1.13.: The Elopment

A very interesting episode.

Here's the plot: Is Mike going to elope with his girlfriend, Jean? They've gone down to the courthouse...there's a wedding license application in Jean's room...Oh boy...

There's a second plotline: Robbie told his teacher that he collected clocks. Now, he has to bring 12 of these clocks to a Ladies Club thing by 4PM. But...he doesn't have any clocks!

So, we have these two plots weaving around one another and occasionally meeting up. The Mike plotline is rather serious. Bub overhears some things. Connections are made. Then, Steve, Bub and Jean's dad drive to the courthouse to stop the marriage. Although it has its absurd moments, their attempts to stop it are presented with a certain urgency. Steve and the Other Dad wind up in the marriage license line getting heckled by couples who seem to treat marriage as "something to do on a Saturday". It's slightly amusing but we don't want Mike and Jean getting married so it's more harrowing than anything.

We want the Dads and Bub to stop the elopement but they keep getting held up. In the end, when the kids have taken care of business, the dads sit in the car discussing (in a parallel fashion) how to help out the kids. Jean's dad is very nervous about telling his wife. And, she is definitely not treating this as a joke. Her response to all of this is worry and sadness.

Robbie is very single-minded wacky, collecting his clocks. I'm trying to find a way to describe the scene. The Mom is trying not to lose it. As she remains composed-ish, Robbie is spazzing around like crazy for clocks. At one point, he goes next door and collects a clock from Jean's mom. It's an interesting scene because she is very worried and Robbie only cares about the clocks.

(In the end, when the Dads think that the marriage is final, Robbie dashes out with a suitcase, talking about ladies. That's the other point where the two plots latch up.)

Now, the odd thing...

Robbie has a standard sitcom plot. Mike does not. Up until...

SPOILER!!

They didn't get married. They are doing a sociology project on Teen Marriages. Bub and Steve and the other Dad jumped to conclusions (although there was some pretty good evidence).

The Mike plotline is presented rather seriously, completely unlike the sitcom of Robbie's antics. But then, in the end, the twist is a good one and a relief but...it makes everything a sitcom again.

Steve puts himself down for jumping to so many conclusions but...he loves his sons. He's worried about what Mike might be doing. I would have done the same thing. If I was wrong, I'd apologize.

It's a very strange episode because it runs in a slightly absurd, slightly serious vein...up until the end. Then, it flips and the whole thing has had a sitcom plot all along. It's not bad. In no way. It has a nice pace. There is a bit of an uncomfortable feeling as Mike and Jean draw closer to what looks like marriage. The Dads frustration is good drama. And, there are a few laughs.

I guess my confusion is...The final twist is perfectly in keeping with Mike's character and is satisfying because of that. But, at the same time, when it turns out to be a sitcom misunderstanding, it's slightly unsatisfying. I applaud the writer and director, however, for keeping us guessing until the end. That's what makes the sitcom twist a bit strange.

Ahh...this is very good. It was just that I was let down and satisfied at the same moment in the end. That's what got me thinking. That's a good thing. Thank you, My Three Sons.

1.12.: My Three Strikers

The boys want more allowance money. But, they won't do more work for it and they're shabby with the chores they do. As diplomatic as they try to be, Steve is not up for it. Everyone goes to bed unhappy. Nightmares flood the place. Luckily, calmer heads prevail in the end.

A plotline as old as the hills but handled with a measured maturity that makes this episode a wonderful piece of drama. There is very little sitcom-style goofing off. Bub and Chip get some moments. As does Robbie. But, at its base, this is smarter than an average sitcom script. It is more about Steve trying to run his house fairly. A man still working through how to raise his sons. Who wants to be their friend but doesn't want to be too soft? The boys are taking advantage. They aren't doing their chores and they are demanding more money.

The scene where Steve blows up and refuses the allowance hike and sends them packing is another (as if we needed another) example of why this show is so good. He blows up in a more considered fashion than the average dad and, as he is sending the boys to their rooms, he apologizes and says that he's had a rough day.

