‘My Three Sons’ Panel at the Hollywood Show Spotlight Television History
A cornerstone of classic television and a template for the modern sitcom, My Three Sons holds a special place in TV history as one of the most fondly remembered comedies of all time. Wholesome yet enduring, the story of Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray), a widowed father raising his three sons with the help of extended family, set the standard for generations of family-centered sitcoms to come.
Originally airing from 1960 to 1972 and running for 12 seasons, the shows made almost 400 episodes, making it one of the longest-running sitcoms of the Classic Network Era.
On September 5 at the Hollywood Show, stars Stanley Livingston (Chip Douglas), Barry Livingston (Ernie Douglas), Dawn Lyn (Dodie Douglas), and Tina Cole (Katie Miller Douglas) sat down to talk to fans about the show, their lives, and being a part of history.
When they took the stage, each actor expressed gratitude, thanking the audience and showing genuine appreciation. “I love you very much. I also love the show,” Lyn told the audience after admitting that this is her first public appearance in three years after suffering a brain infection from a routine surgery.
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They went on to share stories about how each of them was hired for the show. Cole shared a story of how Don Grady, who played Robbie Douglas and was Cole’s love interest and later husband on the show, didn’t want her to have the part. Instead, he wanted “a Peggy Lipton type.”
Stanley Livingston explained: “I was the first hire outside of Fred [MacMurray],” who apparently was pitched the project right after the success of Disney’s The Shaggy Dog. Apparently, Fred was lured to the small screen because he “didn’t want to do movies anymore at the time,” so instead, the veteran actor filmed three months on, and three months off.
As for working with MacMurray, Stanley admitted, “I was all stoked about William Frawley, and not so much Fred MacMurray.”
Stanley also shared that Fowley was a massive Dodgers fan through and through: “William Frawley had a thing in his contract that if the Dodgers were in the World Series, he wouldn’t film.”
Cole didn’t find the I Love Lucy vet as charming: “Frawley was a womanizer, gross, cranky, and [who] used bad language and liked young girls.”
At this point, the T was spilling as Barry chimed in with, “[William Demarest] was like Frawley but crankier.”
Credit: ReMIND Staff
The group also talked about what it was like to grow older in front of the camera. “One year, I had a growing spurt so my clothes didn’t fit,” said Stanley. There was also the issue of his hair color.
“They didn’t want [Ernie] to have dark hair, so they sent him to get it bleached,” said Stanley. “It was when the show was still black and white.” He put up a bit of a fight and told producers, “If they are dying my hair, I quit.” So, in the end, they let him keep his hair.
The growing needs of the three boys brought a few changes to the show. In this case, Tina. “We were growing older. There had to be women. I was 15. My hormones welcomed her,” laughed Stanley.
As for new projects, Barry Livingston was eager to share the news that he’ll be playing a “disco kingpin” opposite Brad Pitt in the new Netflix spinoff series for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth.
After the stories were shared, the cast thanked the audience for making them part of Hollywood history.
— Contributing reporting from Karen Ruud
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