producer Don Fedderson over his wish to direct but not co-star in the series (he did direct one of the last black and white episodes). According to Considine (
Pat Sajak Show, August 1989), he was devoted to car racing, which his contract forbade. The character was written out, along with
Meredith MacRaeMeredith Lynn MacRae was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:MacRae was best known for her television roles as Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction and as Sally Ann in My Three Sons...
, who had played his fiancee, in a wedding episode that was the premiere of 1965–66 on CBS. After the "Mike Douglas Kiss-Off", Mike is mentioned briefly in several color episodes (including in which Ernie becomes an adopted foster child), but otherwise is only indirectly referred to again in subsequent seasons and never seen again, even at at Robbie's and his Dad's weddings.
To keep the show's title plausible, the show's head writer,
George TibblesGeorge Tibbles was a screenwriter, contributing to TV series such as Leave it to Beaver, Date with the Angels, The Munsters, Alice, Family Affair and Who's the Boss?...
, fashioned a three-part
story arcA story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
in which an orphaned friend of youngest brother Richard (better known as Chip and played by
Stanley LivingstonStanley Livingston is an American actor, best known for playing Richard "Chip" Douglas, the third son of Steve Douglas on the long running television series My Three Sons. He and MacMurray were the only actors to appear throughout the series...
), Ernie Thompson (played by his real-life brother,
Barry LivingstonBarry Livingston is an American television and film actor. Livingston is perhaps best known for his role as Ernie Douglas on the television series My Three Sons. He is the younger brother of actor/director Stanley Livingston....
), awaits adoption when his current foster parents are transferred to the Orient. Steve offers to adopt Ernie but faces antagonism from Uncle Charley, who can foresee nothing but more work with another boy. Ultimately, Charley comes to the rescue when a law stating that there must be a woman in the home stalls Ernie's adoption procedure. (A judge overseeing the case determines that the intent of the law is to make sure a full-time caregiver would be present; with Uncle Charley meeting that role, he assents to a
legal fictionA legal fiction is a fact assumed or created by courts which is then used in order to apply a legal rule which was not necessarily designed to be used in that way...
declaring him "housemother" to the Douglases.)
While the three sons were always central to the storyline, several major changes take place by the late 1960s. In 1967, the family moves from the fictitious town of Bryant Park in the Midwest to California, settling in Los Angeles. Robbie (
Don GradyDonald Michael Agrati , better known as Don Grady, is an American composer, musician and actor. He is remembered both as one of Mickey Mouse's original Mouseketeers, and as Robbie Douglas, from My Three Sons. His sister was also an actress, billed as Lani O'Grady...
) marries his classmate/girlfriend, Katie Miller (
Tina ColeTina Cole is an American actress and singer. She is best-known for her role as Katie Miller Douglas on the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons. She was also a member of the King Family Singers.-Family:...
). The following season, 1968–69, the newlyweds discover that Katie is pregnant, and she gives birth to triplets (three sons, of course) named Robert, Steven, and Charles. Although originally played by sets of uncredited twins, these babies were played uncredited by Guy, Gunnar, and Garth Swanson. The most familiar triplets in the show's last two seasons are played by Michael, Daniel, and Joseph Todd. The following year in the tenth season, 1969–1970, Steven re-marries, taking widowed teacher Barbara Harper (
Beverly GarlandBeverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
) as his wife; she brings with her a 5-year-old daughter, Dorothy aka Dodie (
Dawn LynDawn Lyn is an American actress best known for her role as Dodie Douglas during the last three seasons of the long-running CBS family comedy My Three Sons.-Career:...
), so Steven now had a stepdaughter whom he also subsequently adopts. Also, the last 1½ years of the series feature fewer appearances of both Don Grady and Stanley Livingston. Grady's character was written out of the show at the end of the eleventh season, which allowed for his wife Katie and their triplet sons to remain within the Douglas household the following season (at first Robbie was supposedly working on a bridge construction in Peru, but later drafted into military service). Chip and his teen wife Polly (
Ronne TroupRonne Troup is an American actress best known for her 1970–72 role as "Polly Williams Douglas" on the long-running sitcom My Three Sons.-Biography:Ronne is the daughter of musician/actor Bobby Troup, and his first wife, Cynthia Hare...
) (who elope after Polly's disciplinarian father refuses to sanction the marriage) move into their own apartment. With a large cast of regulars, the show's storylines are centered on different family members from episode to episode. At this point the program's narrative focus is that of blended families.