One of the continuing joys of My Three Sons is that the kids can go sitcom-wacky but they are always reigned in. There's no one here who is going to become Gary Coleman or any other sitcom kid who gets away with murder as everyone laughs uproariously. Chip and Robbie can be annoying, legitimately annoying. Mike can be far too earnest in the way that teens can get when they think they are being adult but don't fully know everything that's happening. Bub is still the closest to regular sitcom stuff but he is always extra coloring on the sides, rarely upfront.

And, as always, Fred MacMurray carries it. Just like the episode with Mike and Robbie arguing, he is trying to be as fair and as good as he can...but he's finding that it's not as easy as that. Mike presents his allowance hike proposal in the true naive fashion of someone who believes that if it makes sense, than it must be the most sensible way. Steve almost freezes at points because it may make sense but it's not always realistic. He's trying to please everyone and there are times when he can't get any of it quite right. (He's not a steamroller, like Bub.)

The continuing story of a good man trying to be a good father to three sons. It isn't easy. The fact that the show acknowledges this is one of its main strengths. And, after saying all this, I haven't even mentioned the nightmares the boys have after Steve sends them to bed.

I guess there's another review in here. Maybe I'll write about that some other time.

1.11: Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year

We meet Pig AKA Peggy. She is a very cute gal friend of Robbie's. She helps him fix his engine. (What is he fixing in that engine? How is he spending months replacing things in it? Well, I'm not a gearhead.) One day, she arrives at the garage dressed as a woman, rather than as a greasy guy. Robbie doesn't know how to take it and, interestingly enough, Peggy doesn't quite seem to know why she's doing it. But, it is the first stirrings of young love.

And, the episode is about the hilariously awkward Robbie trying to work through something that, as Steve tells him, a man must go through alone (like going to the dentist). In fact, Steve keeps trying to talk to Robbie about it but the boy clearly doesn't know what it is he's feeling. The conversations are awkward and stilted and, I'm pretty sure, Steve wouldn't be able to help. (Bub isn't much help either.)

Robbie shows off in front of her (and gets beaten up). Then, he takes her on a date (which seems to be going badly but, in the end, he's thrilled). There is so much glorious awkward here. Robbie has to reassess the fact that one of his absolute best pals, Pig, is now Peggy, and that he's attracted to her. (I do like when Steve mentions that Peggy is pretty. Robbie says "Yeah, for a girl." As oppose to whom Robbie? One of your football buddies? It's a natural reaction but, when actually looked at, it's an odd one.) I'm sure hoping that they don't let this plotline go. I'd like to see this evolve a little further.

I recognized a lot of this from my first loves. Although, I wasn't fifteen. I was more like 12. Well, it is 1960-ish. That awkward not-feeling-like-you-can-tell-anyone-when-really-you-can-tell anyone feeling. The strange thought that you know you have to do something but what? At least, Robbie has some support. I wandered into it by myself and screwed up a bit before I got anything right.

This is a very good episode. It feels like the first part of something, though. As I said, I hope they continue with this later.

One thing that confused me: We had the Thanksgiving episode a little while ago. But, they mention that "Spring has sprung" for Robbie in the autumn. Aren't we past autumn? Has a year passed between Johnny Squanto and Pig?

1.10.: Lonesome George

George Gobel stays at the house for a night. He wants to escape from the hectic world of being a celebrity. And, Bub, by a stroke of luck, has told the boys that that he knows George. But, he doesn't. But, he arrives at the hotel right when George needs to get away from a crowd. So, George is an overnight guest while Steve is out of town.

George is the focal point of the show. Everyone is awkward around him, including Bub and the boys. All George wants is to rest and, eventually, he gets the chance...but, it's not until after Steve arrives home unexpectedly in the middle of the night and some wackiness ensues.

Much like the second episode, we are seeing the Douglases from someone else's point of view. And, much like Ragpicker, it doesn't completely gel. Bub is far too stiff and formal and the boys never get to be boys around this well-known celebrity. Part of the charm, sure. George is far more interesting than the lady from The Atomic Brain. He's tired but funny. He's exhausted but ready to please but wanting to nap.

