A Couple of Notes About the MeTV Episodes

[stevea]

FYI Only---

1. The Me TV package -- at least so far -- appears to be network versions, edited by Me TV to their standard 23 minute length. This means that only somewhat over 2 minutes of program was edited out. The edits are really good. On a thread in General Sitcoms Discussions, there is discussion that this may change when season 3 comes around, since seasons 1 and 2 show as remastered in a "Syndication Bible" (A CBS TV Distribution information site). However, this Bible is only updated only a few times a year. My hunch is that they've all been remastered by now.

2. There appear to be 2 episodes out of 12 seasons titled "The Elopement": S1 Ep 13, and S11 Ep 7. S1 Ep 13 is scheduled for Tuesday, and TV Guide shows it as the S11 entry. To avoid this problem, they should have titled the 2nd entry as "The Elopement II", or something else to distinguish it.

3. These episodes are more "pure" than the traditional syndication package (which is seasons 6 thru 10). On seasons 6 thru 10, which are also based on the network versions, many episodes edit the closing credits (cutting the length of time for each slide) and change the music. There is none of this on the Season 1 episodes, so far--they even retain the video of Chevrolet cars displayed in the background.

[stevea]

I don't remember these B/W episodes at all. They definitely have a very different "feel" than the color ones.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

I like the car heading down the road under the credits. "What - there's no car in this episode?"

I barely remember the black and white episodes as a kid, and have only seen a smattering in reruns. From what I've seen so far, they're better than I remember. They have a wacky sort of energy to them, not unlike the early Petticoat Junctions that are playing before them right now.

I LOVE that cool old car at the ending credits! Boy, that brings me back to my childhood!!! Cars were SO AWESOME back than!

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by stevea

I don't remember these B/W episodes at all. They definitely have a very different "feel" than the color ones.

I'm LOVING them! I like Bub way better than Uncle Charlie!!! UC was too ornery! And I'm diggin' Mike, what a hotty! And Robby is cute too, but a little too young for me though!!

[biffbronson]

I'm very pleased with the MeTV presentation. From what I've read, the frenetic quality of the scenes is due to Peter Tewksbury as director. The first season probably has the best production values because Tewksbury worked very hard using re-takes, etc. -- later directors were more conventional (and cost-conscious).

Was that really Richard Deacon playing a guy on the bus who bores Steve to sleep? If so, then both he and Ann Morgan Guilbert appeared in M3S season 1 prior to the start of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Anyway, among the businesses passing in the background is an F. W. Woolworth's store. That type of background effect for cars, etc. would not be used in later years of M3S to my recollection.

Bonniegirl:
You have GOT to see Tim Considine in the 2-part Gunsmoke episode, "Snow Train" (1970) -- in that, he has a long, sort of "Buster Brown" hairstyle! Totally different look for him.

[Hazel Anyday]

I love this whole series . The later color episodes became more of an ongoing dramedy, but these early shows were classic sitcom all the way. I also prefer Bub over Charlie, but I really do like both of them. I always have liked the grouchy old men in shows, Fred (I Luv Lucy), Grandpa (Real McCoys), Uncle Tonoose (Danny Thomas Show), Uncle Charlie of course and others I can't think of now.

I've been watching the complete series now for more than 10 years now thanks to old tapes from Nick at Nite, Family Channel, TV Land, and for episodes that all of these skipped I went to foreign countries even (Australia and Canada) for episodes never shown in the states (since their original broadcast that is). But now I'm recording them all all over again.

I have one technical complaint though with ME TV transmission (maybe this is just our local TV station messing this up not ME TV itself, I don't know) but does anyone else notice a jittering type picture, esp. when there is rapid movement of the actors? My old recordings didn't jitter like the ME TV versions. Looks a bit like a silent movie when they move from one room to another. The jittering effect is bad enough where I'm tempted to stop recording them again.

Also 2 comments, a pet peeve of mine with these early episodes is when they will often use the, what I call, the "rehearsed, well practiced mass confusion technique" for some of their scenes. This is when everyone is talking at once about different things, the dog is usually running around and barking during these times and people are generally moving in all different directions at the same time each not paying attention to the other and talking over each other. This is supposed to be funny, well, I don't mind a scene like this once in a great while but it happens way too often in these early episodes. These rehearsed confusion scenes I find more annoying than funny. I'm sure they thought everyone was rolling on their living room floor with laughter at these all too often mass confusion boring scenes. Thankfully they eventually stopped doing this, but it happens a lot in the first season.