At the end of the 1970–71 season (the show's eleventh year),
My Three Sons was still garnering healthy ratings. By the spring of 1971, it had finished in 19th place. For the series' twelfth season, 1971–72, CBS initially decided the show would remain on Saturday nights, but its time slot would be moved from 8:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. At the last minute, CBS President
Fred SilvermanFred Silverman is an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at the CBS, ABC and NBC networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as the series Scooby-Doo , All in the Family , The Waltons , and Charlie's Angels , as well as the...
ordered that
My Three Sons be moved to Monday nights at 10:00 P.M. and that the hugely popular
All in the FamilyAll in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
be scheduled for Saturday nights at 8:00 P.M. As a result, the ratings for
My Three Sons plummeted.
In addition to the time changes for the twelfth season, a new four-part story arc is introduced with MacMurray in a second role, that of his cousin, the Laird (Lord) Ferguson McBain Douglas of Sithian Bridge. The voice of English actor
Alan CaillouAlan Caillou was the nom de plume of Alan Samuel Lyle-Smythe M.B.E., M.C. , an author, actor, screenwriter, soldier, policeman and professional hunter.-Biography:...
is dubbed for MacMurray's as Lord Douglas. The plot centers around Lord Douglas's arrival in Los Angeles from the family's native Scotland, in search of a First Lady to marry and return with him to Scotland. He finds Terri Dowling (
Anne FrancisAnne Lloyd Francis was an American actress, best known for her role in the science fiction film classic Forbidden Planet , and as the female private detective in the television series Honey West . She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in Honey West...
), a waitress at the Blue Berry Bowling Alley. While initially reluctant to give up her life in America and return to Scotland as royalty, she finally accepts. This storyline is a continuation of a plot idea that originally began in the fourth season, when the Douglases visit Scotland on the pretense of having been told they had inherited a castle in the highlands.
With such a late time slot, after regular viewers were in bed, the show finished the season outside the Top 30. To save the series, CBS programming switched it in midseason to Thursday nights at 8:30 P.M. Nevertheless,
My Three Sons ended its prime-time run in the spring of 1972 after twelve years on the air. Fred MacMurray, bitterly disappointed, protested the show's cancellation to CBS programming chief Fred Silverman, but to no avail.
Main cast
- Fred MacMurray
Frederick Martin "Fred" MacMurray was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and a successful television series during a career that spanned nearly a half-century, from 1930 to the 1970s....
, Steven "Steve" Douglas
- Tim Considine
Timothy Daniel "Tim" Considine is a former American child actor and young adult actor who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, Michael "Mike" Douglas (1960–1965)
- Don Grady
Donald Michael Agrati , better known as Don Grady, is an American composer, musician and actor. He is remembered both as one of Mickey Mouse's original Mouseketeers, and as Robbie Douglas, from My Three Sons. His sister was also an actress, billed as Lani O'Grady...
, Robert "Robbie" Douglas (1960–1971)
- Stanley Livingston
Stanley Livingston is an American actor, best known for playing Richard "Chip" Douglas, the third son of Steve Douglas on the long running television series My Three Sons. He and MacMurray were the only actors to appear throughout the series...
, Richard "Chip" Douglas
- Barry Livingston
Barry Livingston is an American television and film actor. Livingston is perhaps best known for his role as Ernie Douglas on the television series My Three Sons. He is the younger brother of actor/director Stanley Livingston....
, Ernest "Ernie" Thompson/Douglas (1963–1972)
- William Frawley
William Clement "Bill" Frawley was an American stage entertainer, screen and television actor. Although Frawley acted in over 100 films, he achieved his greatest fame playing landlord Fred Mertz for the situation comedy I Love Lucy.-Early life:William was born to Michael A. Frawley and Mary E....
, Michael Francis "Bub" O'Casey (1960–1965)
- Meredith MacRae
Meredith Lynn MacRae was an American actress and singer.-Life and career:MacRae was best known for her television roles as Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction and as Sally Ann in My Three Sons...
, Sally Ann Morrison Douglas (1963–1965)
- William Demarest
Carl William Demarest was an American character actor. He frequently played crusty but good-hearted roles.-Early life and career:...
, Uncle Charley O'Casey, Bub's brother (1965–1972)
- Tina Cole
Tina Cole is an American actress and singer. She is best-known for her role as Katie Miller Douglas on the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons. She was also a member of the King Family Singers.-Family:...