It's when Steve arrives home that the episode becomes a fine one. Much like the Lady Engineer, Steve and George keep missing one another. George is up for a midnight snack. Steve is strolling through the house turning off lights and putting away midnight snacks. They finally meet up in Steve's bed and...Hallelujah!...I laughed out loud. When the two men introduce themselves, in the bed, in the dark, it is laugh-out-loud funny. Excellent.

I actually don't know if this is a great episode. I think it's just a fun one. The focus is on George, rather than the actual main characters. It's a bit odd but there was probably a reason for it at the time. Maybe Gobel was there to boost ratings? Maybe Peter T. was good friends with him? Who knows? Gobel was big at the time (Look him up. I knew who he was, vaguely, but I still had to look him up.) so I imagine there was a boost. The odd thing is the show hits its height when Steve arrives home. Before that, it seems like a showpiece for a comedian. When Fred MacMurray arrives, it becomes My Three Sons again.

I can't fault the show for not trying new stuff. Was there another American show with a regular cast that had as much variety as this? It's the anthology show of sitcoms. Next up...Chip goes to outer space by sneaking into a rocket Steve designed? Maybe.

1.9.: Raft On The River

One of the joys of The Simpsons is the way that you think the show is going to be about one thing but then it becomes something else. Sometimes very quickly. This is very quickly becoming something I really enjoy about My Three Sons. Now, My Three Sons goes much slower than The Simpsons but, c'mon, immerse yourself! This is good stuff.

Mike and Robbie are going camping. Chip builds a makeshift raft in the backyard and plans on spending the night out there. It sounds pretty Leave It To Beaver-y, I know. It's only when Steve agrees to spend the night with Chip and the dog in the raft that the episode shifts from charming to awesome. They try to get to sleep and assorted noises and bothers get in their way. At this point, I checked the time and was surprised that we were only halfway in. I said (to no one in particular) "Wouldn't this be awesome if the rest of the episode was them trying to fall asleep?" And...it is. Classic comedy stuff. And, as it gets darker and windier, things become nice and spooky.

The show without a proper format continues to impress me. There are (as always) no real big laughs here. Just a few smiles. But, the content is so good that laughs are only missed if you're demanding them.

Right now, I'm getting a great joyous feeling of discovery with this show. Maybe you know the feeling? There is so much there, so many episodes. And, contrary to what I had thought, the show is becoming a weekly event. I look forward to the evening when I watch the next one. It comes up to0 quick and it's gone too fast.

1.8.: Chip's Harvest

A Thanksgiving episode. And one which, I think, should be a perennial for the holiday.

At Thanksgiving, everyone is allowed to invite along one friend. Chip is in the title; Chip gets the friend who forms the crux of the show. So far, everything is pretty white bread on this show. Is that bad? Of course not. It's about a white guy, with three white kids, who lives in a nice house because he has a nice job. This episode introduced more to the world. In a different way from Adjust or Bust and it's dancing Eastern Europeans.

Chip is going to invite Johnny Squanto. (Yeah, I know.) Johnny is a gentleman who lives down by the railroad tracks. He's a man who seems to be a bit of a Tall Tale Teller. He claims he is Native American, along with a lot of other things. Mike and Robbie don't believe his claims. Even Bub seems a bit put off by the man.

So, Steve heads to the man's small shack to rescind the invitation...but of course he does not. And, in that scene, My Three Sons trumps the shows around it once again. Steve goes out of the safety of their neighborhood and into this loud, slightly dangerous place. And, although one can feel that he will take back the invitation if need be, he is going with an open mind. Johnny Squanto doesn't say a word during the conversation but Steve knows that this man must come to their dinner.

And, luckily, he does. When the morning of Turkey Day hits, the stove breaks. Steve goes on a journey all around the neighborhood to get someone to fix it. (I believe he ends up at the house of a man who did some work for them earlier in the season.) Meanwhile, Johnny and the other guests show up. Quietly but assuredly, Mr. Squanto sets up a fire and spit in the backyard. The cooking of the turkey will get done. But, Mike and Robbie put their foot in it and Johnny leaves.

I won't ruin the end. As with the past episodes, part of the joy is watching the way the episode moves and shifts and becomes something worthwhile when it could have easily gone down a very sitcom route. The ending scene is possibly a little too literal for what it is but this is 1960 and, back then, subtlety may not have been enough. It closes with great charm and all I could think is: What would a Christmas episode be like?