Also back on the positive side, a couple episodes to look forward to is one where Granny (Irene Ryan) and her old guy husband (great actor Ed Begley Sr.) meet up with Steve as he tries "to get away from it all" and they won't let him have any peace with their "fun" activities that they insist Steve participate in. Naturally, being this is a sitcom, no one can ever say "no thank you" so Steve just does whatever they want him to.

Another of my favorite b/w episodes is when my favorite girl Candy Moore shows up as a kid hiking in the woods and meets up with Mike who's supposed to be a Forest Park Ranger look-out who sits high in a tower for fires. She shows up and is as cute as a button. Now that's the kind of wild life I like.

[Bonniegirl]

I'm loving these early black and white eps. . I like Mike and Bub however I miss Ernie. I liked Ernie, he was such a funny, adorable little boy! And I like Chip better as a teenager than a little kid!

So I really like both the B & W's and the Colors!


When did Ernie join the cast exactly? He was an orphan, and they adopted him right? And when did Bub leave and Uncle Charlie move in? I'm thinking around the same time Mike left and Ernie became a Son?

[peppypacer]

I happened to see one of these early B&W shows and it dealt with Bub bringing home George Gobels so he could get away from his adoring fans. Who the flack is George Gobels? Was this guy really famous? He seemed like a short, boring guy who told long-winded stories. There was one son, the oldest I never knew about, he must have got written out of the show next season, or left it on his own.

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by Bonniegirl

When did Ernie join the cast exactly? He was an orphan, and they adopted him right? And when did Bub leave and Uncle Charlie move in? I'm thinking around the same time Mike left and Ernie became a Son?

Ernie on the series goes back to 1963, in the Bub years. He had dozens of appearances prior to his adoption. Here is a little of the history:

Charley O'Casey replaced Bub (who went to Ireland to visit his aunt, age 104) in the final black & white season. Charley was in the cast with Mike for a partial season, while Ernie was just a friend of Chip's who lived with foster parents. Barry Livingston was still in a recurring role at this point.

So we had the following combinations:
Steve, Mike, Rob, Chip, Bub, and friend Ernie Thompson (Seasons 4-5)
Steve, Mike, Rob, Chip, Charley, and friend Ernie Thompson (Season 5, and start of Season 6)

Mike left after the 1st color ep (Season 6, ep 1), which began the storyline leading to Ernie's adoption. (Ernie's foster parents were moving to the far east, which left him in need of parents again.)

Steve, Rob, Chip, Charley, and new son Ernie Douglas (Seasons 6 thru 11)
Steve, Chip, Charley, and Ernie (Season 12) - departure of Don Grady
_________

First ep for Ernie Thompson (Barry L.): Season 4, Ep. 7 (Oct. 31, 1963)
Last ep for Bub (Wm. Frawley): Season 5, Ep. 17 (Jan. 7, 1965)
First ep for Charley (Wm. Demarest): Season 5, Ep. 18 (Jan. 14, 1965)
Last ep for Mike (Tim C.) and new wife Sally (Meredith MacRae): Season 6, Ep. 1 (Sept. 1965)

Beginning with Season 8 especially, very important things began to happen each season:
Season 8: Move to California; Rob marries Katie Miller
Season 9: Triplets born
Season 10: Steve marries Barbara Vincent Harper; intro of Dodie
Season 11: Chip elopes with Polly Williams
Season 12: Fergus marries Terri Dowling

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by peppypacer

There was one son, the oldest I never knew about, he must have got written out of the show next season, or left it on his own.

Oldest son Mike Douglas was played by Tim Considine, at that point best known for his work on "Spin & Marty" on The Mickey Mouse Club. Other MMC alumni who appeared on the series included Don Grady as #2 son Rob and also Cheryl Holdridge, both of whom passed away in recent years.

Considine remained with My Three Sons for a full 5 seasons. So you won't see his exit anytime soon when watching older eps.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by biffbronson

Ernie on the series goes back to 1963, in the Bub years. He had dozens of appearances prior to his adoption. Here is a little of the history:

Charley O'Casey replaced Bub (who went to Ireland to visit his aunt, age 104) in the final black & white season. Charley was in the cast with Mike for a partial season, while Ernie was just a friend of Chip's who lived with foster parents. Barry Livingston was still in a recurring role at this point.

