CTVA US Comedy - "My Three Sons" (Don Fedderson/ABC/CBS)(1960-72) Fred MacMurray

CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - US Comedy Series

My Three Sons (1960-72)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
TV Guide /  Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive

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MY THREE SONS
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My Three Sons (season 1) (ABC) (1960-1961)  (b-w) ABC Thursdays 9:00 pm EST 36 eps [001-036]
My Three Sons (season 2) (ABC) (1961-1962) (b-w) ABC Thursdays 9:00 pm EST 36 eps [037-072]
My Three Sons (season 3) (ABC) (1962-1963) (b-w) ABC Thursdays 9:00 pm EST 39 eps [073-111]
My Three Sons (season 4) (ABC) (1963-1964) (b-w) ABC Thursdays 8:30 pm EST 37 eps [112-148]
My Three Sons (season 5) (ABC) (1964-1965) (b-w) ABC Thursdays 8:30 pm EST 36 eps [149-184]
My Three Sons (season 6) (CBS) (1965-1966) (color) CBS Thursdays 8:30 pm EST 32 eps [185-216]
My Three Sons (season 7) (CBS) (1966-1967) (color) CBS Thursdays 8:30 pm EST 32 eps [217-248]
My Three Sons (season 8) (CBS) (1967-1968) (color) CBS Saturdays 8:30 pm EST 30 eps [249-278]
My Three Sons (season 9) (CBS) (1968-1969) (color) CBS Saturdays 8:30 pm EST 28 eps [279-306]
My Three Sons (season 10) (CBS) (1969-1970) (color) CBS Saturdays 8:30 pm EST 26 eps [307-332]
My Three Sons (season 11) (CBS) (1970-1971) (color) CBS Saturdays 8:30 pm EST 24 eps [333-356]
My Three Sons (season 12) (CBS) (1971-1972) (color) CBS Mondays 10:00 pm EST 24 eps [357-380]

Gregg-Don, Inc. Production (1960-65)(seasons 1-5)
Don Fedderson Productions
for The ABC Television Network
*
Mac-Fedd Company Production (1965-71)(seasons 6-11 or 12)
for  The CBS Television Network
Filmed at Desilu Studios, Hollywood (seasons 1-7)(1960-67)
Filmed at CBS Studio Center, Studio City (former Republic Studios) (seasons 8-12)(1967-72)
Produced Edmund Hartmann (seasons 2-12)
*
US Comedy series 1960-72   380 episodes x 30 min (12 seasons) (184 bw +
196 color)
release date 29Sep60-24Aug72
Starring:
The Father:
Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas (1960-1972)
The Three Sons:
Tim Considine as Mike Douglas (eldest son) (1960-1965)
Don Grady as Robbie Douglas (middle son) (1960-1971)
Stanley Livingston as Chip Douglas (youngest son) (1960-1972)
Supporting Cast:
William Frawley as Michael Francis "Bub" O'Casey (1960-1965)
William Demarest as Uncle Charley O'Casey (1965-1972)
----
Cynthia Pepper as Jean Pearson (1960-1961)
Robert P. Lieb as Mr. Henry Pearson (1960-1961)
Florence MacMichael as Mrs. Florence Pearson (1960-1961)
----
Peter Brooks as Hank Ferguson (1961-1963)
----
Ricky Allen as Sudsy Pfeiffer (1961-1963)
Olive Dunbar as Mrs. Pfeiffer (1961-1963)
Olan Soule as Mr. Pfeiffer (1961-1963)
----
Barry Livingston as Ernie Thompson Douglas (1963-1972)
Meredith MacRae as Sally Ann Morrison Douglas (1963-1965)
Tina Cole as Katie Miller Douglas (1967-1972)
John Howard as Dave Welch (1965-1967)
*
Season 10-12:
Beverly Garland as Barbara Harper Douglas (1969-1972)
Dawn Lyn as Dodie Harper Douglas (1969-1972)
*
Season 11-12:
Joseph Todd as Steve Douglas, Jr (1970-1972)
Michael Todd as Charley Douglas (1970-1972)
Daniel Todd as Robbie Douglas II (1970-1972)
Ronne Troup as Polly Williams Douglas (1970-1972)
Season 12:
Anne Francis as Terri Dowling (1971-1972)
Fred MacMurray as Fergus McBain Douglas (1971-1972)

Premise/Background:
This long-running situation comedy debuted on September 29, 1960, and ran until August 1972. The show starred veteran
film actor Fred MacMurray, who immediately prior to the show, starred in the Disney films "The Shaggy Dog" and
"The Absent Minded Professor." In "My Three Sons," MacMurray played Steve Douglas, a widower who, as the title implies,
has three sons. His father-in-law, Bub (William Frawley), keeps house as Steve tries to support the family while at the
same time keeping an eye on the lookout for a possible future wife. So popular was "My Three Sons" that it became one of
television's longest-lasting sitcoms, with twelve years on the prime-time schedule.

In the first five seasons, the kids are raised with the help of vaudeville escapee Grandpa Bub. When Bub splits for
Ireland (actor William Frawley had passed away mid-season), Bub's brother, Uncle Charley (William Demarest), a former
merchant marine, takes over the household chores. Bub's departure not only marked the end of the show's run on ABC and
its switch to CBS, but also the change from black and white to living color.

Just prior to Uncle Charley's arrival, the oldest son, Mike Douglas (not the talk show host but MacMurray's "Shaggy Dog"
co-star), runs off with his new bride to the East Coast. To keep the show's name relevant, the writers had Steve adopt a
friend of his youngest son, Chip -- an orphan named Ernie. Soon thereafter, the family relocates from the Midwestern town
of Bryant Park to North Hollywood, California. Although the Douglas clan objects vehemently to the move, they eventually
settle into their new digs. Robbie, formerly the middle son but now the oldest, falls in love and marries his college
girlfriend, Katie. Robbie's wife becomes pregnant and gives birth to triplets, hence having their own three sons. The
Douglas home is nearly bursting at the seams when Steve finally remarries. His second wife, Barbara, has a freckle-faced
daughter named Dodie. Chip is the next to get bitten by the lovebug and elopes with his teenage sweetie, Polly (with their
parents' permission, of course). In the show's final season, Steve's cousin, Fergus McBain (also played by MacMurray),
comes to live with the Douglas clan and hooks up with a cocktail waitress named Terri Dowling. With such a large number
of people in the house, the later episodes were less able to feature the family as a whole; individual episodes tend to
spotlight specific characters.

"My Three Sons" is syndicated in two packages:
Package 1: Seasons 1 to 5 in black and white, plus Season 12 (in color);
The first package joined Nick at Nite in November 1985.
Package 2: comprises seasons 6 through 11. (debuted on TV Land in early 1998)

"My Three Sons" music Jack McDuff & Joe Dukes

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