My Three Sons was a beloved family comedy from the 1960s that followed the evolving life of recent widower Steve Douglas, who was brought to life by silver screen legend Fred MacMurray.
With help from his father-in-law, Michael Francis O’Casey, portrayed by William Frawley, Douglas eventually rebuilds his family.
My Three Sons is one of the few television series to survive a channel change, having aired on ABC for half of its run and then spending its final seven seasons on CBS.
The show ran on television for 12 years, making it the longest-running live-action comedy series until 2003 with 369 episodes.
Who Is Still Alive From My Three Sons?
The cast members from My Three Sons who are still alive today include Stanley Livingston, Barry Livingston, Tina Cole, Dawn Lyn, and Ronne Troup.
Barry Livingston is the last surviving regular cast member to be active in the Screen Actors Guild.
Barry Livingston first became popular thanks to his role as Ernie Douglas, who was the younger brother of his older brother’s character, Chip Douglas.
Although older generations know Livingston best for this role, his younger fans know him best from movies such as Argo, Jersey Boys, and War Dogs.
Stanley Livingston is best known for his role as Chip Douglas, with the actor even noting, “the name Chip Douglas is probably going to be on my tombstone.
That’s neither good nor bad; it’s just a fact of life.”
Tina Cole played Katie Miller, but her introduction nearly caused Don Grady to leave the show.
When Cole was interviewing for the part, she admitted that Grady wasn’t really her type.
Despite the actors’ initial feelings for each other, they eventually fell in love and nearly got married on two separate occasions.
Sadly, the pair would break up shortly before Grady left My Three Sons.
Dawn Lyn appeared in 73 episodes as Dodie Harper Douglas from 1969 until the show’s end in 1972.
Prior to Lyn joining the cast, the production team was able to hide the fact that scenes were filmed completely out of order.
It was Lyn’s two front teeth that gave it away that time had passed between film scenes.
Rather than shooting in sequence, scenes were filmed in bulk to reduce the number of times that entire sets needed to be changed.
Ronne Troup played Chip Douglas’ wife Polly, who was 25 years old while playing the supposedly 18-year-old character.
When Did Tim Consider Pass Away?
Tim Considine passed away peacefully on March 3rd of 2022 at 81 years old, according to his son Christopher Considine.
Considine was the son of an MGM producer and began his acting career at only 12 years old.
His first role was Red Skelton from The Clown in 1953, with his first leading role being Spin Evans from The Adventures of Spin and Marty.
Consider would make an even bigger name for himself when he starred as Frank Hardy in The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure and The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Ghost Farm.
When Tim Considine was 19 years old, he got the role of Mike Douglas on My Three Sons.
Consider would later go on to write two episodes and direct one episode before deciding that he wanted to leave the show in 1964.
Although Considine loved the series and the people he worked with, he felt ready to move on to the next project.
His final episode was the first episode of the 6th season, which was also the first episode in the series to be filmed in color.
How Old Was William Demarest When He Passed Away?
William Demarest was 91 years old when he passed away on December 28th of 1983, after creating an entertainment career that spanned the course of an entire century.
This legendary actor first began entertaining the public through his career in vaudeville which started in the early 1900s and would later go into film acting by 1927.
William Demarest was born in 1892 and began his career in vaudeville as a child alongside his two older brothers.
Demarest worked in stock theater and occasionally worked as a professional boxer before taking his career to Broadway.
Some of Demarest’s first Broadway productions included Earl Carroll’s musicals sketch book from 1929 and vanities from 1931.
Demarest started his film career by appearing in the first motion picture with sound, The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson in 1927.
By 1936, William Demarest moved to Hollywood and appeared in Wedding Present.
After establishing a name for himself in theater and film through the 1930s, Demarest made a name for himself in the world of comedy through the 1940s by appearing in The Great McGinty, The Palm Beach Story, and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek.
In 1946, Demarest was nominated for his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor thanks to his work in The Jolson Story.
Demarest also starred in movies such as My Favorite Spy, 1952’s What Price Glory?, and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
William Demarest would join the cast of My Three Sons as Uncle Charley O’Casey and serve as the replacement for William Frawley.
Don Grady once said that Demarest was like William Fawley “after an AA meeting,” with Demarest being more grouchy like his character and Fawley being more of a jokester.
Three years after joining My Three Sons, Demarest moved to Palm Springs and became active in multiple charitable organizations.
What Happened To Don Grady?
Don Grady passed away in 2012 at 68 years old after battling cancer for four years.
Grady was able to spend his final moments in his Thousand Oaks home beside his wife, Ginny Grady.
Grady was born on June 8th of 1944 in San Diego, California to his mother, talent agent Mary Grady, and his father, former Navy member and sausage maker, Lou Grady.
From an early age, Grady had a passion for singing and dancing.
As a child, he took clarinet and accordion lessons before teaching himself how to play guitar, bass, and trumpet.
Grady’s first role was at Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club when he was in middle school.
Don Grady would remain a Mouseketeer until he was 16 years old and began his role on My Three Sons.
During an interview on The Early Show for CBS in 2001, Grady stated “I think we did a good show. It was a clean show. It was a fun show.”
Although Grady and the Livingston brothers may not have been related in real life, the actors shared a bond that was like a brotherhood.
Just like real younger brothers, Stanley and Barry Livingston looked up to Grady.
After appearing on other shows from the era such as rifleman and Wagon Train, Don Grady refocused his career on his original passion for music.
Grady became a composer and a songwriter, with his work appearing in television, film, and even theater.
According to his wife, Ginny Grady, “His passion was music and it was because he played 7 different musical instruments that he got onto the Mouseketeers show.
TV was a sideline to all he ever wanted to do, which was playing music.”
Don Grady was survived by his wife, mother, son, daughter, and one of his sisters.
How Did Fred MacMurray Pass Away?
Fred MacMurray, lead star of My Three Sons, passed away from pneumonia at 10:45 am after being hospitalized for cancer at 83 years old on November 5th1991.
MacMurray was best known for his square jaw and ability to portray the idealist American everyday man of the 1960s.
Fred MacMurray was born on August 30th1908, and quickly found that he was incredibly talented and versatile.
By the age of five, he was playing violin like his father and would play saxophone through high school and college.
Not only was MacMurray a talented musician, but he was also an award-winning athlete and academic.
During his college years, MacMurray would spend six nights a week playing saxophone in a jazz band.
Fred MacMurray was brought into the world of acting after chauffeuring his mother and aunt around Los Angeles, which allowed him to earn money as a movie extra.
Even as MacMurray was building up his acting career, he still managed to advance his reputation as a saxophonist, singer, and comedian.
During his early years in Los Angeles, MacMurray performed alongside the vaudeville band California Collegians.
By 1930, Fred MacMurray was appearing on Broadway in Three’s a Crowdwhich led to Paramount Studios finding MacMurray.
MacMurray would become incredibly popular after his 3rd film, The Gilded Lilywhere he appeared opposite Claudette Colbert.
Through the 1930s, he built a reputation for himself based on his kindness.
Double Indemnity Director Billy Wilder described MacMurray as “everybody’s nice guy” and a man who was “kind to dogs, children, mothers, and widows.”
Thanks to this reputation, he was a public favorite and was paired with many of the most popular female stars of his era like Madeleine Carroll, Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck, and Marlene Dietrich.