Eight episodes in and the show continues to surprise.

1.7.: The Lady Engineer

Boy, I am enjoying this show.

For the seventh week in a row, I haven't known what to expect from an episode. And, My Three Sons threw another curveball at me. This episode is, indeed, a slower, more dramatic one than the previous episode so my guess on the format at the moment seems to be correct. But, the episode is so perfectly different I can only imagine that shows like Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best were hanging their heads in shame at the lack of creativity they were exhibiting.

The title goes a long way to explaining what seems to be the premise of the episode. But then, very intelligently, the focus of the episode shifts and it becomes quite charming, with Fred MacMurray pulling out all the stops. A large chunk of the episode is just Steve and Dr. Joan Johnson, the "Lady Engineer", working and talking. And, it's great.

Steve is at work, finishing a project. (His next project seems to involve a rocket to the moon.) His bosses send him a Dr. Johnson to help him finish his work. Well...Dr. Johnson's a woman. And, once that hilarity dies down, the episode begins in earnest and it is surprising and rather poignant.

I short-shrift the opening actually. Even if I didn't have the title, I'd know that Dr. Johnson was a lady. The thing that makes the pre-meeting scene work is the way it's handled. Steve meets a lovely lady and gives her directions through the maze of offices. He's looking for Dr. Johnson but more interested in the lady. I'm not 100% sure how the offices where he is work but I imagine that they are similar to (but more narrow than) the office maze in Tati's Playtime. You know the scene. Where Mr. Hulot is standing above the cubicle maze watching people move through it like rats. Well, Steve and the lady spend several minutes maneuvering this crowded place and missing each other. In the end, they meet in the same office and we learn who she is.

Well, Steve falls for her pretty hard and tries to get her to dinner and flirts with her a lot. It's very tough to tell what she thinks of him but, c'mon!, how can she not be charmed. I know that she is very professional but it's Steve Douglas for Heaven's Sake! He is pretty dopey, though, like a schoolboy. His scene in the Italian restaurant is very good. In fact, it has a lovely embarrassment factor to it that I don't expect from a 1960 sitcom. As the peisode progresses, we see them working hard for several days and, the night before she has to leave, well, they kiss. But, she does seem distant...

At this point, 19 minutes in to a 25 minute episode, the only member of the main cast I've seen has been Steve. The three sons and Bub? Nowhere to be found. Wow. That's rather bold. I'd say it was experimental but we're only 7 episodes in and the show hasn't settled anywhere yet. So, I'd like to say that this is how the show will be. Wouldn't that be great?

After the lovely night scene with the kiss, the last 6 minutes take place in the Douglas house on a Saturday morning at around 9AM. The kids are spazzing around. Bub is complaining about the washing machine. Standard sitcom stuff is screaming all around. And, at the calm center, Steve stands...I don't want to ruin the ending but this scene perfectly captures that thing, that thing...What thing? Well...You know...When I started college, I lived in a tiny room that they called a "triple". It was crowded, smelly and loud. At this point, some years removed, I can't imagine how the heck I got through it. But, I did. I do, however, remember the great stillness I had when a very wonderful woman entered my life for a time (and that is another story). We were seeing each other quite a bit and growing closer and closer. I enjoyed spending time with her so much that when I entered the triple room -- it didn't touch me. The noise, the stink, the endless crowded conditions. I was above it. And, when she stopped seeing me, the ache I felt kept me outside of it, too. In a different way, of course, but it did. That's what Steve carries in this closing scene. If I've explained it correctly, than you should know what I mean. He doesn't bump into things or goof up due to distraction but he's above the noise. It's a drone in the background that he blocks out. And, it's so unexpected in an American sitcom of the time, that I was thrilled.

It's a wonderful episode. And, with each My Three Sons I watch, I get tempted to pile them on. But, I will attempt to keep to one a week, if possible.

At the very end, I smiled the same exact smile Steve did and though "Gosh, I hope they bring Dr. Johnson back."

With my luck, Mrs. Pitts will come back first.