Differences in B&W and color eps.

[Doug-oh]

I started DVR'ing the BW eps.
Before ME-TV began running them this month, I believe I have only seen 1-2 BW eps., and that was during the 1980s when they ran on Nick @ Nite.

I like the BWs over the colors, though Ernie was great.

Some observations:

-The BWs seem more "wild" than the colors.
The boys are always running around the house, talking over each other, etc.

-The older boys seem to "pick on" Ernie.
It's like he's so different from the rest. You often see Robbie arguing with him.
I don't recall that kind of thing in the colors.

-Robbie's voice sounds high-pitched. His character is different from the colors, where he, of course, is the oldest son.

Overall, I think the BWs are better and more comedic than the colors.
The colors seem more like a "typical" sitcom.

[stevea]

Yes, it definitely changed over the years.

I think the pace of the early episodes has to do with director Peter Tewksbury. We'll see if it lasts.

[biffbronson]

I've read that older viewers who were watching first-run eps in the early-to-mid 1960s had some difficulty in accepting Rob as the "new" oldest son, which took place due to Mike's exit. They did not "see" Rob as a first-born type, I suppose. In my case, growing up with only the color eps, Rob/Don Grady seemed to be perfectly suited to the role. It's a different perspective. Chip was not the youngest in my view, that honor fell to Ernie.

So the early episodes are a different ballgame of sorts. Obviously as Don Grady gradually matured, so did his character to some extent -- but more specifically, his changing role by Season 6 necessitated more of an authority type be established, something not vitally important if Tim Considine had remained.

We'll all be watching for gradual changes, but in the meantime, Rob is somewhat like Jeff Stone from The Donna Reed Show, bouncing around the set..!

[TMC]

Was My Three Sons a funnier and more upbeat show when it was in black and white? And did the show become slower in pace and more like a dramedy when it shifted to color?

[biffbronson]

For a series that ran so long, there's more to consider in my opinion than just drawing a line between the ABC b & w era and CBS color.

Generally I prefer the color seasons and could do without the black & whites, if I had to choose.

That said however, by the time of the 5th season (b & w) I find aspects of the series that I know and like to begin taking hold, and Season 1 is high-quality.

Here is how I might rank my preferences, best to worst:

Seasons 8-10 (color): Tina Cole & Beverly Garland take it to another level. The stuff I grew up on and will always favor.
Season 1 (b & w): Superior production values.
Seasons 11, 12 (color): Enough of the stuff I like to rank them higher than I might otherwise.
Season 5 (b & w): Probably my second favorite b & w season.
Seasons 6, 7 (color): A bit humdrum; the Ernie adoption storyline is highly enjoyable though. Again grew up on those, so I'd never rank them last.
Seasons 2-4 (b & w): Some interesting stuff for sure, but not nearly as indispensable to me.

There were lots of b & w episodes that qualify as dramedy and lots of color ones that had plenty of comedy. I could argue that there were 2 major changes that really didn't have to do with comedy vs. dramedy: the first big change was the relaxation of direction after Tewksbury left following Season 1, the other was the intro of women as permanent cast members.

[TMC]

The first season was largely written by Peter Tewksbury, who you could say, actually tried to make good use of the motherless-family and the odd shooting schedule (Fred MacMurray did all of his scenes in short blocks).

[stevea]

I would say my appreciation of the black and white years is limited to select episodes.

When we get to seasons 6 and 7, the episodes become more enjoyable, with strong writing for the beginning three-episode arc dealing with Ernie's adoption.

In those seasons, there's a pretty even divide among downright silly episodes vs. totally enjoyable ones. Season 7 has nothing to distinguish it from season 6, and it's the only color years season which opens with no story arc. Head writer George Tibbles is generally absent (except one episode) from credited writing involvement in that season.

Season 8 introduces many positive changes. First is the change of studios which introduced better production values, and a more modern feel to the show. And one of my favorite changes, the introduction of Tina Cole in a regular role (after a few character roles in earlier seasons), playing the role of Rob's new wife. Season 9 had the natural progression of Katie's pregnancy and the birth of the triplets.

My favorite seasons are the final three, particularly the 10th season, which added Beverly Garland and Dawn Lyn to the cast. Interesting arcs opened the 10th and 11th seasons, with the respective weddings of Steve, and in season 11, Chip. A slightly less interesting arc, and different production values, plus the loss of Don Grady in the cast, wrapped up the series in season 12.

[Willbo]

My wife and I started watching the B&W episodes from the beginning yesterday as we have never seen them before. So far, we have truly enjoyed them. The first episode that concerned Chip and the little girl Dorreen was very funny and enjoyable. It's also nice to see Mike as we have not seen him before.
We did watch the last three-color episodes before we started watching the B&W episodes. The series really evolved over the years. The last episode mentioned "pot". Also, so far, we love William Frawley as Bub. Does Ernie show up in the first season? I do miss Ernie and the ladies of the color seasons but know they will eventually show up.

[Tankeryanker]

When shows were in B&W, how much consideration was given to the colors on the set(s)?

Nowadays, people that are going to be in the same scene match each other and the surroundings.

I am not seeing this in M3S even in the colored ones.
Is this something that just grew with professionalism as the years went by?