, Kathleen "Katie" Miller Douglas (1967–1972)
- Beverly Garland
Beverly Garland was an American film and television actress, businesswoman, and hotel owner. Garland gained prominence for her role as Fred MacMurray's second wife, "Barbara Harper Douglas", in the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons...
, Barbara Harper Douglas (1969–1972)
- Dawn Lyn
Dawn Lyn is an American actress best known for her role as Dodie Douglas during the last three seasons of the long-running CBS family comedy My Three Sons.-Career:...
, Dorothy "Dodie" Harper Douglas (1969–1972)
- Ronne Troup
Ronne Troup is an American actress best known for her 1970–72 role as "Polly Williams Douglas" on the long-running sitcom My Three Sons.-Biography:Ronne is the daughter of musician/actor Bobby Troup, and his first wife, Cynthia Hare...
, Polly Williams Douglas (1970–1972)
- Michael, Daniel, and Joseph Todd, playing Robbie, Stevie, and Charley Douglas respectively (1970–1972)
Recurring cast
- Cynthia Pepper
Cynthia Pepper is a blonde American actress whose principal work was accomplished during the early 1960s. Born Cynthia Anne Culpepper in Hollywood, California, she was the daughter of entertainer Jack Pepper , and Pepper's second wife, Dawn...
, Jean Pearson (1960–1961)
- Peter Brooks, Hank Ferguson (1960–1963)
- Cheryl Holdridge
Cheryl Holdridge was an American actress, best known as a cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club.-Early life:Holdridge was born Cheryl Lynn Phelps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Julie A...
, Judy Doucette (1960–1961)
- Lesley-Marie Colburn, Frieda (1964–1965, uncredited)
- Ricky Allen, Hubert 'Sudsy' Pfeiffer (1961–1963)
- Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
, Pete (1964–1966)
- Bill Erwin
William Lindsey "Bill" Erwin was an American film, stage and television actor with over 250 television and film credits...
, Joe Walters (1962–1964)
- Doris Singleton
Doris Singleton is an American actress perhaps best remembered as Lucy Ricardo's frenemy, Carolyn Appleby, on I Love Lucy.-Career:...
, Helen Morrison (1964–65) and Margaret Williams (1970)
- John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, Dave Welch (1965–1967)
- Joan Tompkins
Joan Tompkins, legally known as Joan Swenson was an American actress of television, film, radio, and stage, who co-founded with her husband, Karl Swenson, an acting company in Beverly Hills, California...
, Lorraine Miller (1967–1970)
Musical connections
The series' cast had several music connections. MacMurray began his career as a saxophone player during the 1930s, and sometimes played it on the series, as well as
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. Actress
Tina ColeTina Cole is an American actress and singer. She is best-known for her role as Katie Miller Douglas on the 1960s sitcom My Three Sons. She was also a member of the King Family Singers.-Family:...
(Katie) was born into the King Family, a popular 1950s–60s group.
Ronne TroupRonne Troup is an American actress best known for her 1970–72 role as "Polly Williams Douglas" on the long-running sitcom My Three Sons.-Biography:Ronne is the daughter of musician/actor Bobby Troup, and his first wife, Cynthia Hare...
(Polly) was the daughter of musician/composer
Bobby TroupRobert William "Bobby" Troup Jr. was an American actor, jazz pianist and songwriter. He is best known for writing the popular standard " Route 66", and for his role as Dr...
(
Emergency!Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
), who wrote the song
Route 66" Route 66", often rendered simply as "Route 66", is a popular song and rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. It was first recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Chuck Berry in 1961, The Rolling...
, and
Dawn LynDawn Lyn is an American actress best known for her role as Dodie Douglas during the last three seasons of the long-running CBS family comedy My Three Sons.-Career:...
is the younger sister of popular 1970s idol
Leif GarrettLeif Garrett is an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles.-Early life:...
. Don Grady (Robbie) composed and produced music, having created successful
Las VegasThe Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
venues for
Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
star
Michael CrawfordMichael Crawford OBE is an English actor and singer. He has garnered great critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his career, which covers radio, television, film, and stagework on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City...
and pop star
David CassidyDavid Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
. Grady also played drums in the 60s pop group
Yellow Balloon"Yellow Balloon" was a Top 30 hit single in the Billboard Hot100 by The Yellow Balloon, included on the group's 1967 self-titled album. It was classified as in the sunshine pop genre.-Music and lyrics:...
.