So we had the following combinations:
Steve, Mike, Rob, Chip, Bub, and friend Ernie Thompson (Seasons 4-5)
Steve, Mike, Rob, Chip, Charley, and friend Ernie Thompson (Season 5, and start of Season 6)

Mike left after the 1st color ep (Season 6, ep 1), which began the storyline leading to Ernie's adoption. (Ernie's foster parents were moving to the far east, which left him in need of parents again.)

Steve, Rob, Chip, Charley, and new son Ernie Douglas (Seasons 6 thru 11)
Steve, Chip, Charley, and Ernie (Season 12) - departure of Don Grady
_________

First ep for Ernie Thompson (Barry L.): Season 4, Ep. 7 (Oct. 31, 1963)
Last ep for Bub (Wm. Frawley): Season 5, Ep. 17 (Jan. 7, 1965)
First ep for Charley (Wm. Demarest): Season 5, Ep. 18 (Jan. 14, 1965)
Last ep for Mike (Tim C.) and new wife Sally (Meredith MacRae): Season 6, Ep. 1 (Sept. 1965)

Beginning with Season 8 especially, very important things began to happen each season:
Season 8: Move to California; Rob marries Katie Miller
Season 9: Triplets born
Season 10: Steve marries Barbara Vincent Harper; intro of Dodie
Season 11: Chip elopes with Polly Williams
Season 12: Fergus marries Terri Dowling

Wow! you have fantastic information on My Three Sons! Thanks for posting it!

That is a beautiful picture of Erin in your avatar!

[stevea]

Quoting Hazel Anyday:

I have one technical complaint though with ME TV transmission (maybe this is just our local TV station messing this up not ME TV itself, I don't know) but does anyone else notice a jittering type picture, esp. when there is rapid movement of the actors? My old recordings didn't jitter like the ME TV versions. Looks a bit like a silent movie when they move from one room to another. The jittering effect is bad enough where I'm tempted to stop recording them again.
--------
I've seen this problem, particularly with MeTV. With rapid movement, or camera panning, the picture seems to "smear", or become unclear. It's almost like what you'd see with "snow", and you'd have to reorient your antenna, back in the old days.

I've also seen a variation of this problem on 1980s videotaped shows, where the credits roll, and seem to smear, and are jittery (Mama's Family, for example), and are almost unreadable (the jitter is probably in the whole program, just most obvious when the credits roll). If I pull out my old recordings from TBS, they don't do that. (Same with Diff'rent Strokes from Starz/Encore, vs. old recordings from BET). I did some research on this, and actually got an email answer back from an expert, on this problem. It has to do with the conversion process to HD, and possibly back to SD, and people who don't know what they're doing. Evidently Starz complained about it, and got corrected masters.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

I love this whole series. The later color episodes became more of an ongoing dramedy, but these early shows were classic sitcom all the way. I also prefer Bub over Charlie, but I really do like both of them. I always have liked the grouchy old men in shows, Fred (I Luv Lucy), Grandpa (Real McCoys), Uncle Tonoose (Danny Thomas Show), Uncle Charlie of course and others I can't think of now.

M3S is one of my favorites, and we'll probably never see any more DVDs on it. We were fortunate here in Indy to have a local channel that aired the color seasons (except 11 and 12) unedited, so I have some good recordings. I also like the grumpy old men characters. Charley is an interesting character--he starts out as very unlikable (I can only comment on the color shows, so far!) in the Ernie adoption episodes, but gradually mellows (a little), to become a kind of likable old coot. He and Katie had to adjust to each other, and then Barbara had to go through the same thing.

I'm crossing my fingers that MeTV eventually shows seasons 11 and 12, since my recordings are from the old Odyssey network, and they're horrible.

[Coffeecup]

Through out my life I have seen every one the My Three Sons episodes. I do get a kick of the old black and white eps. It is fun to see the sons grow. I always got a laugh out of Chip saying, "Some clunky girl"
.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by Coffeecup

Through out my life I have seen every one the My Three Sons episodes. I do get a kick of the old black and white eps. It is fun to see the sons grow. I always got a laugh out of Chip saying, "Some clunky girl"
.

Yeah! It's heartwarming! Chip and Ernie both said some funny things!