I love the B&W episodes of M3S. But I noticed at the start of season four, they stopped showing Sudsy (Chip's friend) and Hank (Robbie's friend) and now instead have introduced Ernie as Chip's best friend. I liked Sudsy! I wonder why the producers wrote them out of the show?

I guess they had to make room for Ernie. Did the Producers know going into that season that Tim Considine wanted out?

It still doesn't explain why they got rid of Hank though.

I noticed Sudsy disappeared, too. That kid wasn't a bad little actor, so I don't know what the problem was. Maybe he and/or his family wanted out.

According to IMDB, the actor came back to the show two times in later years as another character.

Huey 'Sudsy' Pfeiffer / Larry / Hoby
- Rough on Dodie (1969) ... Larry
- The Good Earth (1967) ... Hoby

The "Hank Ferguson" character did later return in a color episode, played by the same actor. It was the episode where Rob, now in college, decides to try living on campus -- and Hank is his roommate.

Later yet, when Rob got married, I'm trying to recall which character was supposed to be best man, but became ill (Steve and Charley got Chip to fill in). I just can't remember if the original best man choice, never seen, was said to be Hank.

It would be odd if it was Hank, because he was a Bryant Park guy, and by then the Douglases had moved to California. But, stranger things have happened in sitcoms.

Yeah, I just recently saw the episode where "Sudsy" comes back from season 10, "Rough On Dodie". Only, be warned, you won't recognize him. He really looks completely different from how you remember Sudsy looking. It wasn't till I read the credits at the end that I realized, "OH, THAT WAS SUDSY!!!" He wasn't called Sudsy and looks like a different person, when I "rewound" the DVD back to where Sudsy appears I could see, OHH, yeah that is Sudsy, you can recognize his mouth a bit. But he's really Mr. Incognito.

The "Hank Ferguson" character did later return in a color episode, played by the same actor. It was the episode where Rob, now in college, decides to try living on campus -- and Hank is his roommate.

Later yet, when Rob got married, I'm trying to recall which character was supposed to be best man, but became ill (Steve and Charley got Chip to fill in). I just can't remember if the original best man choice, never seen, was said to be Hank.

Nope. Neither one.

The "Hank Ferguson" character did later return in a color episode, played by the same actor. It was the episode where Rob, now in college, decides to try living on campus -- and Hank is his roommate.

Later yet, when Rob got married, I'm trying to recall which character was supposed to be best man, but became ill (Steve and Charley got Chip to fill in). I just can't remember if the original best man choice, never seen, was said to be Hank.

I don't think the best man who got sick was named Hank, but I don't remember the name. It's odd Rob would have a friend that close in such a short time, to ask to be best man. Also odd Rob wouldn't have thought of Chip in the first place.

Then later when Katie is about to deliver the triplets there is another friend of Rob's who might be the same "best man" guy, but I don't remember his name, either. He is definitely part of this episode, since I remember he's always asking questions and Steve is trying to keep the multiple babies thing a secret.

Can anyone fill in the blanks?

This is straight from Stanley Livingston on his Facebook page:

WELL…. BEFORE THERE WAS “ERNIE” (my brother, Barry Livingston) - THERE WAS “SUDSY” (Ricky Allen).
Actor Ricky Allen played a neighborhood kid and my best friend on “MY THREE SONS” the first three seasons. He was a dead-pan genius - quirky and funny as well. Rickey and I were also friends off-screen too. Rickey and I - and my brother, Barry - spent hours of our off-screen time ice skating at the famousPolar Palace in Hollywood - just around the corner from Desilu Studios. Rickey and I had just started playing Ice Hockey.

THE DEMISE OF “SUDSY”!

A couple weeks after starting to play Ice Hockey, Rickey got his two front teeth knocked out by a Hockey Stick during a Ice Hockey game. Don Fedderson Productions, the company that produced MTS, was forced to let him go. I received an edict: I was forbidden from playing Ice Hockey.

The upshot… they had to find a replacement neighborhood kid for me to pal around with in various episodes ASAP. Enter a brand new character named “Ernie” - who just happed to be my real life brother (and seasoned pro actor), Barry Livingston. A few years later “Ernie” would be officially adopted into the Douglas family as a full-fledged “Son” - and a regular cast member when Tim Considine, who played the oldest brother, “Mike”, left the show.

Someone asked Stanley how Sudsy is doing these days, and he replied "He passed away years ago". ��

IMDB's "bio" on Rickey Allen does not have any info on dates of birth or death for the actor.

This is all IMBD has as a bio:

"Ricky Allen is known for Plunderers of Painted Flats (1959), Vacation Playhouse (1963) and The New Breed (1961)."

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0020969/bio?item=bo418758308

It's interesting there's no bio info. on him, on the internet, other than the abbreviated IMDb info.

One item had someone asking Stanley what he was doing now, and he replied that he was now known as Rick Allen D.D.S. Based on the info. above I think Stanley was joking.

Ice Hockey is dangerous. My cousin's daughter's son had his leg ripped apart by an opponent's skate.

It's interesting there's no bio info. on him, on the internet, other than the abbreviated IMDb info.

One item had someone asking Stanley what he was doing now, and he replied that he was now known as Rick Allen D.D.S. Based on the info. above I think Stanley was joking.

Ice Hockey is dangerous. My cousin's daughter's son had his leg ripped apart by an opponent's skate.

lol I like the Ricky Allen DDS joke!

And yes, Ice Hockey can certainly be dangerous.

I'm a Lightning fan, and earlier this season, Pat Maroon skated by Evander Kane of the Edmonton Oilers, who was down on the ice. Maroon's skate blade accidentally sliced Kane's arm, he immediately got up and skated toward his bench, holding his arm to put pressure on the cut.

Maroon saw what happened to Kane's arm and was gesturing to the trainers. But it turns out Maroon had no idea that it was his skate that did the damage. He learned that from his son when he got home.

Here's the action where Kane was cut
https://youtu.be/1m_dMEqKme4

So, is Sudsy dead or not?

Sudsy seems more appropriate as a name for Katie Douglas in the shower...