Ratings
Ranking in
Nielsen RatingsNielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
- Season 1 1960–1961–#13 (12,177,600 viewers)
- Season 2 1961–1962–#11 (11,993,085 viewers)
- Season 3 1962–1963–#28 (10,563,000 viewers)
- Season 4 1963–1964–#27 (11,300,400 viewers)
- Season 5 1964–1965–#13 (13,438,500 viewers)
- Season 6 1965–1966–#15 (12,816,300 viewers)
- Season 7 1966–1967-Not in the Top 30
- Season 8 1967–1968–#24 (11,787,360 viewers)
- Season 9 1968–1969–#14 (13,281,000 viewers)
- Season 10 1969–1970–#15 (12,753,000 viewers)
- Season 11 1970–1971–#19 (12,500,800 viewers)
- Season 12 1971–1972-Not in the Top 30
Production schedule
The series was initially filmed at Desilu Studios in Hollywood and at the start of the 1967–68 season, the cast and crew up-anchored and began filming the series at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. The reasons behind this move were because actress-comedienne
Lucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
had sold her studios to the Gulf + Western conglomerate, who owned Paramount Pictures, so Don Fedderson Productions, who produced
My Three Sons (along with
Family AffairFamily Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
starring
Brian KeithBrian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
), had to quickly make other arrangements for filming. The move also necessitated moves in the show's storyline as well.
Fred MacMurray was the only actor to appear in every episode of the series. Reportedly, MacMurray's contract stipulated that he work only 65 days per year. His scenes for each season were produced in two blocks of filming. He would report to the Desilu-Gower lot in late May and work 35 days (five days per week, weekends off), then take off for 10 weeks. He would then return to complete his remaining 30 days of shooting and was finished altogether around
ThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. MacMurray's ten-week hiatus in the middle of each season's production schedule freed up the actor to follow other pursuits, while the filming of scenes with the other cast members continued. In short, all episodes were filmed out of sequence. Evidence of this is very apparent in several episodes, where plotlines had MacMurray's character on a business trip (e.g. "Small Adventure") or spending much of his time at the office (e.g. "Soap Box Derby"). This allowed him to seemingly take part in the entire episode with limited or no interaction with the other regulars during filming. This sometimes produced noticeable continuity problems onscreen, especially as the boys grew and changed styles. William Frawley, for one, never felt comfortable with this filming method, having grown accustomed to filming
I Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
in sequence.
Distribution
My Three Sons was created by
George TibblesGeorge Tibbles was a screenwriter, contributing to TV series such as Leave it to Beaver, Date with the Angels, The Munsters, Alice, Family Affair and Who's the Boss?...
and produced by Don Fedderson Productions throughout the show's run, with MCA Television co-distributing the series during its 1960–65 ABC run. When the series moved to CBS in 1965, the latter network assumed full production responsibilities (in association with Fedderson Productions) until the end of the series in 1972. CBS now holds the series' copyright.
CBS Television DistributionCBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
presently owns distribution rights to the entire series (including the more widely seen and aforementioned 1965–72 CBS episodes).
Nick at NiteNick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
aired
My Three Sons from 1985–1991; the episode packages they aired were the Seasons 1–5 & Season 12 package. The Seasons 6–11 episodes were later aired on
TV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
in the late 1990s.
In 2000, TV Land briefly aired the black & white episodes again, using the same syndication episode rights that were on Nick at Nite during the 1980s.
As of late 2004, Paramount/Viacom removed the color episodes for US-Domestic syndication.
Currently, only 148 episodes are being distributing for syndication in the US-Domestic market.
In 2009,
FamilyNetFamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
began airing the program as a lead-in for its
Happy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
and
Family TiesFamily Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
program block, which ended in February 2010.
As of March 2010, The program is now broadcast weekday mornings on the Me-TV network.
DVD releases
CBS DVD (distributed by
ParamountParamount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
) has released the first two seasons of
My Three Sons on DVD in Region 1.
All releases have been reworked to eliminate licensed musical and sound assets, although the original theme tune has been left unaltered. In other words, the background musical score for most episodes (which were originally stock music from the Capitol Records library) was replaced with more modern, synthesized music. This has caused a huge debate as when the same episodes are shown on television, they still include all music intact. This situation should change when the later seasons eventually come to DVD as Frank DeVol was the in-house composer and the later episodes should not need to be rescored.
| DVD Name |
Ep # |
Release Date |
| The First Season: Volume 1 |
18 |
September 30, 2008 |
| The First Season: Volume 2 |
18 |
January 20, 2009 |
| The Second Season: Volume 1 |
18 |
February 23, 2010 |
| The Second Season: Volume 2 |
18 |
June 15, 2010 |
External links